Jump to:
Easy, elegant, mouthwatering hot smoked salmon lasagne with spinach and poached egg. This delicious salmon lasagne recipe is unique and packed with flavour.
Smoked fish with a poached egg sitting proudly above it is as classic and comforting as it gets. This is a lasagne dish that uses hot smoked salmon and pairs it with a mustard-flavoured white sauce with spinach and an oozing yolky egg. Instead of presenting it on top of some fluffy mashed potatoes though, we have encased it between layers of silky lasagne sheets. The result is a glorious unique smoked fish recipe as ideal as it is for brunch and lunch as it is for dinner.
Flavoursome hot smoked salmon
This salmon lasagne calls for hot smoked salmon rather than cold smoked salmon. The difference is in the flavour and texture. Cold smoked salmon is smoked at about 32℃ which allows the thinner slices to remain supple and raw in appearance. Hot smoking however not only imparts a vastly smokier flavour, it gives the salmon a firmer texture as it is smoked at a higher temperature which allows you to break it into large flakes which is what we want in our lasagne. These flakes are meaty, smoky and rich which goes so well with a soft poached egg.
There are also differing degrees of smokiness that you can get from your fish so hunt around for your favourite. Generally speaking, the darker the colour, the more intense the flavour. The skin of a salmon that has been kiln smoke roast will start from marbled mustard and an orange hue to even a magenta and dark burnt umber. The flesh however tends to remain salmon orange to even light pink as you would see in a traditionally steamed piece of salmon. The well-smoked portions will be strong and rich in flavour which is perfect for small punchy portions, but if you would like to tame the end result for a less intense, lighter on the palette dish, try some partially smoked salmon fillets which are easily sourced in most supermarkets. Of course, for anyone who wouldn’t like smoked fish at all, then a fillet of plain fresh salmon will do. Even though hot smoked salmon is already cooked, using fresh or partially smoked salmon will have exactly the same cooking time in the oven with no prior preparation needed.
Easy béchamel based salmon lasagne
Seafood lasagne are easy to make and a real treat and very versatile too. You can make tomato-based or cream-based versions but with this salmon lasagne recipe we cut down on the need to make two sauces as you would with a traditional lasagne. Instead, we opt to just make the béchamel sauce, which would be the layer to soften the lasagne sheets anyway.
Because there is so much flavour to the smoked salmon, it allows you to cut down on further rich flavours for the sauce such as a stock or cream as the salmon itself flavours the sauce perfectly without the final dish becoming over-bearing with intense flavours or with an overly creamy texture.
It does of course need to be highly flavoursome! So, the béchamel sauce recipe that we use here originates from the béchamel sauce that you’d find in a classic Coquilles Saint-Jacques (scallop gratin) which, is light enough to carry the sweetness of the scallops, whilst containing just enough of a hit of white wine ( or you could use sherry) flavoured with shallots to compliment the seafood perfectly. This gives it just enough umami richness without being overbearing. Béchamel, which is in a traditional lasagne, also expands in the oven and aerates, leaving the texture silkily creamy but not at all heavy, which is the perfect texture for a sauce carrying an ingredient as powerful as hot smoked salmon.
Hot smoked salmon lasagne ingredients and substitutions
For this version of béchamel sauce, again, due to the flavour of the smoked salmon doesn’t need to be made with milk that has been infused with nutmeg, bay leaf and pepper. This not only makes it easier to make, but it also cuts down on the preparation time too. What we do want is to end up with a lasagne that emulates flavours of the traditional accompaniments found with the classic smoked fish which is sat on a bed of buttery mashed potatoes with spinach and drizzled with a wholegrain mustard sauce with a perfectly yolky poached egg on top. This simply calls for our béchamel sauce to be studded with freshly torn spinach and a teaspoon to a tablespoon of wholegrain mustard depending on how you like it. Fish, such as salmon always responds well to the zing of a little fresh lemon juice, so a little squeeze goes a long way, and of course, you should introduce some fresh green herbs too. For this recipe, we have used fresh dill as smoked salmon and dill is a classic combination, but other traditional salmon recipes see the fish paired with parsley, chervil or tarragon which are perfectly good alternatives.
What cheese to use
And of course, this is a lasagne, after all, so we have to add some cheese to help the sauce brown on top. We use gruyere to flavour the sauce as it is the cheese used in a Coquille St Jacques from where we have partly taken inspiration, but you could alternatively use cheddar or mozzarella for an equally delicious finish. That is the sauce! once that is created, just flake the salmon, taking the skin off first, into the sauce and start layering your lasagne, first with spoonfuls of the sauce laden with the salmon and spinach followed by the lasagne sheets and repeated until you have two to three layers depending on the size of your dish.
Place in the oven for about twenty-five minutes until nicely gratinated. If your salmon lasagne hasn’t fully browned after this time you can always pop it under the grill for a few minutes, but make sure you keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn.
Salmon lasagne game changer
The final flourish, and what is essentially a bit of a game changer to a seafood lasagne is a perfectly poached egg placed on each portion. If you are not confident about dropping a cracked egg in a pan of boiling water with a little added salt and vinegar then use a poacher for your eggs, who’s going to judge. What is certain though, is that this smoked salmon lasagne is an absolute winner.
More flavoursome lasagne recipes
The Best Moroccan Lamb Mince Lasagne with Feta Cheese
Trending recipes
Hot smoked salmon lasagne with poached egg recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g of hot smoked or partially smoked salmon fillets, skin removed
- 100 g of fresh spinach, cut or torn
- 4-6 sheets of lasagne (dependent on the size of the dish for 2 or 3 layers)
- 4 fresh large eggs
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar
- Salt and pepper
- Garnish with fresh dill
For the béchamel sauce (white sauce)
- 1 white onion or 2 smaller shallots, diced
- 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
- 50 g of butter
- 60 g or ¼ cup of flour
- 120 ml or ½ cup of white wine (or sherry and white wine mix)
- 400 ml or 1 ⅔ cups of milk
- 2 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
- 75 g of grated Gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Place a dry frying pan on medium heat and add the fennel seeds and toast for a minute. Add a little olive oil and the onions or shallots and fry for 4-5 minutes until softened.
- Add the butter and using a whisk stir together with the onions until melted. Add the flour and whisk into the butter to make a roux. Pour in the white wine whisking constantly, this will avoid any lumps forming. Pour in the milk continuing to whisk so that the béchamel sauce remains smooth. Simmer on medium heat until the sauce thickens.
- Add the mustard, cheese and spinach and stir until the spinach has fully wilted and the cheese has melted. Take off the heat and flake in the salmon and stir.
- Start building the lasagne by spooning in a layer of sauce in a 20cm lasagne dish. Place single sheets of lasagne on top and repeat the process until all of the sauce and pasta have been used. Place in a 200℃/392°F oven and bake for 25 minutes until nicely browned.
- Use the grill (broiler) for a minute to brown further to your preference.
For the poached eggs
- Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the vinegar and a little salt.
- Break the eggs into little cups/bowls. Tip each egg into the water and cook for 2-3 minutes until poached but soft.
- Transfer the eggs out of the boiling water into a bowl of warm water until ready to use.
Leave a Reply