The gorgeous dish of Spanakopita hails from beautiful Greece. A delicious spinach pie, filled with feta cheese and egg and then wrapped in filo pastry – it´s a wonderful combination of flavours.
The weather here has turned overnight into summer with temperatures in the early 30s. Although we have used our gas barbecue on and off throughout the winter, we haven´t eaten outside. The weather now is perfect and we are going to make the most of it to eat in the garden, before the tremendous heat of summer drives us back inside to eat in the cool of the house.
I had bought a large salmon fillet (half of a whole salmon) which weighed about 1.5kg to cook for friends. The best laid plans and all that…well, the lunch didn´t happen and I had a massive piece of salmon to cook for two people.
The first lunch we simply cooked the whole thing on the barbecue, sprinkled with salt and served it with lemon juice and home made mayonnaise. We ate about a third of it so I divided the remaining piece into two and froze one piece. In this dish I used about 250g of cooked salmon so still have plenty left over to make a rice dish with prawns and salmon tomorrow.
I fancied making something different from fish cakes and remembered this lovely dish from Greece and set about recreating it, albeit with a few Up the Mountain twists. Or Making Do with what I had available. I realise that the traditional dish doesn´t contain meat or fish, but this is an interpretation rather than a faithful reproduction!
Ingredients (to serve 4 as a main course or 6 as a starter)
Please note, the ingredients are approximate, so feel free to add a little more or take a little away it it suits
- One pack of puff pastry (275g) rolled out thinly (or use filo if you have it)
- 180g of feta (I used fresh goat´s cheese made by a neighbour). Do check out Chgo John´s amazing method to make feta here.
- About 250g cooked salmon, flaked
- 225g Greek yogurt
- 3 spring onions finely chopped (I used 1 small onion finely chopped)
- 125g fresh spinach finely chopped and wilted (I put mine in a large metal colander and pour boiling water over it) with all the water squeezed out
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup each of finely chopped dill (I used wild fennel tops which grow round here) and parsley
- Seasoning
Heat the oven to 180ºC. Place the pastry on a flat baking tray which has been lined with greaseproof paper (or use a small one about half the size of your pastry which is a little deeper).
Mix all the ingredients together and season (you may not need much salt if you use feta). Put the filling into the middle of the pastry and bring the pastry up and over to cover it, neatening the corners to seal the filling in. Use some water on the edges if necessary to help seal them.
Brush with milk or beaten egg and bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool slightly before eating. Perfect with a salad and a cool glass of wine.
Any ideas for that last piece of cooked salmon in my freezer? Go on, inspire me!
Chica Andaluza 
Both the grilled salmon and the pie look wonderful.
Thank you – simply grilled or bbq´d most fish takes on a lovely flavour!
This looks amazing! I can’t seem to get Filo pasty here…well maybe i can, but I always end up with puff patry when I ask! I have some smoked salmon in the freezer which needs using up. I’m going to adapt this recipe. thx for the inspiration 🙂
I was trying to find out what it´s called in Portuguese – in Spain it´s sometimes referred to as phyllo or hojaldre en laminas – see if that helps! Would be lovely with smoked salmon…mmmm!
Thanks Chica – I’ve since seen some in France so at least I now KNOW what I should be looking for 🙂 and how it should be packed. I think the Portuguese probably make their own. Have you tried?
No, not that brave! Thinking about it, the pastry they use for their custard tarts would be good as it´s kind of a cross between puff and filo? I don´t have a sweet tooth but I adore those custard tarts!
😉 So do I!
Great recipe, I too love grilled salmon, for the leftovers why not a quick pasta and salmon, with a delicious cream cheese sauce and capers. My favourite is also working with filo pastry and puff pastry,just that texture of biting into something so crispy, flaky and buttery! Delicious! x
Hello Yvette and thanks for the great idea … I adore capers and they would be lovely with the creamy cheese and salmon 🙂
I think it probably looks better if you don’t seal the top properly – it’s lovely being able to see the filling through the gaps! And that huge piece of salmon looks wonderful – three delicious meals in one!
Yes – more artistic that way! The salmon was enormous, a bit daunting at first thinking there were only two of us to get through that monster 😉
Tanya, you are speaking my language! What a beautiful dish and what a beautiful place to eat it! Have a wonderful sunny weekend – I’ll be trying your salmon spanakopita (sort of) one day this summer!
It´s so nice to be able to eat outside – there´s something about it that makes even a piece of toast taste special 🙂
First off, thank you so much for the mention, Tanya.
Secondly, that pic of the salmon on the grill looks too good for words. YUM!
I cannot believe that you just shared a recipe for spanakópita! As I seem to have a sudden abundance of feta — and I’m tiring of Greek salads — last night I went looking for my spanakópita recipe. Granted, my pie is relatively lackluster when compared to your salmon-filled delicacy but I’ve got a lot of feta to use. Seeing that beautiful pie of yours has inspired me to look again for that recipe! So, thanks again for the mention and now for the inspiration. 🙂
You´re welcome John. Actually, it was you that inspired me with the feta. And as it happened a neighbour came round with some fresh cheese that his wife had made that morning – it´s probably fairly close to feta style cheese but made with goat´s milk and there was a packet of pastry in the freezer. The stars collided at the right moment and I made this! I think it would be wonderful without the salmon (which isn´t authentic anyway) as the flavours of the cheese, spinach etc are so lovely.
That looks gorgeous! I loved the salmon on the BBQ too – I’m cooking BBQ fish tomorrow for a birthday! Did you cook potato slices on the BBQ with the salmon or is that another vegetable?
Hope your BBQ goes well. Yes, they were potatoes. I usually keep potatoes boiled in their skins in the fridge for potato salad etc and I cut these up and put them on the grill to brown…love them like this (and not too naughty either)!
Thanks 😉
Yummy! It looks incredibly tempting… this is light, right? 😉 Have a nice weekend!
Well, if you have a small slice! Have a great weekend too 🙂
This is a perfect pie, it is years since I made one with filo, thanks for the reminder! Oh your food looks scrumptious tonight! c
Thanks Celi – it was a good one to make. Have a good weekend!
I always turn my leftovers into fish pie so thank you for giving me something different to do!
Mmm Fish pie – maybe that´s what I´ll do!
Wow, I’m sure this dish will impress everyone on the dining table. And it looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, and for stopping by!
I interpretations best! Both look delicious – but I’m drawn to the grilled salmon, simply because you are cooking and eating outdoors 🙂
Yes, I think anything eaten outdoors tastes better!
Had I only known, I would have been over in a flash to help you eat the fish straight from the grill and then help make a dent in that brilliant pie!
🙂 Mandy xo
Would definitely have saved you some!
Oh wow Tanya, this is cruel to make me look at this. I want to eat this spanakopita…. right this second! Nicely done.
Thanks Tia, we really enjoyed it!
Yum. I’m drooling.
Now what to do with a husband who isn’t fussy about salmon, and definitely won’t give feta the time of day.
I know. A couple of girlfriends and a bottle of wine for lunch when “he” is out flying his model planes.
I’ve got plenty of spinach in the garden so this looks definitely a go-er.
Funny you say that as neither of us would rank salmon as our favourite fish and Big Man claims not to like the cheese I used – I just didn´t tell him and he loved it!
Oh sign me up for this one, please? Mmmm… love salmon, spinach et al!
You´re on the list 😉
I think your recipe sounds great and think that you did a beautiful job with the pastry. I love that you see peaks of what is inside.
Thank you – it turned out really well!
I love this sort of dish.. it’s so pretty when it’s served and even prettier when it’s sliced up. The flavor with home-made cheese must have been fantastic! I will keep this one in mind for when I have leftover salmon.. I wish I knew how to help you with the rest of your salmon!
You´re right, it looked good before and after serving. More importantly, it tasted good too!
Sound like a perfect couple of lunches. Beautiful food, crisp cold wine, alfresco! Delightful.
There is something very special about eating outside isn´t there?!
Very much so. I have a rusty old table and chairs set that I’ve had for years and a tin of Hammerite. I plan to renovate the set so we can have summer suppers on the deck…assuming we ever get any weather warm enough! 😉
That turned out beautifully! I love filo dough. Yum 😉
Thanks Heather, I was pleased with it!
How gorgeous does that look! I am inspired to make it.
Take care
Kate
Thanks Kate, do let me know if you do, it was very much enjoyed here!
What a fantastic idea to make spanakopita with salmon in it! I must try that…all those flavors are so perfect together. I’m late catching up, so perhaps you’ve used your salmon already, but salmon chowder or salmon croquettes would be good! 🙂
Thanks for your kind words and also your inspiration – salmon chowder sounds right up my street!
This almost looks like the Torta I just made.
Hope you enjoyed it!