Simple, scrumptious salmon filo parcels

SERVE AS A MAIN MEAL: These filo parcels can be served as a main meal along with a salad and some rice. Picture by Dana Morcan

Filo (or phyllo) pastry is very thin dough and can be used as a lower-fat alternative to other pastries.

While it’s quite thin as a single sheet, it is made thicker in this recipe by layering sheets of it together and brushing between the sheets lightly with extra virgin olive oil.

The pastry, encasing whatever filling you choose, is then baked.

It’s a versatile pastry that can be used to make sweet treats, such as baklava, savoury finger foods, sides and mains such as samosas, pies, and fish parcels.

This yummy recipe uses a salmon filling and once you have tried it, you will be wanting it again . . .

2 x 95g tins of smoked salmon (smoked salmon is better in this dish)

3 tbsp mild sweet chilli sauce

2 x spring onions, finely chopped

Roughly 3/4 packet of filo pastry sheets

Some mayonnaise topped with a little bit more sweet chilli sauce.

Green salad and/or rice (I use jasmine) along with the sauce.

1. Mix the salmon filling ingredients together in a small bowl.

2. Prepare the filo pastry sheets. Try not to leave them out of the fridge for too long as filo dries out quite quickly once out of the fridge. Cut the sheets of filo pastry into evenly shaped squares — enough to fill with about 1.5 tbsp of the salmon filling and then be able to fold up around the filling in a parcel shape. Layer four or five sheets of the cut-up filo squares together (one on top of the other). Brush some olive oil between each sheet (or I just brush the oil thinly on each top square and don’t bother with the ones underneath, but if in doubt, brush between all of them so that they stick together well).

3. Place about 1.5 tbsps of the salmon mixture filling in the centre of each top square.

4. Gently pull up all four corners of each of the prepared, layered pastry squares until they neatly encase the salmon filling, then twist them at the top, so they roughly resemble little parcels. Ensure you are not too rough with the filo as it can fall apart or rip. If you struggle to do it neatly or if it starts to rip, you can add more filo squares to make a thicker parcel — your choice.

5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at around 190 degrees Celsius for roughly 15 minutes.

6. Remove from oven when parcels are just golden — not too overly browned.

7. Serve with a salad and the sauce (the mayo and extra sweet chilli sauce).

8. Serve also with rice if desired. I use jasmine rice with this meal.

15 minutes.

about 15 minutes.

about 12 parcels.