Recipe Pistachio Salmon Pockets

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I had leftover filo, and I didn't want to throw it out. I was considering making some sort of sausage roll, since I just got a new meat grinder yesterday. Instead of the conventional beef, pork, or chicken, I decided to grind a salmon filet. Making a sausage out of it meant that I could incorporate seasonings - and, who knows, maybe pistachios! - throughout instead of just on the surface. I immediately thought of all the things I love with salmon - dill, capers, and of course pistachios - but I had a potential issue. I didn't want crunchy pistachios, but what if I soaked them in something so they ended up like the pistachios in the Pistachio Crusted Salmon recipe I posted earlier? So, I squeezed the juice out of a large lime, and soaked pistachio chunks in them. I have to say, it really worked.

It wasn't my plan to have it end up like this, but it does resemble the shape of a Hot Pocket. I'd happily have one of these over one of those any day.

I considered baking this at a lower temperature, since I wanted to make sure the interior would cook through. I would have been more paranoid if this had been pork, but I really just wanted to get the exterior golden brown without overcooking the salmon.

Ingredients

1/2 cup pistachios
1 lime, juiced (or 2 tablespoons of lime juice)
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon kosher salt
15 ounces ground salmon
2 1⁄2 tablespoons light butter
6 sheets filo dough

Directions

1. Crush or coarsely grind pistachios (I placed them in a zipper bag and used a hammer). Place in a small container. Squeeze the juice of 1 large lime (2 tablespoons) into the container and allow to soak for at least 10 minutes.

2. Blend dill, capers, and salt with ground salmon. Blend in pistachios and any extra juices, ensuring even distribution of pistachios and capers.

3. Spread out 2 sheets of filo dough. Brush the surface lightly with melted butter. Place a rectangle of salmon mixture in the middle of the sheet.

4. Fold one end of the filo sheet over the salmon. Brush the top lightly with butter. Fold the other side over. Brush again with butter. Fold remaining sides inward, one by one, ensuring that a light layer of butter is there to stick the sheets together with each fold. Brush the top with butter. Place butter-side down on baking sheet. Brush the top with butter.

5. Repeat for remaining ingredients. Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 15 minutes. Continue baking in 1 minute increments until the exterior is a golden brown.