Although any species of salmon performs excellently in these turnovers, my personal favorite is chum. Chum salmon’s mild flavor shines when paired with creamy dill sauce and tangy, sharp cheddar. These turnovers can be made ahead, frozen, and then baked. Or you can pre-bake them and reheat in your oven (or your hot dogger).
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried dill or 1 tablespoon fresh minced dill
- 1/4 cup cold butter, diced
- 1 cup fresh buttermilk
- 1 skinless, boneless salmon fillet cut into four equal pieces (approximately 1 1/2 lbs)
- 2 tablespoons cold butter, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cups kale, chard, or spinach roughly chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 large bunch fresh dill minced or 1 tablespoon dried dill
- juice of one whole lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375˚ F.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large skillet melt butter for the filling and sauté diced onion until translucent. Toss in chopped greens and garlic, and cook until greens are wilted and reduced in volume by about half.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, dill, and lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste, set aside.
In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and dill. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingertips until mixture forms pea-sized pieces or smaller, creating a coarse meal.
Using a fork, stir in buttermilk until the mixture is moistened, finishing with your hands to fully incorporate, if needed.
Form dough into four equally sized balls. On a well-floured surface roll to form rectangular shapes of roughly 6 x 8 inches. Place a portion of salmon in the center of the bottom half of each of the rectangles. Top each piece of salmon with a quarter of the sautéed vegetables, dill sauce, and shredded cheese. Leave a border of about 1 inch on the outer sides of dough. Fold top half of dough rectangle over the filling and pinch to seal edges.
Vent the top with the tip of a sharp knife or fork in a few places.
Bake for 30 minutes until the crust of each turnover is golden brown, rotating pan halfway through baking time. Serve hot.
Note: Turnovers can be frozen prior to baking, if vacuumed sealed, for up to six months and baked directly from freezer for an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.
