Kim Sunée: Tired of meat-heavy holiday dishes? Try salmon Wellington

By the time New Year's Eve comes rolling in, if you're like me, you might be over the meatiness of the holidays, where turkey, ham, brisket and prime rib all seem to make appearances throughout these weeks of entertaining and eating.

So, just in time for New Year's, some friends shared some of their beautiful fish from this summer's catch. I thought I'd gussy up the fillets a bit with greens and puff pastry for Salmon Wellington, based on a traditional beef Wellington recipe, but without the beef.

It's an impressive dish and quite easy to make. And who doesn't love anything wrapped in layers of buttery pastry? You can improvise on the filling. I've made this with everything from sautéed mushroom and creamed spinach or sorrel to a bright green pesto.

For a quick version, use store-bought puff pastry (look in the freezer section) but if you take the time to make a batch, you can really elevate this dish even more. If you'd like to make your own, here's a recipe courtesy of Nick Malgieri. Try to find all-butter puff pastry (like Dufour brand) but in a pinch, Pepperidge Farm works just fine. If you think of it, it's best to thaw pastry overnight in the refrigerator. This recipe calls for one sheet of pastry, so keep the other one from the package in the freezer or use it to make sweet or savory pinwheels.

Salmon Wellington

Serves 4 to 6

5 large leeks (to make 5 cups chopped whites), cleaned and white parts thinly sliced

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

1 salmon fillet (about 1 1/2 pounds), skin and pin bones removed, sliced in half cross-wise

1 sheet, about 1/2 pound puff pastry, thawed

1 large egg, beaten with about 1 tablespoon milk

Sesame seeds (optional)

1. Trim thick green parts and ends from the leeks. Cut in half lengthwise and clean well of all grit; thinly slice. Melt butter in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat; add leeks and season with salt and pepper and a grating of fresh nutmeg; cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, another 10 minutes or until very soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Taste and add more salt or pepper, as needed. Place cooked leeks in a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl to drain excess liquid (this helps in preventing a soggy crust.)

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly flour a clean work surface and a rolling pin; roll out puff pastry to a 16-by 12-inch piece. Place puff pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place one fillet on the center of the pastry. Cover evenly with the filling and place second fillet over the filling so that the fillets line up evenly. Lightly beat egg and milk together and brush the edges of the pastry. Fold the pastry over the fish, leaving a gap in the center so you can see the fillet, and pressing the edges of the pastry together and gently into the fish. Brush the pastry all over with more of egg and milk mixture, scatter sesame seeds over, if using. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Kim Sunée ate and lived in Europe for 10 years before working as a food editor for Southern Living magazine and Cottage Living magazine. Her writing has appeared in Food & Wine, The Oxford American and Asian American Poetry and Writing. She is currently based in Anchorage. Her most recent cookbook is "A Mouthful of Stars." For more food and travel, visit kimsunee.com.