If a well-executed beef Wellington is the pinnacle of beef dishes, then the salmon en croรปte ($16.95) at Massa’s (1160 Smith, 713-650-0837) may well be the summit of seafood dishes. A thick, juicy piece of salmon floating in a pink pool of creamy tarragon sauce is topped off with a slice of Brie and enveloped in a puff pastry. Then it’s baked until the cheese melts all over the fish, imparting its mild flavor. Sliced in three on the diagonal, the rectangular pastry shell reveals its multicolored contents: brown, cream and pink. A side of asparagus tossed in garlic butter complements this splendid seafood dish perfectly.
This article appears in Dec 4-10, 2003.