Coulibiac is a savory fish pie of Russian origin that can be traced back to the 17th century and has graced the tables of Russian nobility. It features salmon layered with rice, hard boiled eggs, mushrooms, beets, onions and dill, encased in brioche or puff pastry, so every slice shows clean strata. In this way it is similar to Beef Wellington, which is one of my culinary specialties. This creation is a show-stopping way to highlight salmon. It is a culinary delight to serve for holidays and special occasions.
Brioche or puff pastry?
Puff pastry gives you crisp, flaky layers with little fuss. It bakes quickly and carries the smoke of the salmon with a delicate crunch.
Brioche offers a softer, bread-like wrapping with gentle sweetness. For weeknights or your first coulibiac, puff pastry is the easy win. For holidays, brioche feels more grand if you have time to make it. Either way, take a few extra minutes to shape the top surface for a beautiful presentation at the table.
Ingredients
For the mushroom rice:
- •2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- •1 tablespoon olive oil
- •115 g (4 ounces) cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
- •140 g (5 ounces) mixed mushrooms (king oyster, shiitake, maitake), finely chopped
- •200 g (1 cup) extra-long-grain rice, rinsed
- •480 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- •Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the kale and shallots:
- •3 tablespoons olive oil
- •3 cloves garlic, chopped
- •1 head Tuscan kale, ribs removed and finely chopped (or 150 g/5 ounces baby kale, chopped)
- •3 shallots, finely chopped
- •Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pastry:
- •All-purpose flour, as needed
- •1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (about 25 x 25 cm/10 x 10 inches), or enough to enclose the filling
For assembly:
- •4 large eggs, hard-boiled and sliced
- •450 g (16 ounces) sliced pickled beets, well drained and patted very dry
- •4 Ducktrap Lightly Smoked Salmon fillets, skin removed
- •60 ml (1/4 cup) whole grain mustard
- •Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- •1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
- •Lemon wedges for serving
For the lemon-dill sauce:
- •120 g (1/2 cup) sour cream
- •3 tablespoons chopped dill
- •Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
For the mushroom rice: In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the mushrooms, and sauté until the pan looks dry and the mushrooms are browned at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with the salt and a few grinds of pepper; set aside. In a saucepan, combine the rice and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, fold in the mushroom mixture, and cool completely.
For the kale and shallots: In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and cook until sizzling, about 30 seconds. Add the kale and sauté until bright green and just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Season and transfer to a plate to cool. Return the pan to medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the shallots; cook over medium heat until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Season and transfer to a plate to cool.
For the pastry: Line a large baking sheet with parchment. On a work surface, overlap two sheets of plastic wrap and dust lightly with flour. Roll the puff pastry to roughly 25 x 38 cm (10 x 15 inches), large enough to leave a 2 to 3 cm (1 inch) border around the filling. This will be the top of the Coulibiac since we will be doing the layers backwards and flipping the pastry over when done layering.
For assembly (which will be in reverse order): In the center of the pastry, arrange the sliced eggs in a single layer. Dry the kale very well on towels and spoon it evenly over the eggs. Add a neat layer of pickled beets. Spread the salmon fillets with the whole grain mustard and place them mustard-side down over the beets. Scatter the shallots and lemon zest over the salmon. Finish with a 1.25 cm (1/2 inch) layer of the cooled mushroom rice, pressing gently to compact.
Fold two opposite sides of the pastry over the rice, then fold the remaining sides over to seal, trimming excess if needed and pinching seams closed. Use the plastic wrap to help tighten and shape the loaf. Invert onto the prepared baking sheet so the seams are underneath. Refrigerate 30 minutes to firm up.
For the lemon-dill sauce: Stir together the sour cream and dill; season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving.
To bake and serve: Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Brush the pastry with the beaten egg. Decorate the top by lightly scoring a fish-scale pattern with the back of a teaspoon, if you like. Bake until deeply golden and crisp, 28 to 35 minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then present at the table before slicing. Serve with lemon-dill sauce and lemon wedges.
Tightly pull the pastry from opposite sides over the rice layer. Do again for the other two sides and tightly seal the dough enough to cover it. Pull the saran wrap from opposite sides to tightly seal. Place another baking sheet lined with parchment paper on top and quickly flip the whole thing over. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Take the coulibiac out of the refrigerator and unwrap, placing the sealed side down on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Decorate the top of the pastry dough. I used the tip of a teaspoon to create a design that looks like scales of a fish.
Brush the top with egg wash. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown.
