Salmon Coulibiac

Salmon Coulibiac is a perfect holiday dish that could be prepared in advance.

Originally, it was a Russian dish and made famous by the French and renamed “Coulibiac”. It became the signature delicacy by Chef Auguste Escoffier at the Ritz Paris. The main protein is Salmon fillet which is nestled between layers of rice, hard-boiled eggs, onions, mushrooms and wrapped in brioche pastry.

Here’s a modern version adapted from a Food & Wine recipe.

Steps 1 to 11 can be made in advance, wrapped and refrigerated. The final decoration is added before the dish is baked to golden perfection.

Ingredients

• A Salmon Fillet, trimmed (around 4″ x 10″)
• 3 cups Kale, chopped
• 2 cups cooked rice (if possible the cooked rice should be cold)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• A few preserved red peppers in olive oil (optional)
• 14 sheet of phyllo pastry
• 6 tbsp butter
• Salt & Pepper

Instructions

1. Trim and skin the salmon, wash and dry. Season with salt & pepper.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan, add the minced garlic and sauce for 30 seconds, add the chopped kale. Saute for 3-4 minutes till the kale is slightly wilted. Remove the kale and leave it to cool down in a bowl.
3. In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan, add the minced onion and fry for a minute, add the cooked rice and quickly mix and sauté till there’s no clump. Add an egg, quickly scramble the egg while mixing with the rice. Remove from heat and let it cool down.
4. Melt the butter in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave oven for around 90 seconds.
5. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on parchment paper. Brush thinly with the melted butter. Repeat with another 5 sheet (total 6 sheet), brushing with melted butter each layer, except the top sheet.
6. Scoop the rice on the top layer and form a long rectangle.

7. With a paper towel, pat dry the salmon fillet and lay it on top of the rice layer. Slather grainy mustard over the top of the salmon.

8. Layer the kale and pickled red pepper on top of the salmon

9. Fold the 6 sheet of phyllo pastry over the salmon layers partially covering the layers.

10. Add 1 sheet of phyllo pastry on top, brush with the melted butter. Add 3 more sheet of phyllo pastry (total 4 sheet), brushing with melted butter each sheet, except for the top sheet. Fold the top 4 sheet of layers over the Coulibiac and tug the edges underneath to form a neat log.

11. Use the parchment paper to wrap the whole log and refrigerate if made in advance.

12. Around 1 hour and half before serving, remove the coulibiac from the fridge. Leave the wrapped Coulibiac on the counter for around 40 minutes

13. Heat the oven to 375 F (190 C).

14. Remelt the remaining butter in the microwave

15. Unwrap the parchment paper. Using 3 to 4 sheet of phyllo pastry, pinch each sheet and kind of crumble it (like tissue paper) on top of the coulibiac, either in random style, or roll each sheet to form a floral pattern. Place each decoration with a little melted butter at the bottom on the coulibiac. Drizzle the remaining melted butter over the crumbled phyllo decorations.

17. Serve warm or at room temperature. You can serve with a dill or tarragon sauce on the side, but it’s delicious and light as it is.

You can serve this on its own or with a side dish of asparagus and stuffed mushrooms.