Salmon Coulibiac
Coulibiacs were all the rage in the 1950s and ’60s. Unfortunately, as with all fads, they passed. What a huge shame in this case as it is a wonderful dish, particularly for a special occasion. I often make it on Christmas Eve as the presentation is beautiful and festive, and because the pastry is filled with wild rice and spinach encasing the salmon, you do not need anything other than the herb sauce to serve alongside.
Salmon Coulibiac
Salmon Coulibiac is a retro yet timeless dish featuring salmon, wild rice, and spinach wrapped in flaky pastry. Served with a vibrant herb and chive coulis, it’s an elegant centerpiece for special occasions.
Ingredients
- whole side salmon, approximately 4 pounds, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips
- 1 tablespoon lemon olive oil
- Olive oil
- 1 pound spinach
- 4-5 green onions, finely chopped
- 3 cups cooked wild rice, or wild rice mix
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 batches of the dough recipe, see below
- 2 extra eggs, beaten in a small bowl
For the Pastry Dough
- 9 ounces all-purpose flour, unbleached (approximately 2 cups)
- 5½ ounces butter, slightly softened, cut into small pieces (1⅓ sticks)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 large egg
- 1 pinch salt
Herb and Chive Coulis
- 1 bunch dill, finely chopped
- 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup vegetable stock
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Place all the salmon strips in a bowl with the Herbes de Poisson and lemon oil. Coat the salmon well. Set aside.
- Pour a little olive oil in a large skillet placed over medium-high heat. Add in the chopped green onions and cook for 5 minutes, then add in the spinach and cook for 2–3 minutes or until it has just wilted. Remove from the heat.
- Put all the spinach in a large mixing bowl and add in the pre-cooked rice, a teaspoon of salt and 4–5 turns of the peppermill. Mix all of these ingredients together well.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out 1 piece of the dough into a rectangle that is 16 by 10 inches. Center this piece of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with some of the beaten eggs.
- Spread out half the rice mixture in the center of the dough leaving a 2-inch-wide border. Lay all the salmon strips side by side over the rice mixture so that you re-create the shape of the whole side of salmon. Cover the salmon with the remaining rice/spinach mixture. Fold up the dough to cover the sides of the salmon. The dough will not reach over the top of the top layer of rice. Brush the outside edges of the dough with more of the beaten egg mixture.
- Roll out the second piece of dough into a rectangle that is 16 by 8 inches. Place this strip of dough on top of the rice mixture so that it drapes and covers the sides of the dough. Your salmon and rice mixture should now be completely encased in dough. Brush all of the dough with the remaining egg mixture. Bake for 20–25 minutes. The dough will be golden brown.
- Remove from the oven. Cut inch-wide slices and serve on warmed plates. Served with the herb and chive coulis.
For the Pastry Dough
- Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Use repeated pulses until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Use longer pulses until the dough has formed a ball. The texture is very smooth and slightly moist.
- Wrap up the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes before using.
Herb and Chive Coulis
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until you have a fine sauce. If it is still a little thick, add some additional vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon at a time. Check the seasoning and add some coarse sea salt and pepper if needed. The coulis should be bright green. You can make this up to 2 hours ahead of time.
Nutrition
Calories: 675kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 182mg | Sodium: 377mg | Potassium: 522mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 6631IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 6mg
Pascale Beale
Chef, teacher and food writer, Pascale Beale, owner of Pascale’s Kitchen, grew up in an eccentric European family who cherish food, wine and the arts. She is the author of 10 Mediterranean-style cookbooks, including the best sellers Salade and Salade II. Her food memoir, 9’ x 12’: Adventures in a Small Kitchen, a multi-media book, is hosted on Substack. Her latest cookbook is Flavour: Savouring the Seasons.
