Ingredients Print

Check off ingredients as you go

• 500 g (1.1 lb) puff pastry (1 large sheet)
• 250 g (9 oz) frozen spinach, blanched and drained (or 500 g / 1.1 lb fresh)
• 1 large onion
• Button mushrooms
• 4 hard-boiled eggs
• 1 large salmon fillet (about 500 g / 1.1 lb)
• 90 g (½ cup) cooked rice, cooled
• Salt and pepper
• 120 ml (½ cup) white wine
• 120 ml (½ cup) water
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 egg, beaten, for the egg wash

For the sauce

• 250 g (1 cup + 2 Tbsp) butter
• 100 ml (⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp) white wine
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp cold water
• 3 Tbsp chopped dill
• 4 egg yolks
• Juice of ½ lemon

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

1. Cook the rice in one saucepan and hard-boil the eggs in another. Marinate the salmon in the white wine, water and the juice of two lemons for one hour. Poach the skinless fresh salmon fillet in a saucepan with the white wine for a few minutes, just until it changes color, then drain. Sauté the 250 g of spinach and the sliced onion in a little oil.

2. Roll out the puff pastry to about 0.5 cm (¼ inch) thick into a rectangle of about 30x40 cm (12x16 inches). Layer the filling lengthwise (so that every slice gets the same filling), seasoning each layer with salt and pepper as you go. Start with the salmon, then the spinach, the eggs cut into rounds (or grated!), the mushrooms, and finish with the rice. Close the coulibiac, sealing the ends well, turn it over and shape it into a fish. Draw the scales with a round-tipped knife. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, let it dry, then brush a second time before baking for 35 minutes at 200°C (400°F).

For the sauce

1. Melt the butter. In a saucepan, cook the white wine and shallot until the wine has almost completely reduced. Off the heat, add the cold water and the egg yolks. Then heat over very low heat, whisking. The heat must stay very gentle for the sauce to thicken and turn creamy. When the sauce has the right consistency, remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring constantly. Once incorporated, season with salt and pepper and add the lemon juice. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve for a beautiful texture. Serve in a gravy boat.

Time-saving tip

You can cook the rice and hard-boil the eggs the day before. The same goes for the puff pastry if you make it yourself.

If you find it too tricky to make a fish shape by folding the pastry over on itself, you can use two sheets of puff pastry and lay the second on top of the first once it’s filled, like a pie. That way there’s no need to flip the pastry. Seal the edges well and trim the excess pastry with a knife, cutting out a fish shape.

Photo: Beautiful version by Cuisine Plurielle. Our own photos coming very soon.