When both of your siblings are vegetarians/pescatarians, it makes menu planning for holidays like Thanksgiving a challenge. The traditional turkey and ham don't work as entrée options when the whole family is together, so I went on the hunt for a spectacular seafood dish to be the star of the meal. I've done a Feast of the Seven Fishes-type Christmas meal before (we have a hands-on class if you are interested in learning more about this seafood-laden feast), which was a fabulous tribute to the sea but more work than I wanted to put in last week. I remembered that Beef Wellington was a big holiday hit before (for me and my parents, at least) so I thought about a wellington featuring salmon. Little did I know, this is actually a classic French dish called Coulibiac. Surprisingly, that's not one I learned in culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu!
A Coulibiac is salmon, rice and kale wrapped in a puff-pastry parcel and baked until golden brown. That might seem intimidating, but it's really just layers of easy-to-prepare foods, all which can be made in advance. This fish version of Beef Wellington was called "the most unusual dish" James Beard said he ever encountered. New York Times restaurant critic Craig Claiborne called it “the world’s greatest dish.” I don't know if I'd go that far, but it was pretty delicious!
I found a classic recipe on Food52 and got ready to make some adjustments. That's mainly because the recipe calls for shallots, which my sister cannot stand (really, she cannot stand anything in the onion family), so one of the three Coulibiacs would have to be shallot-free. I also added mushrooms because my mom had some that needed to be used, and I personally love the combo of kale and mushrooms.
This recipe requires some time and patience but again, you can make the components ahead of time and just assemble it on the holiday or dinner party day. I was also foiled in the fact that my fishmonger only had center cut pieces of salmon. I had planned to do 2 center pieces and then a tail piece so that all together on a platter, the three pieces would look like a side of salmon. Oh well, no one but me knew my plan and to be honest, no one cared how the dish was plated. We all enjoyed it, and that's all that matters!
A note about the temperature of the salmon: According to the FDA, salmon is considered cooked when the thickest part reaches 145 degrees F. This will give you very firm (some would say dry) salmon. According to Cook’s Illustrated, 125 degrees F is the preferred temperature for cooked salmon, if you like it rarer. My family does not, so I took my fish to 145 degrees which results in no rare spots.
Salmon Coulibiac
Adapted from Food52
Serves: 8
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 40 minutes
3-4 salmon fillets depending on size, skin removed (ask your fishmonger to do this for ease)
Kosher salt, for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
All-purpose flour, for rolling out puff pastry
Extra-virgin olive oil, for sautéing
2 packages puff pastry (you'll need a sheet per fish fillet and there are 2 sheets per package)
1/2 pound baby bella mushrooms, wiped cleaned and sliced
1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and cut into chiffonade
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 large shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings
1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice, seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh herbs
1 Tablespoon fresh herbs for rice (I used thyme)
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 lemon, zested
1 large egg
1. Cook the rice according to package directions. Season with salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Set aside to cool.
2. Thoroughly pat dry the salmon, then season it all over with salt and pepper. Rub Dijon mustard all over both sides of the salmon and set aside at room temperature.
3. On a lightly-floured surface, gently roll the puff pastry to an even thickness of about 1/8-inch. Lay the smoother, prettier side face down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with another piece of parchment paper. Put in the fridge while you roll out the other puff pastry sheets and prepare the other ingredients. Roll out the other puff pastry sheets in the same way and chill in the fridge with a piece of parchment paper between each sheet until ready to assemble.
4. Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and once hot, add the mushrooms. Cook until liquid starts to release from the mushrooms and then add the kale. Cook for about ten minutes, stirring frequently. Once the kale is almost done, add the garlic and cook for a final minute. Transfer mixture to a bowl to cool and season to taste with salt and pepper. I threw in a little bit of crushed red pepper flakes as well.
5. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil in the same pan over medium heat. Sauté the shallots until they are caramelized, adding a pinch of salt as they cook, and stirring occasionally, 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
6. Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator and put one sheet on your cutting board. Arrange the kale and mushrooms to create a surface area the same size as the fish. Spoon rice on top of the kale, patting it flat into a rectangle. Arrange some of the shallots onto the rice, then sprinkle with lemon zest. Lay the salmon on top, presentation side down.
7. Fold the four sides of the puff pastry inward, like wrapping a gift, to create a parcel.
8. Flip the parcel over, so the seam side faces down and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover again with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the pastry. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F.
9. After the pastry has chilled, use a small spoon to score a fish scale pattern in the pastry. Press it into the pastry, imprinting well-defined marks, then repeat to create overlapping rows of scales. I used a spoon but didn't achieve well defined marks. You want to be careful not to puncture the pastry so the filling seeps through, so I erred on the side of caution and had less scale marks.
10. Whisk the egg with a fork in a small bowl. Paint beaten egg across the entire surface, down to the parcel base.
11. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is a solid surface and golden brown. Take the temperature of the salmon using a probe thermometer. You are looking for 125-145 degrees, depending on how done you prefer your salmon. If you need more time in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. My fish cooked for about 10 minutes more until the desired doneness for my family (which would be considered overcooked to most others).
12. Let the coulibiac cool for 5 minutes and slice to serve.
If you want to learn how to make other seafood showstoppers for the holidays, you can't miss our Hands-On Feast of the Seven Fishes class on Friday, December 23 at 5:30pm at Lincoln Square. To celebrate the famed, seafood-laden Italian-American tradition, you'll make:
- Grilled Shrimp and Bay Scallop Salad with Lemon-Anchovy Vinaigrette
- Steamed Mussels with Spicy Italian Sausage, Herbs and Tomatoes
- Crispy-Fried Calamari with Lemon Aioli
- Fettuccine and Clams with White Wine, Fresh Herbs and Cream
- Whole Roasted Branzino with Capers and Rosemary
Salmon Coulibiac
Ingredients
- 3-4 salmon fillets depending on size, skin removed (ask your fishmonger to do this for ease)
- Kosher salt, for seasoning
- Freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
- All-purpose flour, for rolling out puff pastry
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for sautéing
- 2 packages puff pastry (you'll need a sheet per fish fillet and there are 2 sheets per package)
- 1/2 pound baby bella mushrooms, wiped cleaned and sliced
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and cut into chiffonade
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 3 large shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings
- 1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice, seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh herbs
- 1 Tablespoon fresh herbs for rice (I used thyme)
- 3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package directions. Season with salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Set aside to cool.
- Thoroughly pat dry the salmon, then season it all over with salt and pepper. Rub Dijon mustard all over both sides of the salmon and set aside at room temperature.
- On a lightly-floured surface, gently roll the puff pastry to an even thickness of about 1/8-inch. Lay the smoother, prettier side face down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with another piece of parchment paper. Put in the fridge while you roll out the other puff pastry sheets and prepare the other ingredients. Roll out the other puff pastry sheets in the same way and chill in the fridge with a piece of parchment paper between each sheet until ready to assemble.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and once hot, add the mushrooms. Cook until liquid starts to release from the mushrooms and then add the kale. Cook for about ten minutes, stirring frequently. Once the kale is almost done, add the garlic and cook for a final minute. Transfer mixture to a bowl to cool and season to taste with salt and pepper. I threw in a little bit of crushed red pepper flakes as well.
- Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil in the same pan over medium heat. Sauté the shallots until they are caramelized, adding a pinch of salt as they cook, and stirring occasionally, 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator and put one sheet on your cutting board. Arrange the kale and mushrooms to create a surface area the same size as the fish. Spoon rice on top of the kale, patting it flat into a rectangle. Arrange some of the shallots onto the rice, then sprinkle with lemon zest. Lay the salmon on top, presentation side down.
- Fold the four sides of the puff pastry inward, like wrapping a gift, to create a parcel.
- Flip the parcel over, so the seam side faces down and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover again with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the pastry. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F.
- After the pastry has chilled, use a small spoon to score a fish scale pattern in the pastry. Press it into the pastry, imprinting well-defined marks, then repeat to create overlapping rows of scales.
- Whisk the egg with a fork in a small bowl. Paint beaten egg across the entire surface, down to the parcel base.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is a solid surface and golden brown. Take the temperature of the salmon using a probe thermometer. You are looking for 125-145 degrees, depending on how done you prefer your salmon. If you need more time in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Let the coulibiac cool for 5 minutes and slice to serve.
