Salmon Kulebyaka Recipes

SALMON COULIBIAC

Steps:

• First, get everything prepared. Boil a pan of salted water, add the eggs and cook for 8 mins exactly. Drain and cool under cold water, then peel and set aside.
• Heat half the butter in a non-stick frying pan and sizzle the slices of salmon for 1 min on each side (Pic 1), just to firm up the fillets but not cook them all the way through. Lift the salmon onto a plate.
• Now cook the rice. Melt the rest of the butter in the same pan. Add the onion, cumin and coriander seeds, cardamom and star anise, then gently fry for 8 mins until golden. Stir in the rice and add the bay leaf and cinnamon stick (Pic 2), then pour over the stock and season generously. Cover and bring to the boil, then lower the heat to its lowest setting and continue to cook for 10 mins. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 mins, then stir through the lemon zest and juice. Set aside to cool. This can be done several hrs in advance. Once cool, stir though the chopped dill.
• To assemble the pie, roll out one of the pieces of pastry to a rectangle as wide but a third longer than this magazine (23 x 40cm), then lay on a baking tray. Pack half the rice along the middle of the pastry, discarding the star anise and cinnamon as you do so, leaving a good 5cm border around the edge. Lay the salmon over the rice, then slice the eggs and lay those over the whole salmon layer (Pic 3). Top the eggs with the remaining rice and use your hands to gently pack everything down to a firm, even shape. Brush any stray grains of rice off the border, then brush the border with beaten egg,
• Roll the second piece of pastry out to a rectangle slightly larger than the first. Drape over the coulibiac and gently press the edges to seal the 2 pastry sheets together. Trim the edges to neaten and crimp with your fingers or press down with a fork. The uncooked pie can now be chilled, on the baking sheet, for a day or frozen for up to 2 months.
• To cook, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7. Brush the pie all over with beaten egg and, if you want, lightly score the pastry with the back of a knife in a criss-cross fashion, making sure you don't cut all the way through (Pic 4). Bake for 20 mins, then reduce the heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and continue to cook for 20 mins until golden brown. Leave to rest for 10 mins, then serve in thick slices with a bowl of Dill cream or Herb salsa (see recipes, below).

RUSSIAN SALMON PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, cabbage and vinegar; increase heat to medium. Cover pan and cook 4 minutes; uncover, toss and cook 2 more minutes. Remove vegetables from pan, season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
• Wipe out skillet, add olive oil and set over medium-high heat. Add salmon and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook salmon 5 minutes per side; remove to a plate and let cool. Flake salmon into large chunks and set aside.
• Set a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Gently roll out until it is large enough to fit a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate, allowing extra dough to drape over edge.
• Spread brown rice over bottom of pastry. Peel and chop the hard-boiled egg, then add to pie, followed by flaked salmon. Sprinkle with cheese, then bread crumbs. Mound vegetable mixture on top. Sprinkle with parsley and drizzle cream over top.
• Roll out remaining sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is large enough to cover pie. Brush rim of bottom pastry with water and place second sheet of pastry directly on top. Using kitchen scissors or a paring knife, trim off excess dough. Use a fork to crimp the edges of the pie together and help the sheets of pastry adhere.
• Cut a few small slits in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape. Brush top of pie with beaten egg. Bake until pastry is puffed and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

SALMON KULEBYAKA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Melt butter in a pan, add the finely chopped onion and cook gently for 10 minutes or until soft.
• Stir in the cooked rice, dill, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 12 inch square.
• Spoon the rice mixture over half the pastry leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges.
• Arrange the salmon on top; scatter the egg between.
• Brush the pastry edges with egg; fold it over the filling to make a rectangle, pressing the edges together firmly to seal.
• Carefully lift the pastry onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.
• Glaze with a beaten egg; pierce the pastry a few times with a skewer to make holes for steam to escape.
• Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 40 minutes, covering with foil after 30 minutes.
• Leave to cool on the baking sheet, before cutting into slices.

SALMON COULIBIAC

Steps:

• Roll out 2 pastry sheets to 1/2-inch thickness and set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest prior to assembly. (This will make it easier to handle). At this time preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• When ready to assemble, lay 1 of the pastry sheets on a flat floured surface. Brush with egg wash and evenly spread the spinach on top. Then cover the spinach with the sauteed mushrooms.
• Lay the whole side of salmon on top of the spinach and mushrooms, making sure you have at least 1/2-inch of pastry left all around the salmon.
• Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
• Season the salmon with salt and pepper and top with the chopped eggs and sliced raw onion.
• Sprinkle with chopped dill and thyme and brush the egg wash liberally around the edges of the bottom pastry.
• Place the other pastry sheet on top of the salmon and press the 2 sheets together so they seal tightly (the whole thing should look like a parcel). Egg wash the top and sprinkle with little salt. Transfer the salmon to a sheet pan and place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes check internal temperature by placing an instant-read thermometer into the center of the salmon. When it reads 125 degrees F remove from the oven and allow to rest for a further 10 minutes. It will continue to cook for a further 20 minutes or so.
• Transfer salmon to a cutting board and using a serrated knife, slice into 2-inch pieces. Place on a serving platter and enjoy.