John Hutton is a well-known musician and realtor. Who in Newfoundland hasn’t heard of Billy and the
Bruisers? We didn’t make John perform for his supper, but judging by how much he enjoyed this salmon
recipe, I’m sure he would have played us a tune or three. “Coulibiac” is Russian and refers to something in
puff or brioche pastry. Salmon coulibiac was brought to the West originally by the famous French chef
Auguste Escoffier.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
- 4 tbsp (20 ml) butter
- ¼ cup (60 ml) onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup (250 ml) long grain rice, cooked
- 1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ pkg of frozen puff pastry
- 4 salmon fillets of even thickness
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp (15 ml) water
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- 1½ cup (375 ml) fresh button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp (5 ml) Newfoundland savoury
- 2 small tins mushroom soup
- 2 hard cooked eggs, chopped
- 2 tsp (10 ml) lemon juice
How to Make It
- Heat a frying pan on medium high. Add oil and 2 tbsp (15 ml) butter. Sauté onion until tender. Next add cooked rice and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until everything is cooked through about 5 minutes. If there is any liquid in pan make sure it evaporates.
- Thaw pastry for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out to a 14-inch (35 cm) square. Cut into 4 equal squares. Place about ¼ cup (60 ml) of spinach mixture in the middle of each square and top each with a piece of salmon.
- Brush the edges of the pastry with some of the beaten egg mixture. Bring up opposite corners of the pastry around top of salmon. Pinch the edges together to seal. Place the pastries on an ungreased baking sheet, seam side down. Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.
- Meantime, prepare a mushroom-savoury egg sauce to accompany the salmon coulibiac. Heat remaining 2 tbsp butter in frying pan and sauté onion and fresh mushrooms until quite soft. Add savoury and tinned mushroom soup. Stir. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Season with pepper. Add hard cooked chopped eggs and lemon juice. Stir.
- When salmon is baked, serve with the sauce.
