EASTER SERIES | RUSSIAN SALMON PIE RECIPE

Salmon Kulebyaka, or more commonly known as Coulibiac in the English world, is the original Russian fish pie. This layered pirog, a pie, is one of those iconic dishes that most Russian know about. In many versions of the kulebyaka, a yeast dough is used, but the puff pastry is also quite popular. Most of the time, kulebyaka is served with soup, and can be served as a main dish or as an appetiser. 

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This recipe is amazing, the year dough, the salmon, the eggs, the caramelised mushrooms, the dill-flavored rice all encased in a crisp pastry- that simply spells delicious. This recipe is very time consuming and absolutely worth the effort. You can serve the Salmon Kulebyaka (Coulibiac) with soup, but I prefer to eat it as a meal, smothered in thick sour cream.

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 This recipe will feed joyfully 10-12 people. Start preparing a day in advance, so that your pancakes and the filling are ready and waiting.Traditionally you use the leftover dough pieces to make a pattern of leaves, branches or flowers on top of the pie.

Ingredients  

For the dough

350 gr of plain all purpose flour150 ml of milk ( you can also use water)7 gr ( 1 sachet of fast action dry yeast)50 gr of unsalted butter 1 egg1 tbsp of sugar1/2 tsp of salt 

For the filling

400 gr of salmon fillet 200-250 gr of mushrooms ( any that you like)50 gr of uncooked rice 1 large onion2 large boiled eggs6-8 crepes ( thin pancakes)bunch of parsley and dill salt and pepper per tasteoil  Egg wash ( egg + water)

Directions

Step 1 : Prepare the salmon. Take salmon out of the packaging and cut into small thin pieces. 

Step 2: In a small cup, add sugar, yeast and warm milk. Mix everything together and set aside to activate for 15-20 min in a warm place.  In a stand mixer add 1 egg, salt, melted butter, the milk and yeast sugar mixture. Mix well and then add flour a little bit at a time, until you get nice soft dough. It should be elastic, soft and easy to work with, knead the dough on a floured surface for few more min. In a large clean bowl, add olive oil and spread it around. Then add your dough. Move it about and add more olive oil on top, so the dough doesnt dry out. Cover with damp towel and set aside for 1 hour or more to prove in a warm place. The dough should double in size. Then punch the dough few times and leave it to prove one more time.  

Step 3 : Make the blini. Mix your eggs with sugar and salt. Add milk and mix again. Add sifted flour and oil and mix well. it will be nice and thin batter. Add a bit of butter or oil into your pan. Pour one ladle of the pancake mixture an cook for few minutes on each side until cooked and golden. Set the pancakes aside to cool down. 

Step 4 : Make the egg filling. Boil your eggs for 8-10 min until hard boiled. Leave them to cool down and then chop them up. Then chop bunch of parsley and dill and mix together with the egg, add set aside.  

Step 5: Make the mushroom filling. Chop your onions and mushrooms and fry them in a pan for 5-10 min until golden brown. Season well with salt and pepper and set aside to cool down. 

Step 6: Make the last filing, boil white rice or get pre boiled rice. Set aside.  

Step 7 : Make sure all your ingredients have cooled down.Prepare your dough. Roll out your dough on floured surface and then using a rolling pin roll out as much as you can into a large square. Place on a parchment paper so its easier to roll out. Leave a little bit of the dough for decoration if you wish.  Assemble the pie. First add all the pancakes around the dough. Then add your greens and egg filling in the centre, then add mushrooms and onions, then rice, and spread it around, then add your fresh chopped salmon on top. Lastly cover the pie with crepes around and then add the pastry on top and seal all the edges. Then turn the pie around and place onto parchment paper. From left over dough, roll out different shapes and figures and decorate your salmon pie as you like.  

Step 8: Use eggs for egg wash. I used 2 large egg yolks to cover the whole pie. Make two are cuts at both ends of the pie, so the steam can come out. Bake your salmon pie for 30-35 min at 200 C or 400 F. If you see that the pie is starting to brown faster, add foil and cover the pie. Once its cooked, set aside, cover with towel and leave for 15 min before cutting. Enjoy! 

Alla xxxx