Category: Fish

I had some left-over puff pastry from an apple pie I made earlier in the week, so I figured we would try something new and savory. I saw this recipe online as a favorite of the late Prince Philip. Coulibiac is a Russian pastry dish with a savory filling such as salmon or sturgeon with rice, hard boiled eggs, mushrooms, onions and dill. This dish was later popularized by French chef, Auguste Escoffier. Instead of mushrooms, I used a red bell pepper and onion.

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 stick of cold unsalted butter- diced into small pieces

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup cold water

Make the dough in a food processor and then wrap in plastic wrap and leave in fridge overnight.

Filling:

1 red onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 tbsps of dill, chopped

1 cup of cooked rice

2 hard boiled eggs cut in quarters

2 pieces of skinless salmon

Egg wash

Salt and black pepper

Dill Sauce:

1 tsp dill finely minced

1 oz white wine

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 oz 2% milk (I used lactose free)

1 tbsp butter

sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions :

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat olive oil and a tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. I also added a few drops of white truffle oil. Add red onion and red bell pepper until translucent. Add the dill and cooked rice and turn heat down to low, continue to sauté until caramelized nicely. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside and let it cool for 10 min.

Season the two pieces of salmon with salt and black pepper. Roll out the dough with some flour in a rectangular shape. Add the above filling to the middle of the dough, then place the two pieces of salmon skin side up. Then cover with the rest of the filling. Use the eggwash to brush along all the sides. Fold the long side first over the filling and salmon, then the other side. Trim the ends of excess dough and then fold the sides. Flip the coulibiac onto parchment paper and a sheet pan. Use the remaining egg wash to brush the pastry. Use a small knife to score the pastry with a pattern but not cut through.

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and crispy and a thermometer inserted is around 160°F, about 30-40 minutes. Let it cool on baking sheet 10 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut crosswise into 6 even portions. Garnish with the dill sauce.

We had some fresh garden tomatoes, bell peppers and herbs along with frozen swordfish steaks. Perfect for a delicious weeknight protein filled dinner.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp fennel powder
1-2 red bell pepper, julienne
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 tsp fresh garlic
10 fresh grape tomatoes.
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tsp anchovy paste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoons capers, drained
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2  swordfish steaks

Thaw fish in a ziplock bag or pre-sealed plastic in cold water for 30-40 min.

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add the fennel, bell peppers, and garlic and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Put the tomatoes in a food processor, pulse several times with capers and basil. Add the tomato mixture to the sauce, add white wine, anchovy paste, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Add the chopped basil and butter. Put mixture into a bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush the swordfish with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use the pan from the sauce on medium heat. Place the swordfish steaks for 4 min on each side. Then transfer to the oven for 8 min. Try not to overcook the fish. Plate the fish with tomato mixture on bottom and top. Enjoy!

Salmon are survivors of the Ice Age, saltwater fish which spawn in fresh water. Common sites are the Columbia River, Puget sound and Alaska. The color can vary from a delicate pale pink to a deeper red. The Native American tribes in the Northwest have great reverence and rituals for the yearly salmon run. The salmon represent life and nourishment. The young salmon journey back to the sea for three to four years to grow and then return to spawn. During the arduous journey they live off the oils they have stored in their bodies. They amazingly return to the exact point of their birth, as if they had GPS. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 salmon fillets

1. Marinate salmon skin side down, by rubbing soy sauce, dijon mustard, honey and brown sugar over the meaty surface. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
2. Place the salmon skin side down on the hot iron skillet which has been covered with olive oil on medium heat.
3. Cook for 3 minutes then turn using a fish spatula (spat). Turn carefully cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Check the internal temperature, it should be 135 degrees F.
4. Transfer the fish to a flat plate, skin side down. Allow the fish to rest for 10 minutes.
5. Serve with rice, soy sauce.

Mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), is the Hawaiian name for a brilliant blue and silver fish. It is a white fish with delicate almost sweet flavor. It is sensitive to overcooking and should be cooked only until it flakes. Mahi-mahi is perfect for pan-searing and then finishing in the oven. This is a simple recipe from Gordon Ramsay using fresh herbs and tomatoes. I used Mahi-mahi instead of brill fish.

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
2. Coat fish filets with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Pan-sear for 2 minutes on each side over medium heat to light brown.
4. Place fish aside
5. Add cut grape tomatoes, one diced shallot and fresh diced basil with olive oil to same pan, sauté for a couple minutes.
6. Meanwhile add some fresh cubed bread with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Pulse until you have crumbled mixture.
7. Place tomato mixture on each filet, then top with herb flavored bread crumbs
8. Bake the herb covered fish for 6 minutes or until flaky.
9. Refer to the video below if questions.
10. Enjoy!