Salmon Pie with Crêpes (French Coulibiac de Saumon)

Salmon Coulibiac, or more commonly known as Kulebyaka in Russian, is the original Russian fish pie. It was so popular in pre-revolutionary Russia, that it was exported into France, made famous by Auguste Escoffier, in his cook book The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery, where it appeared as Coulibiac de Saumon. This majestic fish pie is perfect for entertaining as it can all be made well in advance. Provided everything is cooled thoroughly first, all you have to do is cover it with clingfilm and leave in the fridge until needed, then pop it into the oven just before you serve the first course. Serve it cut in slices, with a large bowl of mixed-leaf salad tossed in a sharp lemony dressing, and hand round some Foaming Hollandaise sauce. Or you can simply melt some butter with an equal quantity of lemon juice and serve it with that.

Crêpes:
1⁄8 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
1⁄8 tsp. sea salt
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1½ cups milk

Salmon:
3-4 lbs salmon fillets, skin-on
1 sachet (3 Tbsp.) pickling spice
2 lemons, freshly juiced
1½ cups basmati rice
3 cups fish stock
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cardamom
1 bay leaf
3 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
4 hard-boiled eggs, diced
½ lb mushrooms, diced and sautéed
½ lb spinach, diced and sautéed
2 tsp. dill
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

1 package puff pastry (2 sheets)
melted butter (for brushing pan)
egg wash

Crêpes: In a large bowl, sift flour and salt. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well. Add melted butter. Gradually stir in milk and mix until the consistency of thin cream. Let batter rest for 30 minutes before using.

Heat an 8" crêpe pan over medium-high heat. When hot, grease and pour a little crêpe batter into pan, tilting and rotating so batter coats evenly. Cook crêpe until light brown on 1 side; flip and lightly brown other side. Repeat 11 times; keep warm.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Salmon Coulibiac: In a baking dish, add enough salted water to cover fish. Add sachet and lemon juice. Poach in oven, allowing 10 minutes per inch of salmon thickness. Once cool, remove skin and set aside.

Cook rice according to package directions with next 6 ingredients. In a large bowl, mix cooked rice with next 7 ingredients. Set aside.

Roll puff pastry into large rectangles. Transfer 1 sheet to a parchment paper-lined pan brushed with butter. Add 4 crêpes on top, then half of rice mixture, then 4 more crêpes, a salmon fillet, 1 crêpe and remaining rice. Add remaining crêpes; cover with second pastry sheet. Seal with egg wash and roll edges, overlapping as you go. Brush with more egg wash and bake for 45 minutes. Serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Cook's Notes: Salmon coulibiac is best when served with a classic French sauce. I recommend mousseline, which is made with a base of hollandaise sauce and whipped cream.

Make Ahead: This dish can be made ahead of time and frozen, unbaked, until ready to use. Simply defrost it in the refrigerator and bake according to the directions.