Ingredients

• 50g/1¾oz butter
• 500g/1lb 2oz mixed fresh exotic mushrooms
• such as shiitake or enoki
• cleaned and sliced
• 250g/9oz baby spinach leaves
• 2 x 375g packets all-butter puff pastry
• plain flour
• for dusting
• 1 whole salmon (approximately 3kg/6lb 12oz)
• skin scaled and removed
• gutted
• pin boned and filleted (alternatively use ready prepared sides of salmon)
• 3 free-range egg yolks
• beaten
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1kg/2lb 4oz cooked
• buttered new potatoes
• dressed green salad

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 230C/210C Fan/Gas 8.
• Heat half of the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter is foaming
• add the mushrooms and fry for 4-5 minutes
• or until they have released most of their water and it has evaporated from the pan. Season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
• Return the frying pan to the heat
• add the last of the butter and then wilt the spinach leaves and season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add to the plate with the mushrooms
• set aside until cool
• then chill in the fridge.
• Roll out both pieces of pastry onto a lightly floured work surface to create two rectangles about 5cm/2in longer and wider than the salmon fillets.
• Place one sheet of pastry onto a large flat baking tray and lay one salmon fillet on top
• flesh side up. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Top the salmon fillet with the mushrooms and then the spinach
• then lay the second salmon fillet on top of that
• flesh side down
• pressing down gently.
• Brush the edges of the pastry with some of the beaten egg yolk. Carefully roll the second sheet of pastry onto the coulibiac using a rolling pin to transfer it. Press the edges of each sheet of pastry together to seal and crimp at the edges.
• Brush the surface of the pastry parcel all over with the remaining beaten egg yolk. Using a sharp pair of scissors
• snip the top of the pastry at intervals to make marks resembling fish scales.
• Bake the salmon coulibiac for 25 minutes
• then reduce the oven temperature to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and bake for another 12-15 minutes
• or until the salmon fillets are just cooked through and the pastry is risen and golden-brown.
• Remove the salmon coulibiac from the oven and transfer it to a serving platter. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes
• then carve into slices at the table and serve with buttered new potatoes and a dressed green salad.