Salmon Coulibiac (Salmon Wellington)
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Sep 24, 2025 
This classic Coulibiac of Salmon consists of tender salmon fillets layered with rice and mushrooms, wrapped in puffed pastry, just like Salmon Wellington!
Coulibiac of Salmon… AKA Salmon Wellington Recipe
Today’s recipe concept came from the beloved Asheville chef Joe Scully of The Corner Kitchen.
He introduced us to Salmon Coulibiac (kool-ee-bee-ack) at a local wine dinner several years ago, and I immediately fell in love! It’s very similar to a Salmon Wellington recipe, or Salmon en Croûte, yet with a few added layers for texture and intrigue!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Imagine individually wrapped pastries, piping hot, and packed with rice, spinach, sautéed mushrooms, salmon, and dill. Break through the crusty golden exterior with your fork, and sink into layers of steaming goodness!
Salmon Wellington is a true showstopper, boasting a gorgeous golden crust and layers of delicious goodness inside. It’s perfect for dinner parties or hosting the boss, and fairly easy to put together.
If you are looking for something out of the ordinary to serve at a holiday dinner this season, Coulibiac of Salmon is just the dish to make your meal sensational!
Salmon Coulibiac Tweaks
One problem… This traditional Russian dish involves a layer of hard-boiled eggs, the only food I simply can’t stomach. (It’s the sulfuric yolk odor. I can’t explain it, but it makes me gag!)
So I’ve substituted wilted spinach for the egg layer; it’s a mild, but colorful adjustment. I’ve also modified it for individual portions, making Salmon Coulibiac easier to handle and faster to bake.
What Ingredients You Will Need
- Puff pastry sheets, thawed
- Unsalted butter
- Shallots, thinly sliced
- Button mushrooms, sliced
- White wine
- Chopped dill
- Cooked rice
- Salmon filets (6-8 ounces each), cut in half for 4 square-ish pieces
- Frozen spinach, thawed
- Egg
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Salmon Coulibiac
Tips for Success – It’s essential that the ingredients are as dry as possible to prevent excess moisture from seeping in and softening the puff pastry. Therefore, squeeze the spinach to remove any excess liquid. Then sauté the mushrooms long enough to cook off the moisture. Also, pat the salmon with paper towels to reduce moisture.
Find the full Salmon Coulibiac recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Serving Suggestions
This salmon wellington recipe is perfect to eat on its own, since it has protein, carbs, and veggies all in one! However, you can also serve it with a plethora of side dishes, especially if you are feeding a crowd! Here are some of my favorite things to pair it with:
Frequently Asked Questions
If you wrap them well with plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container in the fridge, they can last for 2 to 3 days.
Since this is a Russian dish, potatoes and cabbage would be traditional. Or try our scalloped potatoes and cabbage with bacon? We have both recipes here on ASP.
However, since there is so much packed into your puff pastry pouch, you could also simply serve a fresh green salad on the side.
Absolutely! Wrap each prepared Salmon en Croute well with plastic wrap to prevent the pastry dough from drying out.
You can add garlic or onions when you saute the mushrooms. Or add parmesan cheese to make a cheesy spinach mixture. You can also add in the traditional chopped hard-boiled egg layer that I omitted.
Looking for More Fabulous Dinner Recipes?
Salmon Coulibiac (Salmon Wellington)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup chopped dill
- 1 cup cooked, leftover rice
- 2 pieces salmon, (6-8 ounces each) cut in half for 4 square-ish pieces
- 1 box chopped frozen spinach, thawed
- 1 large egg
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, sliced shallots and mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes to brown the mushrooms. Then salt and pepper to taste, and add the wine. Allow the mushrooms to simmer until the wine has completely absorbed and the mushrooms are nearly dry, about 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut one sheet of puff pastry into 4 squares and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Top each square with 1/4 cup of cooked rice, make sure to leave a border around the edges.
- Squeeze the spinach to remove any excess liquid, then layer the spinach over the rice. Sprinkle the spinach with a touch of salt. Once the mushrooms have cooked down, layer them on top of the spinach. Top each stack with a half-portion of salmon. Salt and pepper the salmon and sprinkle with fresh dill.
- Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush it around the exposed puff pastry edges.
- Roll the second piece of puff pastry out into a slightly larger square. Cut it into four smaller squares. Lay each square over a salmon stack. Gently seal the edges by crimping with a fork.
- Brush the remaining egg over the tops. Cut a small vent in the top of each pastry. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the tops are golden.
i made this last night…omg my husband went crazy for it. He kept telling me how delicious it was.
I just made all the bits during the course of the day and refrigerated them. When it got closer to dinner time I put it all together.
It will definitely be on my favourite list of things to make
This was a hit at our Xmas party! I cut them on the diagonal and covered with a drizzle made from mayo, Dijon mustard, plus water to thin it, drizzle. I DID use the boiled eggs as it’s traditional. If you use frozen spinach I’d recommend pressing out the moisture. I too, disliked the egg remarks; I almost left, but hung in there.
I found the chef’s description of his negative reaction to hard-boiled eggs off-putting for two reasons: First of all, I don’t want to think about unpleasant reactions to food when I’m contemplating a new recipe. And second, I don’t think his personal negative reaction to one ingredient is a good reason to keep other readers from learning the true traditional recipe.
You’re overboiling your hard-cooked egg, converting the yolk’s sulfur compounds to stinky sulfur dioxide, probably turning the outer part of the yolk to a green color.
To avoid this, and get a pleasant-tasting egg and yellow yolk, start cooking the egg(s) in lots of cool water. Over medium heat, bring the water just to a rolling boil, and turn off the heat, leaving the eggs to gently cook with the pot tightly covered for 13 to 15 minutes. You can then cool the eggs in cold or ice water, and crack and peel off the shell.
I have to tell you that hard boiled eggs are one of the only foods that I can’t stomach either, but when I break them up into small pieces in coulibiac I don’t even taste them and it’s really a delicious food!
I’d like to make this salmon dish for my upcoming gourmet club. What are the best sides to serve with it? I had originally planned to have stuffed cabbage rolls but they also have rice in them and I don’t want to have more rice.
Hi Linda,
Since this is a Russian dish, potatoes and cabbage would be traditional. Maybe scalloped potatoes and then cabbage with bacon? We have both recipes here on ASP. :)
Hello, what a lovely looking dish. I was thinking of making it for my bookclub. Is it possible to make it a day ahead before it bakes and just refrigerate over night? Thanks!
Hi Geni,
Absolutely! Just wrap them well so the pastry dough doesn’t dry out.
Made this for dinner tonight. My husband, who doesn’t usually care for fish, really liked it. I felt fancy making it. Thanks for sharing!
I’m definitely making this!!!
Fancy! Looks amazing.
I first discovered Salmon Coulibiac in my beloved “Betty Crocker International Cookbook” back in the 80s. It’s always been a big hit at dinners and events. Looking forward to trying your version!
I made this for dinner for my in laws. It was my first time doing it and I’m so glad everyone (even my husband who’s not into fish) liked it. My father in law didn’t stop saying “it’s good!”. :-) i definitely recommend this recipe. Easy to prepare and simply delicious.