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.
Happy New Year to You and many years of successful blogging:)
As regards the dish – it is also a traditional dish in the east of Poland and the name is "kulebiak"; the stuffing usually with meat, fish (soft water) rice or cabbage and mushrooms.
Yours looks delicious:)
I am so glad that you decided to blog, I always come here for mouthwatering dishes and lovely posts.
This salmon puff looks divine! We're in a puff phaze :)
Thanks very much for sharing why you blog. Mine is similar to yours in many ways…definitely work all the time we put into blogging :D Love your salmon puff…beautiful pictures, too. Wishing you a great 2011!
I love so much this post. I identify myself with what you wrote.
The recipe sounds close to the french salmon en croute. your photos are so great.
I wish You..
12 Month of Happiness,
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365 Days Success,
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Happy New Year
I think personal growth is a great reason to blog, as is inspiring people to cook, whether they are ardent cooks or beginners. Great post, and your salmon isn't too shabby either :)
I love this post. I love the recipe and the pictures but mostly I love the post. I so much identify myself in what you wrote. And I tend to do "end of year reflections too" let's see what I come out with this year. Happy (almost) new year!
I am happy, too, that you decided to become a food blogger! Your posts are always fun and your recipes tasty. Keep on going!
What a lovely dish. I have never heard about it either. I would have to leave out the mushrooms, eggs would be fine. Dishes like these are so hostess friendly, since they can be prepared in advance.
lovely post Sommer puff pastry look fabulous we enjoy them with sweet and savoury
happy new year I am glad we met blogging :)
what an incredible dish!! I have never seen that before, it is amazing! On another note, I am so glad that you did decide to blog, I love reading your posts, and it had been a pleasure meeting you and getting to know you. Thank you for all you do!
Cheers
Dennis
Those look delicious! Unfortunately, it's the only two ingredients my SO will not eat: cooked fish and mushrooms.
Perhaps I'll just make them for me. :D
What an awesome recipe! Never tried it before but salmon n puff pastry sounds delish!
Wish you a very happy new year!
And we are so glad you blog! I see a book!