Cyril Lignac’s koulibiac recipe

Published on December 19, 2022 at 5:54 p.m.

Notice to all those who are looking for a family and economical dish for New Year’s Eve, Cyril Lignac reveals his recipe for koulibiac (or coulibiac). As a reminder, it is a Russian pâté stuffed with a layer of salmon or meat, rice, vegetables and hard-boiled eggs. A complete and economical dish, which the chef particularly appreciates for parties. The advantage is that there is no accompaniment to provide, except for a delicious white butter sauce, slightly lemony.

To read: Cyril Lignac: How to reproduce his easy and stunning Christmas starter recipe?

Cyril Lignac’s tips for successful koulibiac

For the puff pastry

Preferably buy the puff pastry from a bakery. It will be of better quality than industrial products. Also, wait until the last moment to take it out of the fridge to prevent it from being too soft when folding.

For garnish

To save time on the recipe, cook the rice the night before. If you have leftover basmati rice lying around in the fridge, that’s even better!

Cyril Lignac’s Koulibiac recipe

Preparation: 20 mins
Cooking: 15 mins

For 4 people

• 4 eggs
• 500g skinless fresh salmon fillets
• 180 g button mushrooms
• olive oil
• 20 g unsalted butter
• 1 onion
• 100g cold cooked basmati rice
• 3 tbsp. chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp. chopped dill
• 1 roll of rectangular puff pastry
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp. water

For the white butter sauce

• 1 shallot
• 5 cl of white wine
• 150 g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• the juice of a lemon
• fine salt and pepper

Cook the eggs for 11 minutes in boiling water. Once cooked, plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Peel the eggs, then cut them into pieces (without chopping them). Reserve in a bowl.
Cut the salmon into cubes.
Chop the mushrooms into cubes. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan, sauté the mushrooms. Salt, add the butter, and mix until the mushrooms are nicely colored.
Peel and chop the onion. Add it to the pan with the mushrooms. Let cook for a few minutes.
Add the rice to the pan as well and cook for a few more minutes.
Remove the contents of the pan to a dish or bowl. Add ¾ of the chopped herbs to the mixture.
Once the filling has cooled, unroll the roll of puff pastry, place it vertically, facing you. In the center, lay the hard-boiled eggs 16 cm long and 8 cm wide. Add a layer of the mushroom-rice-herb mixture on top of the hard-boiled egg layer. Add the raw salmon cubes, season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the rest of the herbs.
Beat an egg yolk with a spoonful of water and brush it around the edges of the puff pastry.
Fold one of the longer edges of the puff pastry over the stuffing. Brush with egg yolk on top, then close the puff pastry by folding the other edge over. Seal by pressing firmly on the edges. Glaze again on top.
Fold over the top and bottom edges, pressing to seal the dough.
Flip the koulibiac, smooth side up. Glaze with the egg yolk, then bake for 15 minutes at 220°C.

While the salmon cooks, peel and chop the shallot. Pour the shallot with the white wine into a saucepan.
Add the butter and let it melt. Whisk the sauce until it foams.
Filter the sauce, add the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Cut the koulibiac into four slices, serve with the sauce on the side.

Cyril Lignac’s Christmas menu

We can always count on Cyril Lignac to treat us during the holidays. Moreover, we suggest for dessert his chocolate-hazelnut rolled log recipe. Simple but terribly delicious.

Merry Christmas !