Koulibiac - Moscow Fish Pie

This hearty fish pie is a Russian speciality (spelt Koulibiac, Coulibiac, Koubiliac and Coubiliac) and it's combination of different flavours makes it well worth the effort to prepare. This dish is probably a creation of Swedish cookies working in Moscow 150 years ago. It was originally served only in exclusive restaurants, but has since inspired dishes, such as Piroggen - small pastry parcels with fillings of Sauerkraut, meat or mushrooms. If you want this lavish dish for a dinner party then the pie, uncooked, freezes well for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and bake at 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3 for 75 minutes and to prevent the pastry from over-browning, cover loosely with kitchen foil when it's golden. This is a show stopper of a centerpiece.

Serves 6

Ingredients
2 Eggs, hard boiled
250g Salmon
250g Cod
375ml Vegetable stock
1tbsp Butter
1 Onion, finely diced
125g Mushrooms, diced
150g Cooked long grain rice
1 tbsp Parsley
4tbsp Fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp Lemon juice
Seasoning
350g Ready rolled Puff pastry
2 Egg, beaten
1tbsp Plain flour

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Shell the eggs and set aside. Place the stock in a medium sized saucepan and bring to the boil, add the fish and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile melt the butter in a small frying pan and cook the onion and mushrooms for 3 minutes, add to a large bowl, along with the cooked rice, parsley and breadcrumbs. Drain the cooked fish and allow to cool before handling, then add to the bowl with the seasoning, lemon juice and an half of the egg.

Using a fork or your hands combine all the ingredients in the bowl together until it is well combined.

Sprinkle the flour onto a clean surface and unrolled the puff pastry, trim into a 25cm x 25cm square. Lay half of the fish mixture about two thirds of the way up on the pastry and 2cm from the edge.

Lay the hard boiled eggs onto the fish mixture, top with the remaining fish and mould the mixture around the eggs.

Pat the fish mixture firmly into place, smoothing the top and edges; brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg. Roll the pastry towards you, moving slowly and confidently until the seam is underneath the pie, seal the ends and tuck underneath.

Cut a hole into the top of the pie to let the steam out. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and place onto the prepared baking tray.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Serve either hot or cold.