Coulibiac of Salmon
with Sea Scallop Mousse and Sweet Bell Pepper Sauce
For our R|L annual Summer Open House, via Zoom this year, our theme was Tastes of Summer: Creativity, Connection, Caring. We featured Chef Thierry Lefeuvre from Froggy’s Café in Highwood, IL in his demonstration of his puff pastry salmon appetizer and summer wine pairings. You won’t want to miss him filleting an 18 pound, “bright-eyed” salmon. Here’s the demonstration and recipe for you to enjoy.
Ingredients:
1.5 salmon fillet (about 2-3 pounds)
Stock:
2 oz. grapeseed oil
1 carrot
1 onion
1 celery stalk
3 garlic cloves
thyme
bay leaf
parsley
fish bone
2 liters (~8.5 cups) water
1 liter (~4.25 cups) Rhine wine (or a high-quality white wine)
Mousse:
1 pound dry-pack sea scallops
1 cup whipping cream
salt & pepper
Pepper Sauce:
3 shallots (or 1 large Spanish onion)
2 chopped bell peppers
1 quart of water and 2 oz. of fish bullion (or 1 quart of fish stock – see above)
salt & pepper
1 cup whipping cream
Pastry:
2 sheets puff pastry (thawed)
1 egg yolk
flour
Instructions:
Trim salmon, removing bone, fat, head, and skin. Set aside.
Fish Stock:
In a medium pot, heat grapeseed oil (or another oil that can withstand high heat).
Add chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
Add thyme and bay leaves.
Sauté, adding more oil if it is becoming too dry.
Add salmon bone and head. Add 2 liters (just under 8 1/2 cups) of water. Add 1 liter (just under 4 1/4 cups) of cooking quality white wine.
Bring to a boil and let simmer slowly. Add parsley and continue to simmer.
Sea Scallop Mousse:
Take the tailpiece of the salmon (8 oz) and a dry pack of sea scallops. Add to the food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Process until mixture forms a paste.
Add 1 cup of heavy cream and blend again. You will notice the color change and the consistency becomes lighter. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Sweet Bell Pepper Sauce:
In a medium pot, heat grapeseed oil.
Slice 2 shallots and add to the pan.
Meanwhile, chop 1 red pepper into 1/2 to 3/4 inch chunks.
Once shallots have begun to brown, add red pepper to the pan and continue to sauté in sweating the peppers.
Ladle fish stock over a strainer into a pan with shallots & peppers.
Let cook for 15-20 minutes or until peppers are tender.
Remove from heat. Using a hand blender, blend the mixture until smooth.
Add heavy cream (optional); return to heat and bring to a boil, boiling until it thickens.
Remove from heat; strain sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Pastry:
Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly flour a cutting board or countertop. Pull out two sheets of (thawed) puff pastry and lay them side by side.
Brush egg yolk on the edge of one piece, using it to glue it to the edge of the second piece of pastry, overlapping it by an inch. Sprinkle the entire piece with flour and use a rolling pin to secure the edges together. The pastry should be rolled out to the same thickness.
Lay the salmon fillet on one end of the pastry and remove excess.
Butterfly the fillet and open up.
Drop large dollops of mousse on one side of the fillet and fold closed.
Brush egg yolk on pastry around the salmon. Fold pastry closed over salmon. Press round-edge with fingers. Cut off excess, but leave enough to slightly roll edge and flute, as with a pie crust. If desired, decorate like a fish, using a knife to carve out scales and extra pastry to add an eye.
Lightly flour a baking sheet and gently move salmon pastry to the pan. Brush top with egg yolk.
Bake in 400° oven until outside begins to turn a light golden brown. Reduce heat to 350°. Bake for a total of 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and check that internal temperature reaches 165°.
Serve cold with citrus vinaigrette and scallions or hot with sautéed veggies and sweet bell pepper sauce.
Written by: Thierry Lefeuvre, Froggy’s French Café
