Hans Välimäki’s succulent salmon pie

Inside the butter dough is salmon, rice, egg and chopped dill. Mikko Huisko

Coulibiac is a spectacular and delicious fish pie that goes well with the darkness of winter.

It is generally thought that coulibiac is laborious to make, but the chef is Hans Välimäki has a different opinion.

– The worker’s work phase is cooking the rice, Välimäki mitigates the perception of the difficulty of the pie.

The basmati rice in the recipe can be replaced with brown rice and seasoned afterwards according to its purpose.

Porridge rice is slightly moister inside the pie and some think it is more succulent that way. However, Välimäki prefers basmati rice, but it is really a matter of taste.

While the rice is cooking and cooling, the other stages of the pie are being prepared. The dill butter melt is an important part of the pie, it should be spread on the surface of the pie before eating.

Coulibiac

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

75 g of butter

600–700 g of fish (e.g. whitefish, salmon, as long as it is salted/seasoned and boneless in slices)

400–500 g butter dough

boiled rice (recipe below)

1 egg for lubrication

1. Roll out half of the butter dough into a rectangular plate on the table. Remember the flour so that the dough slides better on the table.

2. Spread a generous layer of cooked, cooled rice on top of the dough, a generous amount of dill, fish slices, and lastly, an egg and pats of butter. Each layer should ideally be about two centimeters thick.

3. Carefully lift the edges of the dough up to rest on the edges of the filling. Lift the ends and brush the outer surfaces with an egg so that the dough sticks better, because the end result is a dense dough dumpling that, as it were, stews the fish and allows the flavors to mix together in a dense tart.

4. Roll the top dough into a thin plate like the base and place it nicely and tightly on top of the whole beauty. If there is any dough left over, you can make decorative strips on top of the buttered top dough. Poke a little here and there and bake for 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees until the dough is beautifully golden brown.

5. After baking, let it rest for a while and serve with melted butter seasoned with dill.

Rice:

3–4 tablespoons of oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

3-4 whole cardamoms

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

2 dl basmati rice (or rice porridge)

4 dl water or fish stock

salt

2–3 tablespoons of butter

plenty of chopped dill

1. Heat the oil in a pot and add the onion and rice. Saute, but do not brown.

2. Add the spices, except for the lemon, and the water/broth. Cook under the lid on low heat for about 10–12 minutes. Set aside and let it cook for another 10-12 minutes.

3. Finally, add lemon juice and zest, salt and butter. Check the taste. Cool the rice and use in the pie.

Dill butter sauce:

200 g of melted butter

4–5 tablespoons of chopped dill

1 peeled and grated garlic clove

1. Mix the ingredients and let them season for a while before serving.