Salmon Coulibiac

Cook the rice according to package directions. Season with salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Set aside to cool.

Thoroughly pat dry the salmon, then season it all over with salt and pepper. Rub Dijon mustard all over both sides of the salmon and set aside at room temperature.

On a lightly-floured surface, gently roll the puff pastry to an even thickness of about 1/8-inch. Lay the smoother, prettier side face down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with another piece of parchment paper. Put in the fridge while you roll out the other puff pastry sheets and prepare the other ingredients. Roll out the other puff pastry sheets in the same way and chill in the fridge with a piece of parchment paper between each sheet until ready to assemble.

Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and once hot, add the mushrooms. Cook until liquid starts to release from the mushrooms and then add the kale. Cook for about ten minutes, stirring frequently. Once the kale is almost done, add the garlic and cook for a final minute. Transfer mixture to a bowl to cool and season to taste with salt and pepper. I threw in a little bit of crushed red pepper flakes as well.

Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil in the same pan over medium heat. Sauté the shallots until they are caramelized, adding a pinch of salt as they cook, and stirring occasionally, 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator and put one sheet on your cutting board. Arrange the kale and mushrooms to create a surface area the same size as the fish. Spoon rice on top of the kale, patting it flat into a rectangle. Arrange some of the shallots onto the rice, then sprinkle with lemon zest. Lay the salmon on top, presentation side down.

Fold the four sides of the puff pastry inward, like wrapping a gift, to create a parcel.

Flip the parcel over, so the seam side faces down and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover again with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the pastry. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F.

After the pastry has chilled, use a small spoon to score a fish scale pattern in the pastry. Press it into the pastry, imprinting well-defined marks, then repeat to create overlapping rows of scales.

Whisk the egg with a fork in a small bowl. Paint beaten egg across the entire surface, down to the parcel base.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is a solid surface and golden brown. Take the temperature of the salmon using a probe thermometer. You are looking for 125-145 degrees, depending on how done you prefer your salmon. If you need more time in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Let the coulibiac cool for 5 minutes and slice to serve.