Chinook Salmon
By Cat, Jan 2008 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
You can use cold-smoked salmon (such as lox), or fresh, wild salmon. You can make it crustless as a casserole, or with a single crust like a Quiche or rustic tart.
- Includes two sizes: 1. 10″ quiche or 2-quart casserole; 2. 7.5″ quiche
- See also: 1. Savory Pies & Tarts Menu; 2. Pie & Tart Crust or Pastry Menu; 3. Salmon Quiche; 4. Basic Quiche (About)
Salmon & Leek Tart, Quiche or Casserole
This recipe is adapted from Delicious Living magazine (1), as a baked egg casserole. However, I prefer to make it as a tart or quiche. You can use a regular pie crust recipe, or the crust from the Quiche Lorraine recipe; or make it crustless in a casserole or soufflé dish, as in the original recipe.
Shitake mushrooms are called for in the original recipe, but these may not be available to you. Rather than substituting a different mushroom, reconstitute dried shiitake, or skip them altogether, and use the larger amount of salmon. If using mushrooms, use the lesser amount of salmon.
For the goat cheese, I recommend a soft goat cheese such as Montchevre, but a mild feta could also be used; ricotta or cottage cheese could be used in a pinch.
The recipe uses smoked salmon, but doesn’t specify whether “hot” or “cold” smoked. I recommend cold-smoked (such as lox) rather than hot-smoked (such as kippered salmon) for this recipe. The latter has just too strong a flavor and would overpower the delicate flavor of the leeks. Or use fresh salmon and partially cook it enough that it will flake, before adding to the tart/casserole.
This recipe serves 6. If making as a casserole, you can double the recipe and use a 3 ½ or 4 quart casserole dish. I also include a smaller version that serves 2, made in a 7.5″ pie pan.
Ingredients & Equipment:
- 1 pie crust for 10″ quiche , pre-baked (optional)
- 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil (plus more to coat pan if not using a crust)
- 1 cup julienned leeks, white and light green parts only (1 – 2 leeks)
- 2 oz fresh shitake mushrooms, or reconstituted dried shiitake (optional)
- 3 – 4 oz paper thin cold-smoked salmon, cut into ¼ inch-wide strips (or up to 6 oz if not using the shitake)
- 3 large or 4 small farm-fresh, free-range eggs
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh dill (or ½ tsp dried dill weed)
- Unrefined sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste.
- 2 – 3 oz goat cheese, crumbled
- fresh dill sprigs for garnish
- Equipment:
- 10″ quiche pan, or 2 quart casserole or soufflé dish.
- cast iron skillet
- egg whisk
Ingredients for 7.5″ ceramic pie pan
- pastry for 7.5″ pie pan (optional)
- 2 tsp olive oil (plus more to coat pan if not using a crust)
- ½ cup julienned leeks, white and light green parts only (1 leek)
- 1 oz fresh shitake mushrooms or reconstituted dried shiitake (optional)
- about 2 oz paper-thin cold-smoked salmon, cut into ¼ inch-wide strips (or up to 4 oz if not using the shiitake)
- 1 large or 2 small farm-fresh, free-range eggs, plus ½ yolk
- ½ – ¾ cups whole milk or cream, or a milk/cream mix
- ½ tsp finely chopped fresh dill (or ¼ tsp dried dill weed)
- Unrefined sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste.
- 1 – 1 ½ oz goat cheese (such as Montrachet), crumbled
- fresh dill sprigs for garnish (optional)
- Equipment:
- 8″ quiche pan, or 7.5″ ceramic pie pan, or small casserole or soufflé dish.
- cast iron skillet
- egg whisk
Method:
- Prepare crust, shape in quiche pan, and pre-bake. Or if making without a crust, lightly oil bottom and sides of casserole/baking dish with ½ Tbsp olive oil.
- Prep: Wash leeks, cut off the darker green part, then cut the white and light green parts lengthwise into thin julienne.
- Wash optional mushrooms and slice into ¼ inch-wide strips.
- If using paper-thin lox, cut into ¼ inch-wide strips; if using fresh salmon, pre-cook enough that it can be separated into flakes (it should still be rare in the thickest part).
- Filling: Preheat oven to 3750 F.
- Heat 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and saute until softened, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms (if using) and saute 5 minutes more. Spread mixture over bottom of crust or oiled casserole dish. Evenly distribute smoked salmon slices on top. Crumble goat cheese over lox.
- Whisk eggs in a large bowl; whisk in milk and dill, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in cheese and pour mixture over salmon and veggies.
- Bake until a knife inserted in center of the filing comes out clean, 20 – 30 minutes (quiche) or 30 – 35 minutes (casserole).
Assembly or Serving Suggestions
- Sprinkle with fresh dill and serve in wedges.
- Serve with baked yams (or sweet potatoes)
Testing:
4/5/15: Made French Quiche Crust for 8″ Pyrex pie pan and pre-baked per recipe. Followed ingredients for 7.5″ or 8″ quiche, using 4 oz lox, leeks (sliced crosswise rather than lengthwise, and homemade goat cheese, and dried dill weed. Used ¾ cup milk/cream mix (roughly half of each), and 2 medium eggs plus the white from the egg used for the crust. Not quite done after 20 minutes in oven so baked another 10 minutes (30 min total). Result: This was delicious! I’d had some trouble mixing the crust (too dry), but it turned out pretty good, a bit flakey.
1/22/18: Made without crust (I’m avoiding grains), so oiled bottom of pie pan. Made as written for 7.5″ ceramic pie pan, but without shiitake as before. Used 3 oz lox (from wild salmon), ½ cup sliced leek, 1½ oz Montchevre goat cheese, ¼ tsp dried dill weed, ¾ cup milk/cream mix, 1 jumbo egg plus ½ medium egg (saved other half for other use). Otherwise as written. Baked at 375°F for 35 min. Result: Perhaps I cooked it too long – quite a bit of liquid separated to the bottom. But it tasted good.
References:
- Delicious Living magazine: deliciousliving.com/food-and-beverage/baked-eggs-smoked-salmon-and-leeks
