Salmon Quiche

First, I have to admit that this is the first time I, or my family, have tried Salmon Quiche.  My good friend, Sarah G., has offered her Salmon Quiche to me at least twice and I’ve turned up my nose!  Normally, I’m game for trying anything, but Salmon Quiche??  Ewwww!

A little bit of background … my supposed dislike of anything made from canned Salmon (not to be confused with my pleasurable dining experiences with Grilled Salmon) stems from my dislike of Salmon Loaf.  I have at least tried Salmon Loaf, but I just didn’t care for the texture. 

So, why try it now?  First, this recipe has a potato crust, which we all prefer.  Second, it has Chef Emeril’s ESSENCE Creole Seasoning – a little extra kick and a wonderful aroma in the kitchen.  Last but, not least, I had all the ingredients on hand!

Quiche is fairly new to my cooking rotation, but after a great recipe for Ham Quiche I served at Easter a couple years ago, quiche has become a regular entrée on busy nights.  Of course, having a steady supply of eggs makes quiche easy to prepare at the last minute.

This is adapted to the ingredients I had on hand from the original recipe … Smoked Salmon Quiche.
Everyone agreed that this recipe could be added to our rotation and that they would eat it again.  The most enthusiastic was Angelina who went back for seconds!  Eric said it was good, but then he followed up by saying, “but, I’m hungry.”  However, he then cleaned up the remainders from Graham and Angelina (another whole slice was just a bit too much with ice cream dessert on the line).

So, humble apologies to my dear friend Sarah.  I may have to try YOUR Salmon quiche, after all.

Salmon Quiche
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups frozen hashbrown potatoes, thawed (I thawed mine in the microwave) 
• 1 tablespoon melted butter, plus 2 tablespoons whole butter
• 1 tablespoon Essence (follow the link above for this recipe) or substitute your favorite creole seasoning
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (didn’t have garlic cloves on hand)
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 7 ounces boneless, skinless canned salmon
• 1 tablespoons dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.

In a bowl, combine the potatoes, 1 tablespoon of the melted butter, creole seasoning, Parmesan cheese, and toss to combine. 

Dump and press the potato mixture into the prepared pie plate, spreading to evenly cover the bottom and up the sides.

Bake until the potatoes are golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Reduce the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into a small skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions until clear and softened. Add the garlic powder, mix, and remove from heat.

Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and using a wooden spoon, stir in the onions and lemon juice.

Add the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring just until combined.

Add the cream, salmon, dill, salt, and pepper and mix well.

Pour the cream cheese-salmon mixture into the cooled potato crust and bake for about 60 minutes, until golden and the batter is set.

Cool quiche for 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm or chilled.