What to do when you’re planning a lovely, creamy salmon quiche for lunch with friends and you remember at the last minute that it needs to be dairy free? Last minute as in - I just got back from the grocery store and am halfway through the recipe…. I didn’t have the time or ingredients to re-plan the central component to my lunch. I started thinking along the lines of a frittata, but I didn’t have time to cook the veggies which I felt it needed. Then the quiche idea went out the window because the phyllo pastry I had just bought was still frozen and I needed to get this thing in the oven, stat.
So this Smoked Salmon Quiche was born, a naked quiche without pastry and, gulp, without cream. I wasn’t sure this wouldn’t result in a hard, rubbery mess without the cream, but as it often turns out with these things (like that party that you don’t want to go to, but it ends up being the best night out in a long time), it was surprisingly good! Just don’t over beat those eggs and it will shine!
As for the vegetables, I used haricots verts and baby spinach because that’s what I had on hand. Feel free to experiment, asparagus or peas would be lovely with the salmon too!
Ingredients (serves 3-4)
6oz (170g) smoked salmon, roughly chopped
1/2 cup (75g) haricots verts, cooked and halved
a handful of baby spinach, roughly chopped
3 spring onions, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
4 eggs
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon grainy dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
freshly ground black pepper
Butter a round 9” dish and preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Place the salmon, haricots verts, baby spinach, spring onions and dill in the dish. Mix them up a little so you can see a bit of everything peeking through.
Lightly mix the eggs with the egg whites, add the mustards, onion powder and pepper. Don’t over beat the mixture, just make sure it’s well combined.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the middle has set and it has a nice jiggle when prodded. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving with a green salad, a crunchy baguette and a crisp glass of white wine.
