Grilled Salmon Quiche with Asparagus

I have a really old recipe for salmon quiche that I have reworked a number of times. For me, this recipe was right in my wheel house. It has salmon, one of my favorite fish, a really tasty crust and a great combination of ingredients' for the quiche filling. The filling ends up being almost equal parts of salmon, asparagus and egg, unlike most quiches which are close to egg pie by the time you're finished.

The original crust used all whole wheat flour so I decided to halve the whole wheat and replace that half with unbleached white flour. This made the crust lighter. I also like to use walnuts instead of almonds in the crust. Canned salmon was used in the original recipe and the salmon and the reserved juice was over powering, so I replaced the canned salmon with grilled salmon. I under cook the salmon yet I make sure that it has nice crisp edges and well developed grill marks so that it gets a smoky grilled flavor. I also like to use just a touch of half and half in the quiche filling as this adds a little richness and mellows the salmon just enough.

My final update was to use asparagus giving the quiche another dimension. You have the crunchy crust, grilled salmon, fluffy quiche filling and the asparagus adds that last layer of flavor. Sometimes I will also grill the asparagus. You can keep the quiche in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for up to two months. When you're ready for a piece just put it in the microwave for two to three minutes. If you're going to reheat an entire quiche in the oven sprinkle the top of the quiche with a little water, cover it with aluminum foil, and bake it at 325 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes.

So let's get started....

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Grilled Salmon Quiche with Asparagus

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This recipe fills a nine or ten inch pie plate.

Crust

***Ingredients***

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
6 tablespoons corn or canola oil

***Preparation***

For crust, sift together the whole wheat and white flour and combine the cheese, nuts, salt and paprika in a bowl. Stir in oil. Set aside about 1/3 cup of the crust mixture. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom and sides of a nine inch pie plate. Bake crust in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

**The crust can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use.

Grilled Salmon

***Ingredients***

1 pound fresh salmon filets
1 lemon cut in half
2 tablespoon olive oil

***Preparation***

Heat grill to medium high heat. Lightly coat all sides of the salmon filets with good quality olive oil. Place on hot grill for 4 - 8 minutes until good grill marks have developed, squeeze fresh lemon juice on the filets during grilling. Turn salmon fillets once and grill the other side for another 4 - 8. Squeeze more fresh lemon on the filets during grilling; reserve some fresh lemon juice so that you can add the final few squeezes right before you take the filets off the grill. This way the salmon filets are allowed to cool while soaking up the fresh lemon juice.

Quiche Filling

***Ingredients***

1 pound fresh grilled salmon fillets allowed to cool
1 bunch fresh asparagus
3 beaten eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup half and half or heavy cream
1 tablespoon grated onion
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

***Preparation***

Flake grilled salmon and set aside. Cut off the tip of each asparagus spear about 1-1/2 to 2 inches at most set aside. Cut the remaining parts of the asparagus spears into 1 inch sections and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl blend together eggs, sour cream, mayonnaise or salad dressing and half and half. Stir in flaked salmon, asparagus sections (not the tips), cheese, onion, dill weed, paprika, salt and pepper. Pour filling into pre-baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved crust mixture and/or decorate with the reserved asparagus tips. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 45-55 minutes or until the center is firm. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

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