Salmon Quiche (fresh or smoked)

What is quiche?

Quiche is the French word for a thin savory tart with a buttery homemade crust. They mainly differ from a pie in their height.

Though round tart pans are traditional, quiche can be made in square pans (like this mushroom tart) or narrow rectangular pans (like the pear almond tart).

It has 3 main components: crust, binding cream, and add-ins.

Vintage Kitchen tip: when it comes to making quiche fillings, it's an excellent way to clean your fridge, pretty much like a frittata or risotto. Most vegetables, cheeses, and deli meats can go into a quiche.

The quiche crust

An all-butter quiche pastry is best, and homemade is highly recommended. It's called pate brisée in French and shortcrust pastry in the UK, and is the most common crust for savory tarts.

My go-to quiche dough has only four ingredients: flour, salt, butter, and ice water. It's a forgiving crust in its assembly and can be rolled easily.

Make it ahead: it keeps in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or a month in the freezer. Always well wrapped.

Quiche pan: this type of savory dish uses a tart pan, unlike most traditional pie pan or plate that holds more filling. You can use either; the pie will have less filling than usual unless you adjust the recipe.

Pricking the dough: this prevents the crust from puffing up too much during baking.

Bling baking the pie crust: it helps to avoid a soggy crust. It's pre-baking the crust with weight on top (pie weights, beans, rice) so that it holds its shape and doesn't shrink. You can read all about blind baking pie dough.

The binding cream

Also called egg custard mixture or egg mixture, it's the glue that makes it all come together, that binds the filling ingredients.

This salmon tart uses a different mixture than my other quiche recipes.

It uses sour cream for tanginess as salmon can be rich, but you can replace it with natural yogurt to make it lighter.

The add-ins

The filling is simple, and, for the sake of this recipe, I wrote down the quantities, of course. But I usually eyeball it. That's what happens when you make quiche regularly.

• Salmon: it's used fresh but know that you can use smoked salmon. I find that it sometimes overcooks and not everyone likes it with cheese, so it's not my favorite substitution.
• Asparagus or broccoli: we used the former for this photos, but both pair well with the fish. You can omit them.

Assembling a quiche

Nobody likes a soggy tart. And that is crucial when making a great quiche.

• Add-ins: it's important not to use watery ingredients. Drain any liquid before filling the crust. They might've collected when you cooked the vegetables or because they're frozen.
• Binding cream: add it at the last minute and pour it slowly and as evenly as possible, covering the salmon.

Scatter the salmon pieces on the dough but don't crowd them. You need space for the cream.

Carefully pour the cream, filling the space left completely. Scatter the asparagus stalks on top.

Variations

• Herbs: use them in the pie dough (as we do for the tomato galette) or the filling. Dill, parsley, tarragon, and basil work well with salmon.
• Binding cream: use Greek yogurt and cream cheese instead of sour cream and cream.
• Spicy: add some smoked paprika or mustard for a slight kick.
• Crust: use a crust with whole wheat flour for a more earthy quiche or use a purchased all-butter puff pastry for a quicker assembly.

Kitchen notes

• Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
• Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Serving: salmon quiche is the perfect dish for lunch with a salad, for a picnic, for a buffet table and, if you make them bite-size, a great appetizer to eat while you mingle holding a cocktail in your other hand. So this is one of my favorite foods for New Year's Eve casual parties with friends because it is amazing at room temperature as finger food!
• Storing: it stays at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for a week, and frozen for a month. Always well covered in plastic wrap or an airtight container to avoid dryness.
• To freeze: wrap the whole baked quiche or leftover pieces in plastic wrap first and then aluminum, or use a freezer-safe container. It keeps for a month. Thaw at room temperature, unwrapped and warm in a medium oven before eating.
• Make ahead: you can make the pie crust up to a week ahead, refrigerate it, or keep it frozen for a month. The whole quiche can be made the day before.