Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Salmon Pie

We have about 20 pounds of wild Alaskan salmon in the freezer that we bought this summer & I really need to start putting it in the menu. Problem is, I tend to think of salmon, & fish in general, as warm weather food not the hearty comforting stuff we like in the winter. Then I remembered a classic fish pie my friend made for her English husband a while back & realized that was just the ticket.
Salmon Pie
It may not be the prettiest dish but it's darn tasty.
I started looking a fish pie recipes online & there seems to be a lot of love out there for Jamie Oliver's. I don't think it's a very classic version, there's no white sauce for one thing, but oh, was it ever tasty & perfect for winter. It sounds really weird when you started reading the ingredients & method, grated carrot & celery as the base of the filling? Still, once cooked the flavors really blended together well & there is just a hint of sweetness that comes through which I found surprising. The salmon cooked up perfectly moist & flaky. I loved the fact there was very little precooking in this recipe except for the potatoes.

I stuck relatively close to Jamie's recipe in general but adapted based on what I had on hand. He used salmon, smoked haddock & prawns in his version. I chose to just use salmon which was more than enough fish in the pie. I cut back on the amount of cheese & added some sour cream to the filling. Finally, I added some milk to the potatoes to make them fluffier. We will make this again but next time I'll add some capers or olives for a little saltiness.

Salmon Pie
(adapted from Jamie Oliver)

2 russet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1-inch pieces
1 carrot, peeled & grated
2 celery stalks, grated
2 oz sharp cheddar, grated
chopped chile pepper, 1/2 - 1 depending on how hot you like it
8 - 10 oz salmon fillet, skin & bones removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 T verjus or lemon juice
big handful of flat-leafed parsley, chopped
1/4 c sour cream
salt & pepper
2 T olive oil
milk

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Put the potatoes in a pot of water to boil until soft, about 10 - 15 minutes. When cooked drain.

Meanwhile, in a 6 x 9 baking dish (an 8 x 8 would probably work too) mix together the carrot, celery, cheddar, chile pepper, salmon, verjus, parsley & sour cream. Season with a little salt & pepper.

Mash the potatoes with the olive oil, some salt & pepper & enough milk to make fluffy.

Top the salmon mixture with the potatoes. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown.

4 servings.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

12 comments:

SMITH BITES said...

capers and/or olives would be a perfect addition to this fabulous pie!

RJ Flamingo said...

So pretty, and I'm thinking a lovely dish to serve company, too.

Elle said...

Wow, this really has my mouth watering, seriously! Love this idea, Kathy.

Courtney said...

This sounds quite yummy. Will have to remember it.

My fiance sears salmon, then places it in a baking dish, puts a pepper jelly on it, then broils it. It is absolutely fabulous, and quite good for the colder months.

Lori said...

I'd say it just the ticket. Warm comforting and lovely.

BTW- salmon burgers are the absolute bomb. We made them and we loved them. SO much better with salmon fillets rather than canned salmon.

Lori said...

What an aweful problem to have. ;) I've never made a fish pie. I agree about feeling it is a warm weather food. I have some white varieties to use up myself and just can't get myself in the mood.

Meg Luby said...

i have never heard of a fish pie! i have tons of salmon in my freezer as well, it's a favorite of mine, but i never thought to bake it into a pie...

intriguing to say the least!
thanks for posting! i'll let you know if i give this a whirl :)

love your blog ;)
-meg
@ http://www.clutzycooking.blogspot.com
@ http://www.myscribblednotebook.blogspot.com

grace said...

i've never ever seen a fish pie and i can imagine that it'd be unphotogenic, yet your picture makes it look quite appetizing! and yeah, that's coming from a fish-hater. :)

Jenn @leftoverqueen said...

This is a great idea! The problem here is that Roberto is allergic to salmon but I love it. I could make one for myself and eat it over the course of a week for lunch! Thanks for solving my salmon problem!

Deborah said...

I wish I had your stock of salmon - I bought some frozen salmon not long ago and I'm not loving the quality, but I'm too cheap to throw it out! This does look tasty, though!

Alicia Foodycat said...

I love your adaptations! I think a bit of smoke is essential to a fish pie, so I'd probably sprinkle a little smoked paprika over the top, if I wasn't using some smoked fish in it.

Angela said...

Looks amazing, I'm going to give it a try.

This Fish Pie recipe is my favorite.

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