This broccoli salmon quiche is perfect for a spring brunch. With cooked salmon, broccoli florets, and creamy cheese, it’s a really light combination of flavors but also a unique quiche recipe.
Complimented with a simple side salad, this salmon quiche works well for an elevated breakfast, brunch recipe, or dinner. Best of all, you can use any kind of cooked leftover salmon.
With added protein, omega-3’s, choline, and vegetables, this recipe fits a brain-healthy Mediterranean diet. You can serve this salmon and broccoli quiche alongside other brunch favorites like my Quiche Florentine, Mini Quiche, or Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins. And for another great salmon and broccoli recipe, don’t miss my Salmon Broccoli Pasta.
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Broccoli and Salmon Quiche
I’ll often see breakfast or brunch recipes contain smoked salmon, but that would require an extra grocery trip for me! With this salmon quiche, I’m able to use leftovers from one of my recipes, like the Seared Salmon Salad or Grilled Salmon.
When paired with the broccoli florets and cheese, it’s a really lovely spring dish that would be perfect for an Easter brunch, or any breakfast!
You’ll love this broccoli salmon quiche because:
- Easy - This quiche uses a store-bought crust, cutting the time to make it in half. You can buy one that’s already made, or I’ll show you how to use ones that need to be rolled out.
- Make ahead - Quiche are actually one of my favorite recipes to make ahead. They freeze beautifully, or you can store them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. They also store well and re-heat well after baking.
- Unique - This is not your average quiche recipe, but this is a great way to mix it up from the typical Quiche Lorraine or Quiche Florentine.
- Mediterranean diet-friendly - This one matches a migraine diet and a Mediterranean diet, focusing on nutrients like omega 3 fatty acids, choline, and cruciferous vegetables. Lots of great healthy fat, fiber, and protein in this dish!
Choosing Salmon for Quiche
For this recipe, you can either use salmon leftovers, or buy pre-cooked salmon from your local grocery store. There are two categories of salmon - fresh and farmed. Then you have other types of salmon - king, coho, Atlantic, Alaskan, etc.
Typically farmed Atlantic or king salmon is going to have a richer, more buttery flavor to it that I think works best in this recipe. You can buy good quality farmed salmon from sustainable sources. My favorite is sustainably farmed Verlasso, which I find at Central Market. Skuna Bay is another one. This will often have a lighter pink color and more white lines to us, which is a little more fat.
Wild Alaskan salmon or coho tends to be a darker pink color with little to no white lines. This salmon has less fat and more of a pronounced fishy flavor, in my opinion. Both have slight differences in omega 3’s, but both options will work in this recipe so use your personal preference!
Ingredients
- Salmon - I recommend using whatever is easiest for you - leftovers, store-bought, or raw. I’ll give you quick cooking instructions below if you’re not starting with leftovers.
- Eggs - Quality of eggs makes a difference in flavor. My favorite brands are either marked “Soy-Free” or from Vital Farms. If those fit your budget, I highly recommend them. However, I did test this recipe with a bulk pack of organic eggs from Costco and it was delicious!
- Broccoli - Broccoli florets make your life a little bit easier, but you will need to pick them apart to smaller pieces so they will cook properly.
- Pie Crust - You will either need a prepared pie shell, a refrigerated pie crust you can roll out, or a homemade crust. I often use a store-bought crust from Trader Joe’s or Wholly Wholesome if I’m cooking for someone who is gluten free. You could also use your favorite homemade crust recipe as long as it will fit a 9 inch pie plate. Or you can do a crustless quiche!
- Cheese - I will often use goat cheese (chèvre) or Boursin garlic and herb. You can also use cream cheese if that's all you have on hand, but higher recommend the other two first.
- Heavy cream - This provides a decadent texture and flavor. Half and half is the best substitute. You can also substitute your favorite milk, but it won't have the same texture or buttery flavor.
- Chives and shallot for extra flavor!
How to Make
Step 1: Prepare the crust
If using your favorite homemade pie crust or a pre-made crust. Dough should be chilled, not frozen. To defrost, place the dough in the fridge overnight. Roll out the dough on a flat surface dusted with flour. Run a rolling pin (or wine bottle in a pinch) over it to flatten out until it's roughly 12 inches in diameter.
Place it over your pie dish and prick holes in the bottom of the pie with the tines of a fork. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (this helps prevent it from shrinking too).
I highly recommend using pie weights if you can to prevent the crust from shrinking. Pre-bake the pie at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-7 minutes.
Step 2: Make the salmon filling
Lightly whisk the eggs together. Combine the cooked salmon torn into pieces, broccoli, milk, cheese, and chives and stir all together till well combined. Add in kosher salt and black pepper to your liking. I’ll usually start with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt.
A note on cooked salmon - If you don't have leftovers, you can pre-cook the salmon quickly using a few methods. To air fry fresh salmon - Cook at 400 degrees F for about 9-10 minutes. To pan sear salmon- Place in a skillet with a little bit of oil over medium high heat. Sear for 5 minutes on the first side, and 4-5 minutes on the opposite. To bake - Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes.
Step 3: Bake
Bake the salmon quiche at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-45 minutes or until it has firmed up with only a slight jiggle in the center, like jello, but not a wave. Allow it to set for about 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with chives for garnish before serving.
Tips and Substitutions
- Pie weights help to not have the crust shrink up, But this all depends on how pretty you want to serve it. Even if you don’t go through all the trouble and the crust shrinks a bit, it will still be delicious.
- Broccoli florets need to be torn into very small, less than bite sized pieces. This will allow it to cook all the way through during the baking time. If they are left too large, they will be more crunchy and not fully softened.
- Salmon - If you don’t like the idea of salmon, this also makes a fabulous broccoli quiche. Just add another ¼ cup of broccoli florets.
- Cheese - This salmon quiche would work well with Boursin Garlic and Chive, cream cheese, or goat cheese.
- For gluten free - Use a gluten free crust like Wholly Wholesome.
- Vegetarian - Make this a broccoli and cheese quiche by increasing the cheese quantity by 2 ounces, and adding another ¼ cup of broccoli florets.
Crustless Salmon Quiche
If you’d like to try this as a crustless salmon quiche, simply pour the egg mixture into a greased pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes or until the eggs just have a slight, firm jiggle in the center. The mixture will puff up in the oven, but will eventually fall at room temperature.
What to Serve with Quiche
I love quiche for both brunch and an easy dinner because the hands on time for cooking is really minimal. Here are a few options for what to serve with this salmon broccoli quiche. A light salad is one of my favorite pairings!
Storage Recommendations
- Before baking - Keep the salmon and egg filling separate from the baked crust. Both can be store in the fridge.
- After baking - Salmon quiche will store well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure the quiche has cooled to room temperature before covering and placing it into the fridge.
- Freezer - If I want to keep the quiche in the pie plate, I’ll cover it completely with foil and then wrap that with saran wrap. If you can find a freezer bag large enough to contain it, that’s an option too. This will store well for up to 1-2 months without the freezer bag, and 3-6 months with the freezer bag, or cut into smaller pieces.
- Defrosting: Defrost overnight in the fridge, or place in the oven, covered with foil at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for about 20-30 minutes until heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 5-10 minutes, if needed, to crisp up the crust.
Quiche Recipes
For more recipes like this salmon quiche, see these posts. And for some baked recipes that would pair well, don't miss these biscuits or donut holes.
If you make this, tag me #thedizzycook or @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram. And if you love the recipe, please leave a review below! Follow along on my Pinterest for more great recipes.
Salmon Quiche
Ingredients
Quiche Crust
- 1 9 inch pie crust dough at room temperature, pre-made pie crust, or homemade pie crust
Salmon Quiche Filling
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream*
- 1 shallot, chopped (about ⅓ cup)
- 1 cup broccoli florets, torn very small
- 5 oz cooked salmon
- 2 oz goat cheese, cream cheese, or Boursin garlic and herb cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
Garnish (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives
Instructions
If using a store-bought or home-made pie dough, use step 1. If using a ready-made pie crust, skip to step 2.
- Roll out the pie dough until you have a large circle about 12 inches in diameter, then place the dough into a 9 inch pie pan. Crimp the edges of the crust so they form a nice edge that's over the edges of the pie pan. Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line the pie crust with parchment paper and add dried beans or pie weights to the center. Make sure they are pushed up against the sides to keep the crust from shrinking. Bake for about 14 minutes, then remove the paper and weights. Poke holes in the bottom and sides with the tines of a fork, then bake another 6-7 minutes till just lightly browned.
- Meanwhile mix together the cream and eggs till well combined. Stir in shallot, broccoli florets (torn apart so they're very small), cooked salmon (broken up into small pieces) and goat cheese. Add about ¼ teaspoon of salt and freshly cracked pepper. Pour into the pre-baked pie crust. If the edges of the crust are already a deeper golden brown, cover them with tin foil or a pie crust protector.
- Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until just set in the center (it should have a slight jiggle and not a wave). Allow it to set 5-10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with chives for garnish before serving.
Notes
- Quiche crust - Use your favorite homemade pie crust, store-bought crust, or pre-made pie shell. I'll use Wholly Wholesome (they have gluten free too) or Trader Joe's.
- My favorite cheese to use with this is soft goat cheese (chèvre).
- Use any leftover cooked salmon for this recipe, or make it quickly by baking at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. You can also air fry salmon at 400 degrees for 9-10 minutes.
- Cream - Any milk can be substituted for heavy cream, but it will change the texture and flavor to not be as rich. I'd recommend substituting with half and half for best results!
- Freezing - This recipe freezes great, either as a whole quiche or in slices. Reheat in the oven.
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