Catfish Out of Water

I just went apple picking, which I believe is a first for me! All of the nostalgic apple picking memories that I have from childhood I believe are from movies and TV shows. Although it wouldn't be surprising if there's some childhood picture of me in an apple orchard that I have absolutely no recollection of. Either way, I have an abundance of apples. And I absolutely do not like making pastries! So, now I'm trying to see if I can use up all of these apples without making a pie or just eating five apples a day. Hence, the savory Quiche w/ Salmon, Leeks, & SnapDragon Apples.

SnapDragon Apples

I'm unsure whether Snap Dragon/Snapdragon has a space between it or not. I just went apple picking and the patch that I got them from wrote it both ways. Googling "snap dragon or snapdragon apple" gave me SnapDragon^®, which is neither of the ways that I was expecting. Although I also wasn't expecting this to come from snapdragoapple.com and its official partnership with the Buffalo Bills.

All I know is that I have a week to use a couple dozen apples. You can see all of the apples and recipes in this series in my full article on Apple Picking & What to Cook All Fall Season. And I think that I'm just going to go with SnapDragon, even though that still seems weird (in the process of writing the 5 recipes that have used these apples, I've changed all of the spelling 3 times and I am not going to do that again without very good reason!).

SnapDragons are a crisp apple that was developed in New York. They're a sweet Honeycrisp cross with a subtle tartness. They have a yellow base with a darker red hue throughout the rest of the apple. They're most known for being for being a crunchy and juicy apple that goes well as a nice crunch in salads and cheese plates.

Gallery

Variations of Salmon Quiche

I don't make that many sweet quiche. Although quiche does lend itself well to both sweet and savory variations. I've used both apples and salmon in quiche before. This might be the first time with them together! But one of the fun things about quiche is that it's incredibly easy to mix and match your own favorite ingredients or what you have on hand.

Quiche w/ Apples, Bananas, & Truffle Gruyère

Salmon & Spinach Quiche

Quiche w/ Pear, Blackberry, & Blue Cheese

Quiche w/ Salmon, Leeks, & SnapDragon Apples

This Salmon Quiche consists of SnapDragon apples, sautéed leeks, salmon, eggs, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, and gruyère cheese.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American, French

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

• Large Bowl
• Cast Iron Pan (or Baking Dish)
• Oven

Ingredients

  

• 6 oz. salmon
• splash olive oil
• 1 lemon sliced
• 1 leek sliced & caramelized
• 6 eggs
• 1½ c. Greek yogurt
• 1½ tsp. Dijon mustard
• dash salt
• dash pepper
• 2 apples sliced (I used SnapDragon)
• 1 c. gruyère grated

Instructions

 

Bake Salmon

• Preheat oven to 450° Fahrenheit.
• Place salmon skin-side down on a baking sheet.

  I usually use a cast iron griddle. However, the exact cooking method isn't as important here because you're just going to blend them together. If you don't have a nonstick pan or you want an easier cleanup, you can line it with aluminum foil.
• Drizzle with olive oil and add a dash of salt and pepper. Slice a lemon and place evenly on top of the salmon.

  You want just enough lemon and oil to cover the top of the salmon and keep it from burning as the inside cooks. Salmon is already an oily fish, so use sparingly.
• Bake the salmon for 12-17 minutes, or until it begins to flake. Salmon tends to be cooked when it loses the bright color and you can take a fork and it easily separates. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Sauté Leeks

• Preheat skillet on medium heat with a splash of oil.
• Add finely sliced leeks to a skillet and cook until softened, making sure to stir occasionally. I cooked mine for about 10-15 minutes. Although this time can vary depending on how much produce you have, how often you stir it, and personal preference for doneness.

Prepare Quiche

• Turn oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Arrange sliced apples and leeks across the bottom of the baking dish.
• When the salmon is cool enough to touch, flake into smaller pieces and mix in with eggs, Greek yogurt, and another dash of salt and pepper.
• Pour the egg mixture into a cast iron skillet or baking dish.

  I use fairly well seasoned cast iron for the vast majority of my cooking. These you don't necessarily need to oil because they already contain enough in the coating. Although adding a little oil or butter beforehand can prevent sticking, especially in other types of dishes.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until just set and lightly brown. You want the egg to still juggle slightly, but not be liquid.
• Serve immediately or chilled. Quiche is a great recipe to make ahead of time because it keeps well and is just as good cold. If you do reheat it, though, I would recommend heating in the oven. Oftentimes egg dishes don't microwave well as this tends to overcook them.

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

• For more information on baking salmon, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Oven Baked Salmon. I'm particularly fond of cooking on a well-seasoned cast iron griddle because you don't need additional oil or foil to to keep it from sticking. But there are certainly ways around this if you don't want to dedicate an entire cast iron pan to fish! Cooking salmon is also more of an art than a science. No two filets are going to cook in the exact same amount of time and there are definitely some tips and tricks to nailing the cook on fish.
• I also have an entire article on The Fundamentals of Crustless Quiche with more tips and tricks on whether or not you want a crust, whether or not you need dairy or cheese, the type of pan to use, and a recommendation of toppings.