Recipe for Salted-Salmon Quiche by Danielle Baghernejad

In her cook book Otaku Food, Danielle Baghernejad shares a recipe that combines Japanese and French cuisine. She considers salmon quiche to be a perfect example of comfort food, in which the moistness of the quiche marries wonderfully with the very particular flavour of salted salmon or shiozake. The recipe pays homage to the manga Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa.

Through Otaku Food, this lover of Japanese popular culture seeks to initiate both seasoned and novice chefs alike into wholesome, comforting food, drawn primarily from big names in manga or Japanese anime. ‘I want to teach people to make popular comforting dishes, and maybe make them want to discover a new film or series to watch’, Danielle Baghernejad explains. 

She offers a few tips prior to making the quiche: remember to pre-bake the pastry on its own to prevent it from absorbing all the water from the ingredients used for the filling. ‘This makes it nice and flaky’, the author explains, adding: ‘To get an excellent salted salmon, it’s vital to extract the moisture! It’s traditionally prepared by leaving it to dry in the open air all winter, but here we’re going to improvise. Use a generous amount of kitchen paper and leave to sit for several days so that the salt brings out all its flavour.’

Serves 4

Ingredients

6 large eggs, beaten

250 ml double cream

1 tbsp flour

A handful chopped fresh spinach and 2 tbsp butter

1 small onion, chopped

500 g salted salmon

1 ball mozzarella

1 pack pie pastry

Pepper

For the salted salmon

500 g salmon

60 ml cup sake

2 tbsp salt

Method

For the salted salmon

Rinse the salmon in cold water and pat dry. Cut lengthwise into six to eight individual portions, then place in a shallow tray and pour the sake over the fillets. Let sit for 10-20 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.

Evenly distribute the salt over all the sides of the salmon, rubbing it into the surface. Prepare a Tupperware container lined with several folded paper towels, then sprinkle the bottom with a little extra salt.

Place the salmon on the paper towels skin-side down, placing the fish between layers of paper towels sprinkled with salt as the container fills up. Leave to sit in the fridge for two to three days.

When enough water has been absorbed from the salmon that it has become almost rubbery, it is ready to be used.

Prepare it like normal salmon, or keep it for later, carefully wrapping each piece in clingfilm before freezing.

For the quiche

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Place the pastry case upside down on a baking tray so that the edge of the pastry is on the bottom. Cook for 20 minutes, then remove the pastry and turn it over.

Prick the base of the pastry case all over with a fork, then put back in the oven for 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Lower the heat to 150 degrees.

While the pastry is cooking, prepare the filling. Place a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the butter, and once it has melted, add the salmon, skin-side down, and cook for around eight minutes, until the skin is crispy.

Turn the fillets over and cook for eight more minutes. Remove from the pan and leave to cool.

Without washing the pan, add the chopped onion and lower to a medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Whisk the eggs, milk, and flour until mixed well. Place the spinach, onions, salmon, and cheese into the pastry case, then pour the egg mixture over the top.

Cook in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes until the egg mixture sets. Leave to cool slightly before cutting.