Smoked Salmon Frittata

This Smoked Salmon Frittata can be on the table in about twenty minutes. But despite its simplicity, the rich flavour is one you’ll love. Perfect for a special weekend breakfast or brunch, or serve with a big crunchy salad for a quick evening meal. Great cold for picnics and lunchboxes too.

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION

I came up with the idea of Smoked Salmon Frittata after perusing the fridge and deciding that a number of items lurking there just had to be used up.

It was the first working day after the Christmas and New Year festivities, and a bit of a clear out was needed. The house had been full of food the week before, so we decided not to do any shopping at the weekend but make the most of what we had.

I don’t eat a lot of salmon, mainly due to environmental concerns about salmon farming, but admit I did buy a pack of the smoked stuff prior to Christmas. I occasionally eat it with scrambled eggs as a weekend brunch and thought it would be a nice treat over the holidays. However, I’d plumped for sausages and eggs instead, so there the salmon sat with just one day left before its Use By date.

For various reasons, I needed to cook something that didn’t take too long. After spying the remains of a tub of soured cream (eaten with a chilli I’d made when friends came round), plus a small amount of garlic and herb soft cheese, Smoked Salmon Frittata was born.

SMOKED SALMON FRITTATA

We always have plenty of free-range eggs in the house. Tasty, nutritious, versatile and at less than 20p each, most of us should probably be eating more of them.

I love eggs in all guises: boiled, fried, poached, in French style omelettes, Spanish tortillas and Italian frittatas. For my smoked salmon I wanted something quick and light, so decided on frittata.

All you do for frittata is lightly beat together your eggs and seasonings then stir in whatever filling you’re using. In this case I added a heaped tablespoon of soured cream, a few snipped chives plus lots of black pepper and a teeny bit of salt. I beat these with a fork, then stirred in bite-sized pieces of the smoked salmon.

I tend to cook frittatas in olive oil but thought the smoked salmon and cheese would do well with butter too, so heated a little of both in my non-stick frying pan.

Then it was just a case of pouring the egg and salmon mixture into the foaming pan, dotting the garlic and herb flavoured soft cheese over the top and waiting for the bottom of the frittata to set. To cook the top, I put the pan under a hot grill where it puffed up appetizingly.

SERVING SMOKED SALMON FRITTATA

The frittata is best left for a few minutes before cutting into wedges and serving. Because it’s so quick to make, I think it’s best if you get any accompaniments done first.

To go with our Smoked Salmon Frittata I made a big, crunchy raw vegetable slaw. Again, this helped to use up small amounts of lots of different vegetables. Ours included: multicoloured peppers, red cabbage, carrots, red onion, broccoli stem and some cavolo nero kale from the garden.

To dress the slaw, I whisked together olive oil, honey, mustard, cider vinegar and some juice from the last couple of satsumas in the fruit bowl. The result was sweet, tangy and a perfect contrast to the rich and smoky frittata.

Why not take a look in your fridge and see what you could you use to make a quick frittata and a side of vegetable slaw?

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Smoked Salmon Frittata

Course Breakfast, Main Course, Lunch

Cuisine Italian

Keyword frittata, smoked salmon frittata

Servings 2 people generously

Ingredients

• 5 large eggs
• 1 tbsp soured cream or creme fraiche or milk
• 0.5 tbsp chives finely chopped
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 100 g smoked salmon in bite size pieces
• 0.5 tbsp olive oil
• 10 g butter
• 20 g garlic & herb soft cheese or other cheese

Instructions

1. In a bowl, lightly beat together with a fork: the eggs, soured cream, chives, a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Stir in the smoked salmon.
   

2. Put the olive oil and butter in a non stick frying pan approx 22cm in diameter. Heat until the butter is foaming.

   Preheat the grill to high.
   

3. Pour the egg and salmon mixture into the frying pan then dot with the cheese.
   

4. Cook until the bottom of the frittata is set and golden, occasionally lifting the edge so that some of the egg runs underneath to cook.
   

5. Remove the pan from the heat and place under the hot grill until the frittata is risen and the top is set and golden.

   Set aside a few minutes before cutting into wedges and serving with a crunchy, mixed salad.