Wild BC Salmon Irish Pie
Let the luck of the Irish be with you with this healthy update on traditional Irish Salmon Pie!
Ingredients
Salmon:
2 Sides of cleaned and boned Wild BC Sockeye Salmon
2 bay leaves
1 shallot - halved
3 cups skim milk
Filling
3 shallots - finely chopped
3 garlic cloves - finely chopped
1 handful spinach - rough chopped
3 leeks - finely chopped
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
Potato Crust
5 Russet Potatoes - diced with the skins on
4 garlic cloves - smashed
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
3 tbsp butter
Let’s Begin!
1. Start by getting a deep pan (with a lid) onto the stove at a high heat. Add the salmon, shallot, bay leaf and milk into it. Bring to a slight boil and then set to simmer for 7min. While this happens, set oven to 400°F
2. Put your diced potatoes in a pot with the garlic and bay leaf and fill with cold water to cover. Boil until the potatoes are tender and ready for a good smash!
3. In another pan, get the leeks sautéing with 1 tbsp of butter. Begin to fry them to soften up. Then add your shallots, garlic and spinach. Cover your pan now, to help wilt the spinach. Once the spinach is cooked down to about 1/3 its normal size, add the last of the butter and melt down. Mix in your flour and stir for a minute or two to thicken.
4. Once the Salmon is cooked, pull from the milk and set aside to cool a bit. Strain the milk broth into an easy pouring container to separate anything that came loose in the simmer.
5. Take the milk and pour, little by little, into your leek mixture. Mix as you pour in. You are creating a creamy mixture. Keep it slow!
6. Potatoes should be done by now. Let’s pull them off the stove and drain the water. Remove the bay leaf and let them steam to dry a bit. After a minute or two, add the milk, butter and egg. Mix well and cream the potatoes.
7. Begin with your baking dish and spoon a small layer of the filling on the base. Then take your cooled Wild BC Salmon, break apart chunks (removing the skin), and place it throughout the baking dish (go heavy, you deserve it). Then top the Salmon with the last of the filling. Apply a thin layer of the potato crust over the dish. Rough it up with a fork to give it texture!
8. Bake for 20 min till it bubbles, looks creamy around the edges and is warmed through. Now, the fun part! Take the baking dish and place under the broiler. You want to brown and crisp those edges of the top! 4-5 min should do it, rotating under the broiler to keep it even.
9. Remove and let stand for a couple minutes. Cut, scoop and enjoy my friends!
Recipe and photo by Cory Walby, www.saturdaynighttestkitchen.com