Savory Southwestern Salmon Pie

Let’s give a hearty welcome to savory southwestern salmon pie.  This meal was conceived out of a necessity to clear the pantry and fridge before vacation and quickly forged itself into the permanent dinner rotation.

Usually, when I attempt to create meals using only what I have on hand, the aftermath is either a rip-roaring “I meant to do that” success or it’s a “what the heck did you get us into with this dinner” failure.  I have to say, with the way things were flying into pans and bowls; a little bit of this and whole bunch of that, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it hit a rather delicious mark with me.  I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for Southwest flavors to begin with.   Drop it all into a pie crust and just like that I’m licking my chops and proclaiming blogworthyness.

Make the note that the ancho chile kicks up the spice level a bit.  Two of my three were ok with the heat, but the third one took issue.  You could probably leave the chile out if needed and it would still work beautifully, however, I have to say that I love the added flavor it gives to the dish.

Let’s get on with it shall we?

The first step in putting together a blogworthy salmon pie is to cook up your fish.  Simply sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top of the filets and pan fry them in a little oil until they’re flaky and wonderful.

Remove the fish from the pan and  throw in a pile of onion and a couple cloves of garlic.

Turn off the stove and add in a few Southwest goodies such as green chiles, an ancho pepper and some black beans.

I decided to “one dish meal” it with the addition of fresh spinach.  A little green never hurts anything.

Set the veggie mixture aside, grab up a new bowl and crack in a few eggs, some milk, a little sour cream and some savory southwestern spices.  Whisk it up all luscious-like.

For the assembly, snatch up a pie crust and place it into a baking dish.  I claim laziness this go round with the use of  a pre-made crust that was taking up residence in my fridge.  Retreive your veggie mixture and drop it into the crust like so.

Sprinkle a little cheesy goodness over the top.

Now flake on the salmon.  You know you’re getting hungry, don’t try to deny it.

Grab up your egg mixture and pour it over the pie making sure the cover evenly.

Finish the whole thing off by topping with another couple handfuls of shredded Mexican cheese.

Pop it onto a cookie sheet to keep the drips away and slide it into your oven for a good 30 or so minutes.

I mean seriously, check out this beautiful pie.

I may live in the Southeast, but trust me when I tell you that the Southwest is still alive and kicking in this home cook’s household.  Need I provide further proof that the dreaded pantry cleanup can indeed procure a decadent result.