Salmon, Dill and Cheddar Frittata

This is probably one of my favorite things that I've cooked lately. The flavor combination of the salmon, dill and cheddar in this frittata made me extra happy.

It all started when I roasted a salmon fillet with lemons, olive oil, salt and pepper for dinner last night. Trouble was, it was too frozen and didn't finish in time for dinner. Then I overcooked it. But at the end of it, I had some lovely lemony salmon ready to flake up and use in a multitude of other applications, like this frittata.

Now, for some background here, let's define a frittata. It's kind of like an omelet, crustless quiche or Spanish tortilla. Like a quiche, it is a great way to use up leftovers and eggs. But I think it's even better because you don't have all the work (or added saturated fat and calories) of a pie crust. You have a nice egg base, usually some kind of cooked protein item (ham, chicken, fish), cooked veggies (leftovers are lovely), starch (leftover pasta, rice, potatoes...), and some cheese to top it off (I've used cheddar, ricotta, parmesan, etc alone and in combinations). Throw in seasonings of your choice, bake it (or cook it stove top until the bottom is set and then finish it under a broiler), and you've got your meal!

The only problem with this particular frittata was that I forgot my starch. So even though it was cooked, it was a bit liquidy. What can I say? I forgot. But, flawed or not, here's an approximate recipe, just to give you an idea of what you can do with a frittata. But I don't usually measure, so take it all with a grain of salt.

Salmon, Dill and Cheddar Frittata

6 eggs (feel free to substitute all or part of this with egg whites according to your taste and needs)
1/3 to 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/3 cup or so milk
salt and pepper
1 tsp or so dried dill weed (fresh would be grand, just use a bit more)

Whisk together all of these ingredients for your egg base and set aside.

8 oz cooked salmon, flaked (again, mine was roasted with lemons, which added to the flavor a lot. If you're using canned or unseasoned, throw in some lemon juice or squeeze lemon juice on to your frittata after you plate it)
1-2 cups diced roasted zucchini
1 roasted red pepper, diced
I forgot to add a starch, but you should probably add at least a cup of one, just make sure the total filling doesn't make you overflow your pan.

Toss all of these together and throw in the bottom of an oven-safe 10" skillet that you've sprayed with cooking spray. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or so until a knife comes out of the center clean.

1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Top with cheese during the last 5 minutes or so of cooking or put it on at the end of cooking and just let it melt.


Rosemary