Succulent fresh salmon is combined with tender broccoli and tasty hard-boiled eggs, smothered in a tangy red pepper sauce and topped with a layer of crispy puff pastry, to create this delicious and nutritious poached salmon pie in red pepper sauce.
This tasty salmon and red pepper pie recipe was inspired by the recipe for prawn and broccoli pasta which I posted recently, and also includes the delicious red pepper sauce. It was while I was making the sauce for that recipe that I thought how well it would go with salmon. And this salmon and broccoli pie recipe is the result.
So what goes into this pie?
Apart from the salmon and the creamy red pepper sauce, I've included steamed broccoli, peas and chopped hard-boiled eggs. In my opinion (for what it's worth) a fish pie isn't complete unless it's got chopped hard-boiled eggs in it. If you disagree, you can simply leave them out!
The tasty red pepper sauce is made by blitzing red pepper (capsicums) with an onion until they are very finely chopped. The peppers and onions are fried until softened and combined with passata. (You can use shop-bought passata or make your own using my homemade passata recipe). Once that's done, the salmon is poached in the sauce so that the fish absorbs all the gorgeous flavours.
Once the fish has been poached, it is combined with the remaining ingredients in the deliciously creamy sauce and topped with a layer of puff pastry before being baked in the oven.
And as a bonus fish is so good for you! This red pepper sauce poached salmon pie is a great way to add extra fish into your diet!
According to the British NHS, a healthy, balanced diet should include at least 2 portions of fish a week, including 1 of oily fish (such as salmon). This is because fish contains a high proportion of vitamins and minerals. Oily fish is particularly high in omega-3 fatty acids which can help to keep your heart healthy.
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Ingredients
This pie will easily feed 4 people.
- Salmon - these are salmon fillets - you can use either smoked or unsmoked fillets, depending on your taste. The ones I used were labelled 'lightly smoked' which is why they have a slight orange tinge.
- Capsicum or red pepper - this forms the base of the sauce and is finely chopped with the onion. You should clean the red pepper and remove the seeds and membranes.
- Onion - finely chopped and combined with the capsicum to form the sauce.
- Passata - this is tomatoes that have been finely chopped and then sieved to remove the pips and seeds. You can buy this in any supermarket near the cans of tomatoes.
- Butter - used for softening the chopped capsicum and onions. I used unsalted, but you can use salted too - just be aware of this when seasoning the sauce.
- Cream - double or heavy cream is best as it is less inclined to split. You can substitute with single cream if that's all you have.
- Eggs - these should be hard-boiled, peeled and coarsely chopped. You can leave them out if you prefer. You will also need a small lightly beaten egg for brushing on top of the pie.
- Brocolli - this should be separated into florets and lightly steamed before being added to the sauce.
- Peas - these are frozen peas which have been defrosted. I prefer using petit pois but you can use garden peas instead.
- Puff pastry - you will need sufficient puff pastry to cover a 9" x 7" pie dish. This is approximately half a roll.
- You will also need salt and ground black pepper for seasoning.
**You can find the exact ingredient measurements on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Instructions
Step 1: Cut the red pepper and onion into pieces and blitz them in a food processor until approximately the size of grains of rice. If you don't have a food processor, use a sharp knife to chop them finely.
Step 2: Melt the butter in a large pan and fry the onion and capsicum on moderate heat for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until they start to soften.
Step 3: Stir in the passata, bring to the boil, then place the salmon fillets skin-side down on top.
Step 4: Cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 12 to 15 minutes until the salmon is cooked and flakes easily with a fork.
Step 5: Remove the salmon from the pan, and pull off the skin (it should come off easily). Using a fork, break the salmon into flakes and set aside. Leave the sauce in the pan.
Step 6: Steam the broccoli florets for 5 minutes until fork tender. Do not over-cook or the broccoli will turn mushy once it cooks further in the pie. You can do this step which the salmon is poaching.
Step 7: Stir the cream into the sauce in the pan and add the flaked salmon. Peel and chop 2 hard-boiled eggs and add them to the filling with the steamed broccoli and peas.
Step 8: Taste for seasoning and add salt and black pepper as needed. Transfer the filling to a 9" x 7" pie dish.
Step 9: Cover the pie dish with puff pastry and brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg. Make a few slits in the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.
Step 10: Bake the pie in a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 25 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
Serve hot with steamed vegetables and/or a fresh green salad.
If you would prefer to make a fish pie with a mashed potato topping rather than puff pastry, see my recipe for cheesy fish pie.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your salmon pie turns out perfectly.
- Fry the red pepper and onion slowly so they don't burn. You want the vegetables to soften. If you don't want to stand and stir, turn the heat down to low and cover the pan with a lid. Leave the vegetables to steam gently until they have softened.
- When poaching the salmon in the sauce, make sure the sauce is only simmering. Don't let it boil while the salmon is poaching.
- Steam the broccoli until it is tender, but still with a little 'bite'. Once cooked, drain and leave it in the colander to remove any excess moisture.
Variations
You can vary this recipe in a number of ways:
- Fish - instead of salmon, you can use any firm fish that flakes easily such as cod or haddock.
- Cheese - stir 115 grams (4 ounces) of cream cheese into the sauce along with the cream.
- Vegetables - you can swap out the vegetables for others of your choice. Instead of peas, add a small can of drained whole-kernel corn. Swap out the broccoli for lightly sauteed leeks or carrot batons. You could even stir in a cup of wilted baby spinach.
If you are looking for a fish pie recipe where the pie is topped with mashed potatoes instead of puff pastry, you might like to try my cheesy fish pie recipe
Equipment
As far as equipment goes, you will need a pan large enough to hold the sauce, with enough surface area to poach the fish. I like to use a saute pan, but you could use a large frying pan instead. Your pan should have a lid.
For baking the pie you will need a 9" x 7" pie dish which should be about 2.5" deep.
Storage
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I store my leftovers in the baking dish, covered with a layer of tin foil. Reheat the leftovers in the oven for about 7 minutes until piping hot.
You can also freeze the assembled pie. Cover the dish with tin foil and then wrap in a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Cook from frozen for the temperature given in the recipe, but add an extra 5 minutes onto the cooking time to ensure the pie has time to defrost and cook.
FAQ
Yes, but allow the frozen salmon fillets to defrost before poaching them. Defrosted fish can be inclined to hold water, so I would recommend pressing them gently with paper towel before adding them to the sauce.
You can make the filling in advance and store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you are ready to make the pie, transfer the filling to a pie dish and cover it with the puff pastry. Bake for the time and temperature given in the recipe.
A tablespoon of freshly chopped dill or parsley would be a nice addition.
Save for later
If you would like to make this salmon and red pepper pie, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
Visit my fish and seafood recipes page for other tasty ways with fish. Here are a few recipes you might enjoy.
📋The recipe
Poached salmon pie in red pepper sauce
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Saute pan
- 9" x 7" baking dish
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
Ingredients
- 12¼ ounces / 350 grams fresh salmon fillets about 3 fillets.
- 1 large red pepper or capsicum
- 1 medium onion
- 1 cup 240 ml passata
- 2 ounces / 60 grams unsalted butter
- ½ cup / 120 ml double or heavy cream
- 2 medium eggs hard-boiled
- 2 cups broccoli florets approx 1 small head of broccoli
- ½ cup / 120 grams petit pois / garden peas defrosted
- ½ roll / 160 grams puff pastry to cover a 9" x 7" dish
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 small egg beaten (for egg washing the pie)
Instructions
- Cut the red pepper and onion into pieces and blitz them in a food processor until approximately the size of grains of rice. If you don't have a food processor, use a sharp knife to chop them finely.1 large red pepper or capsicum, 1 medium onion
- Melt the butter in a large pan and fry the onion and capsicum on moderate heat for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until they start to soften.2 ounces / 60 grams unsalted butter
- Stir in the passata, bring to the boil, then place the salmon fillets skin-side down on top.1 cup 240 ml passata, 12¼ ounces / 350 grams fresh salmon fillets
- Cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 12 to 15 minutes until the salmon is cooked and flakes easily with a fork.
- Remove the salmon from the pan, and pull off the skin (it should come off easily). Using a fork, break the salmon into flakes and set aside. Leave the sauce in the pan.
- Steam the broccoli florets for 5 minutes until fork tender. Do not over-cook or the broccoli will turn mushy once it cooks further in the pie. You can do this step which the salmon is poaching.2 cups broccoli florets
- Stir the cream into the sauce in the pan and add the flaked salmon. Peel and chop 2 hard-boiled eggs and add them to the filling with the steamed broccoli and peas.½ cup / 120 ml double or heavy cream, 2 medium eggs, ½ cup / 120 grams petit pois / garden peas
- Taste for seasoning and add salt and black pepper as needed. Transfer the filling to a 9" x 7" pie dish.Salt and black pepper to taste
- Cover the pie dish with puff pastry and brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg. Make a few slits in the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.1 small egg, ½ roll / 160 grams puff pastry
- Bake the pie in a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 25 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
- Serve hot with steamed vegetables and/or a fresh green salad.
Notes
- Fry the red pepper and onion slowly so they don't burn. You want the vegetables to soften. If you don't want to stand and stir, turn the heat down to low and cover the pan with a lid. Leave the vegetables to steam gently until they have softened.
- When poaching the salmon in the sauce, make sure the sauce is only simmering. Don't let it boil while the salmon is poaching.
- Steam the broccoli until it is tender, but still with a little 'bite'. Once cooked, drain and leave it in the colander to remove any excess moisture.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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VJ
I love the tasty red pepper sauce in this salmon pie!