Smoked salmon, cream cheese, and dill are a delicious combo in this fluffy, and oh-so creamy salmon frittata. It’s a decadent way to start the day, even though it comes together in just a few minutes. Serve your sliced frittata with toast, or eat it on its own for a low carb breakfast treat!
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Is This Salmon Frittata Healthy? Keto?
That depends on your eating goals or dietary restrictions. Salmon is full of nutrients, high in protein, and low in carbs. That said, this dish contains heavy cream, cream cheese, and butter–all of which aren’t part of a dairy free or paleo eating plan.
It IS keto–high in fat, low in carbs, and full of nutrient dense foods.
Smoked Salmon Frittata Ingredients
This salmon frittata is a little different than most frittata recipes, as it calls for more heavy cream and cream cheese to compliment the salmon. This additional also makes the salmon frittata fluffier and more creamy (not like a crustless quiche, but halfway there).
- The salmon: opt for smoked salmon–you can usually find this in the fish section. We prefer wild caught as it has fewer contaminants in it (when compared to farmed salmon).
- The creamy base: most frittatas lack fluff and cream, however, there’s no better compliment to salmon than a dash of heavy cream and a few cubes of cream cheese. So add them in! You’ll love what they do to the taste and texture.
- The goodies: dill and salmon are a match made in heavy. We’ll use a bit of butter to saute our onions. Oh, and you’ll need large eggs too!
Swaps + Substitutes
We absolutely love this salmon frittata as is, but feel free to add your twist. Here are some way to do so:
- Use leftover salmon instead of smoked: flake leftover pan seared salmon or baked salmon and mix it in.
- Make this dairy free: by skipping the heavy cream and cream cheese. I suggest adding a minimum of 2 tablespoons of dairy free (unsweetened!) milk–this will keep your salmon frittata fluffy.
- More veggies: frittatas are a great excuse to mix in your favorite veggies. Feel free to saute spinach (ala crustless spinach quiche), mushrooms, bell peppers, etc.
- Make smaller portions, by following my frittata muffins instructions.
How to Make Salmon Frittata
Frittatas are frittatas (and not quiches or omlets) because they start over the stove, and finish in the oven. Which is exactly what we’ll do here:
1: Saute the onions in melted butter. Make sure to use a broiler safe pan–it the photos I’m using a cast iron skillet, but I prefer these stainless steel skillets, as cast iron only works if it’s incredibly seasoned.
2: Spread onions in an even layer along the bottom of the pan, and sprinkle cream cheese, and salmon over the top.
3: Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and dill together in a bowl.
4: Mix it all together. Add the whisked eggs to the pan.
5: Make room. Lift the salmon, onions, and cream cheese from the bottom and sides of the pan so the eggs can trickle underneath.
6: Simmer. Place a lid on top and continue to cook the salmon frittata until everything but the center has set completely.
7: Broil. Place the top rack of your oven 10″ from the bottom of your broiler. Turn broiler to high, and cook frittata until the center is set and the eggs are slightly golden.
Pro Tips for the Perfect Frittata
For the perfect texture and a slice that slides right out of the pan, follow these salmon frittata tips:
- Use extra butter if necessary, especially if using cast iron as I did (unless it’s really well seasoned!). This will prevent your frittata from sticking on the bottom and potentially burning.
- Cook it low and slow: this will ensure the center cooks through without the bottom burning. It will take longer, but it’s so worth it!
- Be super careful when grabbing your pan from the oven! It’s easy to forget that a pan you usually use on the stove has a hot handle. Grab hot pads and prep a surface.
- Don’t over broil: this can ruin the texture by drying out your eggs.
More Salmon Recipes
Salmon Frittata
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 12 large eggs
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces cream cheese cubed
- 8 ounces smoked salmon chopped
Instructions
- Melt butter in an oven safe pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs, heavy cream, dill, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle salmon and cubed cream cheese evenly over the onions.
- Pour whisked egg combo over the top, and quickly use a spatula to lift up the onions and salmon to allow the eggs to trickle underneath. Place a lid on over your pan, and continue to cook your frittata until the edges set, should be 10-12 minutes.
- Adjust your oven rack so the top rack is 10″ away from the bottom of your broiler, and turn your broiler to high. Pop your pan in the oven until the center is completely set, should be 5-8 minutes, but check frequently so it doesn’t burn. Serve immediately and enjoy.
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