A rich creamy filling bursting with seafood makes this Crab, Shrimp and Artichoke Heart Quiche perfect for brunch, lunch or dinner.
The story behind Crab, Shrimp and Artichoke Heart Quiche
It's Dungeness crab season here in Sonoma County, and my chickens are laying 3 to 4 eggs a day, so what's a girl to do? Combine them to make this delicious Crab, Shrimp, and Artichoke Heart Quiche, that's what.
This quiche is perfect for brunch, lunch, or even dinner.
Filled with Goodness - the choices are yours
This quiche is perfect for brunch, lunch, or even dinner. It's so rich, creamy, and filled with delicious chunks of crabbiness. I also added some "salad" shrimps, you know, those tiny shrimps you find at the store, usually used to put on top of a salad. I had some in the freezer and thought, what the heck, let's add those. And guess what. It was a hecka good idea. I also had some marinated artichoke hearts in the refrigerator and thought I would add those for a little texture. I simply rinsed them off (didn't want the marinated oil flavor) and then cut the very bottoms into a nice dice; perfect addition. If you don't have any in your refrigerator, you could use either canned, frozen, or cook some up fresh. Just be sure to use only the heart, none of the leaves. Asparagus would also be a good addition in place of the artichoke hearts. Lightly steam them then cut them into small pieces, leaving the tips whole, and add the pieces to the bottom, and tips to the top.
Choose your Cheese
I didn't want an overly strong cheesy quiche since I was mixing it with some pretty strong flavors of crab and shrimp, but I did want the richness, so I used a combination of milder cheeses; Havarti, Fontina, and Gruyere. Good choices. You could use any cheese you like; even Jack and cheddar would be good. The choice is yours. Just keep the proportion to 8 ounces total in cheese.
Fresh from the Oven
Do not skimp on your Crabbiness
Now I made this with fresh Dungeness crab because as I said, it's in season here. If you don't have Dungeness crab in your neighborhood, you can use whatever local crab you do have, or buy some canned crab in the refrigerated section of your supermarket. DO NOT buy the canned crab in the aisles because that crab is crap and you don't want to eat crap. Really. They have quality canned crab in most grocery stores, at Costco and Trader Joes. So go for the claw meat/lump meat crab.
This quiche is perfect with a nice bubbly and a small green salad.
Crab, Shrimp and Artichoke Heart Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Lindy's Favorite Pie Crust or store bought
- 6 large eggs
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (I'm going to go with Julia Child on this one, and suggest white pepper)
- Dash of fresh nutmeg
- 3 ounces Havarti cheese grated
- 3 ounces Fontina cheese grated
- 2 ounces Gruyere cheese grated
- ½ to ¾ cup artichoke hearts bottoms only, no leaves, diced (enough to almost cover the bottom of the dish)
- ½ cup finely minced onion put in the microwave for 30 seconds to partially cook, or sauté in a little butter until soft
- 1 ½ cups fresh crab meat or high-quality lump meat crab in a can
- ½ to ¾ cup salad shrimp look for these in the seafood or meat section of most grocery stores
Instructions
- Whether you make your own crust or buy one, you want to first blind bake it. If you made your own, put the crust into the freezer for about 30 minutes; if you bought one from the store, it's probably already frozen, so leave it so.
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Cover your crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil; weigh it down with pie weights or beans to keep it from puffing up and put it into the bottom third of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and take off the weights and foil or parchment; bake an additional 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, and milk. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Set-aside.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Toss together the cheeses until well mixed. Add the crab meat and shrimp, toss gently to mix. Set aside.
- Place the onions and artichoke hearts in the bottom of the pie crust, layer the cheese mixture over, then gently pour the eggs/cream over the top.
- Place in the oven and bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until well set. There might be a little wiggle left, but mostly it should be cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes; cut and serve.
- If the edges of the pie seem to be getting too dark, cover with strips of aluminum foil or crust guards.
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