Blueberry Salmonberry Pie
intro
A bright, jammy summer pie balancing sweet blueberries and tart, floral foraged salmonberries, wrapped in flaky all-butter crust for a nostalgic warm-weather treat.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and chill pie crust
In a large bowl, whisk 315g all-purpose flour, 1 tsp fine sea salt, and 2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar to combine. Cut 226g cold cubed unsalted butter into the flour with a pastry cutter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter lumps. Drizzle in 60-80ml ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing gently until the dough just holds together when squeezed. Split the dough into two equal discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before rolling.
Mix berry filling
In a large mixing bowl, gently toss 340g fresh blueberries, 340g fresh salmonberries (patted dry if rinsed), remaining 125g granulated sugar, 24g cornstarch, 15ml fresh lemon juice, and 1 tsp lemon zest until all berries are evenly coated. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes at room temperature to allow natural juices to release, stirring once halfway through the resting period.
Line pie dish with crust
On a lightly floured work surface, roll one chilled dough disc into a 12-inch circle that is ⅛-inch thick. Gently lay the rolled dough over a 9-inch standard pie dish, pressing it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Trim any dough overhang to 1 inch beyond the dish edge, then chill the lined dish in the refrigerator for 10 minutes while you preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
Assemble the pie
Pour the rested berry filling and all accumulated juices into the chilled bottom crust, spreading it into an even layer. Roll the second dough disc into an 11-inch circle that is ⅛-inch thick, and drape it over the top of the filling. Trim the top crust overhang to match the bottom crust, then crimp the two crust edges together tightly to seal. Cut 4 small 1-inch slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape during baking.
Bake the pie
Brush the beaten egg wash evenly over the entire top crust and crimped edges. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon coarse sparkling sugar evenly over the washed crust. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch bubbling drips, then bake on the middle oven rack at 190°C (375°F) for 50-55 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and filling bubbles vigorously through the steam slits.
Cool and set pie
Remove the baked pie from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely at room temperature for a full 2 hours before slicing. This resting time allows the cornstarch-thickened berry filling to set fully so slices hold their clean shape instead of running.
Tips
2.Do not skip the full 2-hour cooling time before slicing; cutting the pie hot will cause the juicy berry filling to run, resulting in soggy, misshapen slices.
3.If using frozen salmonberries or blueberries, thaw completely and pat very dry with paper towels, adding ½ extra tablespoon of cornstarch to absorb excess released moisture.
OMG, I foraged a ton of salmonberries last weekend outside Seattle and had no clue what to do with them besides eat them straight off the bush! This pie was a total game changer. The tartness of the salmonberries cuts the sweet blueberries so perfectly, I brought half of it to my hiking group meetup and everyone begged for the recipe. My only tiny note is I added a tiny extra splash of lemon zest because I love that bright kick, but it was chef’s kiss even without it.
Made this for our Sunday family dinner last week and my kids loved it — they demolished half the pie before we even finished the main course! I was a little nervous about the salmonberries since I’d never cooked with them before, but the recipe steps were super straightforward even for a medium difficulty bake. SO good, even my picky 7 year old asked for a second slice. Will absolutely be making this again for our next neighborhood cookout.
Really solid recipe! I swapped the regular pie crust for a gluten free all purpose crust and it held up perfectly, no soggy bottom at all. The only reason I’m knocking off a star is the chill time felt way longer than I expected — I tried to cut into it after 2 hours and it was still super runny, so definitely plan ahead and give it the full 2.5 hours like the recipe says! Flavor was incredible though, the berry combo is unbeatable.
Brought this to my office potluck yesterday and people were coming up to me for HOURS asking where I got the recipe. I was worried the salmonberry flavor would be too weird for people who’ve never had them, but it pairs so nicely with the blueberries that it just tastes like a fun, elevated berry pie, no weird foraged berry aftertaste or anything. 10/10, will be my go-to summer potluck dessert from now on.
Tasted great but man, this was way harder than I thought it would be for a medium difficulty recipe? My lattice crust fell apart on the first try and I ended up just doing a full top crust with a few vent cuts, and I still overbaked the edges by like 5 minutes. Also, salmonberries were way harder to find at my regular grocery store than I expected, I had to go to three different places to track them down. Flavor was fire once it finally cooled though, my roommates ate almost all of it.
We have wild salmonberries growing all over our property in the Rockies, so I’m always looking for new ways to use them up before the birds get to them. This pie is now our annual summer camping trip staple! I made it ahead of time for meal prep, kept it in the cooler, and it was the perfect treat after a long day of hiking. The balance of sweet and tart is perfect, not too sugary like a lot of fruit pie recipes I’ve tried before.
Honey, I’ve been making berry pies for over 40 years and I have to say, this blueberry salmonberry combo might be one of the best I’ve ever tried. I added a little cinnamon to the filling like I do with all my fruit pies, and it complemented the berries so nicely. My grandkids went back for seconds, even the ones who say they “don’t like weird berries”. Delightful recipe, thank you for sharing!
Made this for a date night in last night and it was a huge hit! The only heads up I have for other people is that if your salmonberries are extra ripe, you might want to add a tiny extra tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken the filling up — mine was a little looser than I wanted even after the full chill time, but it still tasted amazing. Will definitely tweak that next time I make it.
I tried this recipe last summer after finding a patch of salmonberries on a trail near Mount Rainier and I’ve been waiting all year for salmonberry season to roll around again just to make it! I baked my first pie of the season last night and it’s even better than I remembered. I topped each slice with a little dollop of homemade whipped cream with a hint of vanilla, and *chef’s kiss*. If you’re on the fence about making this, just do it!