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Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
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Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
Loafing Around the Kitchen Again: Salmon Loaf
I'm on an on-again off-again health kick, as you
can see from my experiments (I mean recipes. Yeah!) Something we probably all
need is more fish in our diet. Unless, of course, we're allergic to
fish.
I like salmon. It's got a good flavor and doesn't taste too fishy, and it's cheap and easy to cook. Down south of course we have the ubiquitous salmon patties (in other areas I believe they're referred to as salmon croquettes, which are basically cracker crumbs, salmon, and egg (everyone's are different; cracker crumbs may be cornmeal or bread crumbs or any kind of breadstuff, some include mayo or onions or both, etc), fried, which doesn't really go along with the whole health kick.
Patties are nice, but I like loaves (and they're baked). I ran through some online recipes for salmon loaf, but all of them sounded small and very frou frou (one actually had a cucumber sauce), so I decided to make my own.
Warning about canned salmon:
If you're squeamish, forget it. You'll never get through this. Canned salmon is disgusting. I'm surprised that Nickelodeon has never tried dumping it on people's heads as a gross-out thing. It's slimy, and full of skin and bones. You will never get all the bones out of salmon without some kind of bone-dissolving ray, but at least try to get the thicker ones and the round vertebrae out -- they'll be in the middle of the can. Also remove the skin, as much as possible.
So, on to the ingredients:
2 cans (14 ounces each) Alaskan salmon (red or pink, whichever you prefer), drained, deboned, deskinned, and shredded by hand.
3/4 to 1 cup bread crumbs
3/4 to 1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Frank's)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
one cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Mrs. Dash seasoning blend, flavor of choice, to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9X13 pan with Pam, or other non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the now less-disgusting salmon and everything else, stirring until completely mixed. (Snag any bones that may appear as you're stirring everything together.) Shape into a loaf (see the meatloaf recipe if you don't know what a loaf looks like), smushing together tight and sealing any cracks that may appear. Set in 9X13 pan, rub outside with bread crumbs, and place in oven. Bake for an hour or so. The idea is to get it warm all the way through; the salmon is pre-cooked, and you're not going to die if it's not completely cooked (although there is egg in it, but an hour should get that cooked enough).
Icelanders from the beginning of the settlement period to modern times have relied on fish as a staple in their diet. Fish is one of the best sources of Omega 3-fatty acids, which sound horribly bad for you but are actually incredibly good for you. So you can actually feel closer to some of the original heathens AND eat healthier.
(Note: Wild salmon may have a higher risk of high mercury levels, so use the pink sparingly -- don't eat it every night for months on end or anything. Red is usually farm-raised, and is safer. Just read the can, and if it says "wild," then be forewarned.)
Verdict: this turned out pretty good. Crusty on the outside, and soft on the inside. Yummy.
I like salmon. It's got a good flavor and doesn't taste too fishy, and it's cheap and easy to cook. Down south of course we have the ubiquitous salmon patties (in other areas I believe they're referred to as salmon croquettes, which are basically cracker crumbs, salmon, and egg (everyone's are different; cracker crumbs may be cornmeal or bread crumbs or any kind of breadstuff, some include mayo or onions or both, etc), fried, which doesn't really go along with the whole health kick.
Patties are nice, but I like loaves (and they're baked). I ran through some online recipes for salmon loaf, but all of them sounded small and very frou frou (one actually had a cucumber sauce), so I decided to make my own.
Warning about canned salmon:
If you're squeamish, forget it. You'll never get through this. Canned salmon is disgusting. I'm surprised that Nickelodeon has never tried dumping it on people's heads as a gross-out thing. It's slimy, and full of skin and bones. You will never get all the bones out of salmon without some kind of bone-dissolving ray, but at least try to get the thicker ones and the round vertebrae out -- they'll be in the middle of the can. Also remove the skin, as much as possible.
So, on to the ingredients:
2 cans (14 ounces each) Alaskan salmon (red or pink, whichever you prefer), drained, deboned, deskinned, and shredded by hand.
3/4 to 1 cup bread crumbs
3/4 to 1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Frank's)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
one cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Mrs. Dash seasoning blend, flavor of choice, to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9X13 pan with Pam, or other non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the now less-disgusting salmon and everything else, stirring until completely mixed. (Snag any bones that may appear as you're stirring everything together.) Shape into a loaf (see the meatloaf recipe if you don't know what a loaf looks like), smushing together tight and sealing any cracks that may appear. Set in 9X13 pan, rub outside with bread crumbs, and place in oven. Bake for an hour or so. The idea is to get it warm all the way through; the salmon is pre-cooked, and you're not going to die if it's not completely cooked (although there is egg in it, but an hour should get that cooked enough).
Icelanders from the beginning of the settlement period to modern times have relied on fish as a staple in their diet. Fish is one of the best sources of Omega 3-fatty acids, which sound horribly bad for you but are actually incredibly good for you. So you can actually feel closer to some of the original heathens AND eat healthier.
(Note: Wild salmon may have a higher risk of high mercury levels, so use the pink sparingly -- don't eat it every night for months on end or anything. Red is usually farm-raised, and is safer. Just read the can, and if it says "wild," then be forewarned.)
Verdict: this turned out pretty good. Crusty on the outside, and soft on the inside. Yummy.
Posted: Tue - September 20, 2005 at 08:59 PM