Salmon Loaf. Is it just me, or does the word loaf not really sound the most appetizing?
I’m not sure why, but for some reason it just makes me think of some type of mystery cafeteria food.
But, I was going through my recipes and came across one that I had copied onto stationery from my mom and dad’s house, years ago. However, I don’t recall ever actually making it.
I have made meat loaf multiple times, but never salmon loaf. But I figured the concept is pretty much the same.
Picky Eaters
I wasn’t sure how my kids would take to eating this. We typically don’t eat a lot of fish, especially in the canned version in which the recipe called for. But, considering it is Lent, I thought it would be a good recipe to try, in case anyone else is looking for some easy meat-free dinner options.
Back to the canned salmon, there was a strong fishy aroma upon opening the can. Enough so that my dog, Dezzi, came wandering over into the kitchen to see if anything was up for grabs.
I’ve read that lemon juice can help decrease the fishy smell, so I thought tweaking the recipe to include this might be a good idea.
I also changed up the seasonings, which included adding dill weed. On top of this, I decided to add some parmesan cheese, because who doesn’t love cheese?
How to Make Salmon Loaf
This really is an inexpensive meal to make. While the price of a can of salmon was more than I would have guessed (approximately $5), it really is the bulk of the cost.
I already had the rest of the ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator.
The first thing I did was to drain the salmon, before transferring it to a large bowl.
I used a fork to break down the larger pieces. In doing so, I noticed these tiny circular bones.
Again, I had never worked with canned salmon before, so I was a little taken back because I wasn’t expecting to find bones. However, these were actually easy to crush with just the pressure of my fingers. They basically disintegrated. Turns out, these are perfectly edible and actually a good source of calcium.
That being said, I had already pulled them out and touched them, so I did end up just throwing them in the garbage.
The next thing I did was to melt some butter.
I added this to the salmon, along with some lemon juice.
After that, I added an egg.
When I was done mixing in the egg, I added panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, minced onion, dill weed, garlic powder, and salt.
The last thing I did was to add some milk.
Pretty straightforward….then it all went into a loaf pan, sprayed with cooking spray for easy removal.
This went into the oven for 45 minutes, at 350 degrees.
The edges were browned after baking, and I allowed to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a serving plate.
Kid Approved?
My kids still looked somewhat skeptical as I sliced the salmon loaf.
I had told them they at least had to try it…..
And I am happy to say, my oldest daughter Ava said, and I quote….”This is actually really good!”
[tasty-recipe id=”680″]