Salmon Loaf with Creamed Peas

Monday 26 November 2012

 Salmon Loaf with Creamed Peas






Every once in a while I get a hankering for this delicious old favourite of ours.  It's simple, easy and quite an inexpensive entree if you pick up the tinned salmon when it's on special.  


Whenever I see tinned salmon on special, I pick up a few tins.  It's a really handy item to have in your store cupboard.



 Salmon Loaf with Creamed Peas





This is quite an old recipe which I have been making for years and years.  I love it because it's good, and it's basic . . . and it's simple.




 Salmon Loaf with Creamed Peas





Simple ingredients prepared in a simple way and yet . . . very big on flavor.  Delicious does not have to be complicated.  I know I say that a lot, but that's because it is true.



Salmon Loaf with Creamed Peas






Sometimes I serve it with the cucumber sauce, which is quite tasty and refreshing and goes very well with the salmon.  Other times I serve it with creamed peas.  


It all depends on what's in the freezer or larder and what I am in the mood for.  The other day the peas won out!




 Salmon Loaf with Creamed Peas






I suppose you could make this with an equal amount of tuna and it would also be very, very good . . . but we like it with salmon.  I always serve it with my stove top mac and cheese as well.   



I know . . . it seems kind of crazy to do that, but it's what we like.  To me, the two just go together like peas and carrots!




Salmon Loaf with Creamed Peas





Sometimes you even get lucky and find tins of the boneless, skinless salmon on special!  I love that.  I am not particularly fond of picking out all the bones and skin . . . 



but I do it because I love this dish so very much . . . anything that saves me from having to do that, I love even more!  You can use either pink or red salmon.  Today I used red Alaskan Salmon.



Salmon Loaf with Creamed Peas







*Salmon Loaf*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

This is a wonderful recipe I have been making throughout all of my cooking life. It was my mother’s recipe and most likely my grandmother’s as well. I expect it probably came from off of a tin of salmon at one time. It’s delicious. I like to serve it with a cucumber sauce. (recipe below)

1 large tin of salmon
½ cup milk (125ml)
3 cups soft bread crumbs (180g)
¼ cup butter, melted (60g)
1/3 cup of the juice from the salmon tin (80ml)
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 TBS finely chopped onion ( I grate it on a fine microplane grater)
The juice of one small lemon
½ tsp hot pepper sauce
½ tsp of salt
A good grinding of black pepper
1 tsp dill weed
3 egg whites, beaten stiff

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 5. Grease a loaf tin really well and set aside.

Drain the salmon, reserving the liquid. Remove as much skin and bone from the salmon as you can and then mash it really well.Scald the milk and add the breadcrumbs. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the salmon liquid and melted butter and beat smooth. Stir in the beaten egg yolks, minced onion, lemon juice, black pepper, salt, hot pepper sauce and dillweed. Add the mashed salmon and mix it all in thoroughly. Fold in the egg whites.

Spread into the greased loaf pan. Bake in the heated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until firm to the touch and a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before loosening from the pan and cutting into slices to serve.

Serve with the cucumber sauce below or creamed peas if you wish.

*Cucumber Sauce*

Makes 2 cups
Printable Recipe

This is a lovely sauce that goes very well with fish of all kinds.
¼ cup butter (60g)
¼ cup plain flour (25g)
2 cups milk (500ml)
1 ½ cups grated unpeeled Englishcucumber
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp dill weed

Put the grated cucumber into a colander and drain it while you make the rest of the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring for about one minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Stir constantly until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Stir in the salt, cayenne and dill weed. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Add the grated cucumber, blending it in well. Serve.

 *Creamed Peas on Toast*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

When I was a child I hated peas. My mother found a cricket in the bottom of a tin of peas once and that did it for me. I never gave them much of a chance after that. I did like frozen peas though and gradually through the years I have come to enjoy them. Fresh is best, frozen is not bad, tinned is unacceptable.   This is delicious in it’s simplicity, no ifs ands or buts about it!

2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
2 cups whole milk
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas
4 slices of bread
Softened butter for spreading

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for one minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook, stirring, over medium heat until it begins to bubble and is thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste and turn the heat down to low to keep warm while you cook the peas.

Bring a small pot of water to the boil and add the peas. Bring the water back to the boil and cook them for only a few minutes, no longer. Drain them well. Stir them into the white sauce and keep warm.

Toast the slices of bread and butter them. Lay them on two plates and spoon the warm sauce with the peas over top. Serve.

PSST - Just FYI, the leftover salmon loaf (if you have any) is really delicious sliced cold and then fried in butter until golden brown on both sides and served up burger style, or quite simply with some scalloped potatoes and peas and carrots.  Just so you know.  ☺

13 comments

  1. Being from New Zealand, where we have access to some amazing Salmon, I don't think I can bring myself to eat tinned (though I used to as a child). I will try the cucumber sauce with a fresh fried salmon fillet though, could be a nice change. We usually go with Jamie Olivers Tartare sace. If you haven't tried it, you definately should, it's sublime!

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  2. Anything with Jamie Oliver's stamp on it has to be good Lee. Oh, and this salmon loaf would be a good way to use up leftover cooked salmon! Don't count it out!

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  3. This reminds me of an old-fashioned meal my mom used to make... Creamed tuna and peas. And we'd serve it over biscuits or toast. I've never been able to convince my family to give it a shot... I might just have to make them!! Love these inexpensive, yummy family meals! Lots of love,
    ~April

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  4. Love your blog, however you might wanna think about changing your background, it's too hard to read...Otherwise I love it.

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  5. Cheyanne, the background on which the writing appears is totally white. This white area overlays the patterned area which should only show on the sides. Perhaps there is a setting you need to change on your computer to deal with this? I have done everything possible from my end. Thanks!

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  6. What size is a "large can of salmon"? I can get 3 sizes in my grocery store - 142, 213, and 418 grams. Do you means the 418 grams one?

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    Replies
    1. Rig is the largest tin you can buy Angie! You could also use two medium sized tins. I believe the large one weighs about a pound. Xo

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  7. Hi Marie! This salmon loaf recipe is almost identical to the one my mom made and I now use,(we loved it then and we love it now! ) except she didn't whip the egg whites then fold them in. She just put the whole egg in at once. Just curious, what is the reason for beating the egg whites then folding in? How does it change the result of the loaf?

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    1. Hi there Unknown. Beating the egg whites makes for a lighter loaf I believe. I have always just beaten them because that is the way I was taught to do it! Aren't mom's recipes great! I love my mom's recipes too! xo

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  8. LOL this so reminds me of many years ago before my mother passed away. This was one of her favorites I havent had creamed peas for 40+ years I may have to try these out Thanks for sharing

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    1. Oh, you need to make these Granni, if only for nostalgia's sake and in memory of your mom! Enjoy! xo

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  9. Both of these were new to me and an ideal dinner for our Fish on Friday meal. I cannot get tinned salmon here, but used some cooked salmon that I flaked. I'm going to try it with tuna as well because we really loved it and thought it would make a lovely summer meal as well. I'm going to use your tip about frying leftover slices today and making fish burgers for lunch - very clever!

    This was easy to make and full of flavour and the cucumber sauce was a lovely, light touch. We had ours with dauphinoise potatoes, peas, carrots and broccolini.

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    Replies
    1. This is one of my favorite meals Marie. I am so pleased that you have made and enjoyed it. I think it would be even better made with fresh salmon. I hope you enjoy the fish burgers! As always your dinner sounds fabulous. Lars is a very lucky man! xoxo

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