Elizabeth's Salmon Casserole (no soup needed)

 

The first Christmas I was married, in 1977, my mother in law Elizabeth gave me a small handwritten notebook  containing all of her favorite recipes. It was just a small notebook, nothing fancy. In most cases the instructions were very brief.  

They were the recipes that she had brought up her family on and recipes which had been passed down to her, in some cases, from her mother.  This was a real treasure to me. It is old and faded now, and covered in splotches and splashes from all of the use it has gotten through the years.

 

This salmon casserole was one of the recipes in the book. It used simple basic ingredients. There was no requirement to go out and buy tins of soup or anything. The sauce for the casserole was a basic bechamel or cream sauce.  Rich and simple.

There is no cheese in it.  Just salmon, frozen peas, onion, cubed cooked potato and that rich bechamel sauce.  Salt and pepper. Nothing fancy. Ordinary in everything but taste.  Its incredibly delicious.

 

But, you do have to like tinned salmon.  I do.  It was something I was brought up on. Mom often made salmon patties, or salmon loaf.  Sometimes in the hot summer months she would open a large tin of salmon and we would have it with potato salad for our supper. (Nobody's favorite I might add.)

Sometimes we would get salmon sandwiches in our school lunch bags as well.  A rare treat however.  I still enjoy a salmon sandwich every now and then.

Perhaps it is a maritime province thing?  This love of using tinned salmon. The maritime provinces have always been poorer than the rest of Canada.  People down here are humble and unpretentious and that is exactly what this casserole is. Humble and unpretentious . . .  and . . .  I might add, very tasty!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ELIZABETH'S SALMON CASSEROLE (NO SOUP NEEDED)

You need only some pretty simple storecupboard ingredients.  There is nothing out of the ordinary needed for this simple, everything from scratch family favorite!

• 2 (6.6 oz/160g) tins of skinless, boneless salmon (I buy Connetable Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon. You can also use one large tin of regular pink wild salmon, drained, skin and bones removed)
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 cup of frozen peas (Just measure with a large coffee mug)

For the sauce:

• 2 TBS butter
• 2 TBS plain flour
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• a dash of hot pepper sauce
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 cup (240ml) ounces milk
• 1/2 cup (120ml) single cream (half and half)

To top:

• 1 slice of thick white bread made into crumbs (about 1 cup)
• 1 TBS butter melted

 

If you don't have tinned salmon, you can also use leftover cooked salmon, but tinned salmon works very well. I like to buy the boneless, skinless kind.  You can use the cheaper one with the skin and bones in it if you wish, but it does require a bit more work to remove the skin and bones.

I use plain white potatoes, peeled.  I have (at times) also used frozen loose pack hash browns.  They also work really well if you are in a rush.

I always use whole milk and salted butter.  If you want you can use undiluted evaporated milk in place of the single cream.

Today I did not have any frozen peas, but I did have some frozen mixed vegetables which contained carrots, corn, beans and edamame beans. These worked well, but it is traditional to use only peas. 

 

HOW TO MAKE ELIZABETH'S SALMON CASSEROLE 

This is a very basic and simple to make casserole.  It goes together quickly and easily.  You can be enjoying it in less than an hour.  You can also put it together the night before and simply bake it on the day.

Butter a shallow 4 cup/2 pint baking dish. Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/375*F.

Place the cubed potatoes into a saucepan and cover with slightly salted water. Bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes. (You want them almost cooked, but still retaining their shape.)

Drain well, and place in a bowl. Flake the salmon and mix it into the potatoes along with the frozen peas. Set aside.

 

Make the sauce as follows. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions. Cook, stirring until the onions have softened.

Whisk in the flour. Cook for one minute.

Whisk in the milk and cream. Cook and stir until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper and hot pepper sauce.

Pour the cream sauce over the potato mixture, stirring gently to combine. Spread into the prepared baking dish.

Mix the bread crumbs and butter together. Sprinkle evenly over top of the casserole and then bake in the heated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbling and nicely browned on top.

 

Tasting this today brought back a flood of happy memories for me. The soft potato, the vegetables, that rich creamy sauce.  Like a Salmon pie, almost, but richer and with vegetables included.

This is a great storecupboard meal for when you are lacking in inspiration and or money! You could amp it up with a few herbs if you wanted to, but we always just eat it plain. I would suggest thyme, dill or savory.

Tinned fish is such a great store cupboard ingredient. I keep tins of both salmon and tuna in my cupboard all the time. They are great for sandwiches, casseroles, etc.   They are also quite economical as opposed to fresh fish.  Here are some other recipes which use tinned salmon:

LEMON SAUCED SALMON PATTIES - Simple salmon patties. Flaked and mashed tinned salmon, mixed with some breadcrumbs, milk, egg, parsley, grated onion (I use my micro plane grater) and seasoning, mixed together and spooned into well buttered muffin cups. Baked until crisp on the outside, meltingly tender inside. Serve warm with a lush creamy lemon sauce. Almost like a Salmon Croquette without the deep frying!

FRENCH CANADIAN SALMON PIE - This is an old family favorite, having been passed down from generation to generation. You can use leftover cooked salmon or tinned salmon. In the old days it would have been leftover cooked salmon. It has a really tasty filling of salmon, mashed potato, onion and herbs, nestled in between two flaky buttery crusts.  This is absolutely delicious.  I usually make several at a time, freezing them for later use.

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Elizabeth's Salmon Casserole

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 55 Min

A simple, old fashioned, delicious salmon casserole recipe. I got this recipe from my late mother in law in the 1970's. It was a family favorite then and it is a family favorite now. All from scratch, no cream soup needed.

Ingredients

• 2 (6.6 oz/160g) tins of skinless, boneless salmon (I buy Connetable Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon. You can also use one large tin of regular pink wild salmon, drained, skin and bones removed)
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 cup of frozen peas (Just measure with a large coffee mug)

For the sauce:

• 2 TBS butter
• 2 TBS plain flour
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• a dash of hot pepper sauce
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 cup (240ml) ounces milk
• 1/2 cup (120ml) single cream (half and half)

To top:

• 1 slice of thick white bread made into crumbs (about 1 cup)
• 1 TBS butter melted

Instructions

1. Butter a shallow 4 cup/2 pint baking dish. Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/375*F.
2. Place the cubed potatoes into a saucepan and cover with slightly salted water. Bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes. (You want them almost cooked, but still retaining their shape.)
3. Drain well, and place in a bowl. Flake the salmon and mix it into the potatoes along with the frozen peas. Set aside.
4. Make the sauce as follows. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions. Cook, stirring until the onions have softened.
5. Whisk in the flour. Cook for one minute.
6. Whisk in the milk and cream. Cook and stir until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper and hot pepper sauce.
7. Pour the cream sauce over the potato mixture, stirring gently to combine. Spread into the prepared baking dish.
8. Mix the bread crumbs and butter together. Sprinkle evenly over top of the casserole and then bake in the heated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbling and nicely browned on top.

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