Salmon Meets Meatloaf In This Vintage Dish First Served In The Early 1900s

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Ground beef meatloaf, love it or hate it, is a staple of American family dinners. However, this meaty entree sometimes needs an upgrade. If you're willing to get creative and try new things, you might want to make a major change: Swap out the beef for something else. One seriously underrated ingredient that will change how you make meatloaf is actually canned salmon, creating an early-1900s dish simply called salmon loaf.

It might be hard to envision this once-common luncheon offering, but it's a pretty straightforward one. It often involved a can of cooked salmon mixed with egg, breadcrumbs, and vegetables, which was then formed into a loaf shape and baked or steamed. One of the oldest recipes also includes milk and cream. The final product was salty and filling and intended to make canned fish more appetizing fare.

It may be a vintage seafood dish that no one eats anymore, but for a while, it was incredibly popular. The canned salmon industry had early success in the San Francisco area and in Alaska. Because of this, companies sought ways to promote the use of tinned fish. In 1904, the Alaska Packers Association cookbook for the St. Louis World's Fair featured a whole three recipes for salmon loaf. A shorter version of the cookbook was renamed "How to Eat Canned Salmon." Salmon loaf was enjoyed in homes and restaurants over the next 100 years, being served with Champagne sauces and even appearing in an early Betty Crocker cookbook. Loaf-shaped foods made with canned products seem less popular nowadays, so you rarely spot salmon loaf in eateries anymore.

If you're intrigued after learning about this dish, why not try your hand at creating the retro concoction? There are tons of recipes out there, but if you're interested in sampling the oldest version, you'll have to go with one from the early 1900s.

For the loaf, you'll need canned salmon, breadcrumbs, milk, lightly beaten eggs, cream, salt, and cayenne pepper. You can pick out any bones or skin from the canned salmon before use, but some prefer to leave them in for a little texture. Combine the breadcrumbs and milk over heat and mix until it becomes smooth in what is known as a panade. Add the rest of the ingredients to your panade, ensuring the salmon is well shredded. Once everything is whipped together, pour it all into a loaf pan or mold, and bake it in a pan of hot water until set. You can give your baked salmon dish an upgrade by including lox-inspired flavors like dill and red onion, grated cheese, or extra peppers for a spicy kick. It was also commonly served with thick white sauce or hollandaise.

This recipe is very simple and quick to put together, which may be part of why it became so popular. It also just goes to show that old-school dishes allowed people to make meals out of pretty much anything. People who ate salmon loaf growing up remember it with nostalgia, so if you're a fan of salmon, it's worth a try. Anyway, given the high price of beef, turning to tinned fish might not be such a bad idea.