Tuna (or Salmon) Loaf

(c) Robin Grose

Robin:  I love tuna loaf because it calls for ingredients that I usually already have on hand, and because it is so versatile. In fact, this is what I chose to make when Hurricane Irma was about to hit us last fall. I knew that it would delicious and nutritious whether we ate it warm, at room temperature, or cold, so I didn’t need to worry about how we would heat it up if our power went out. Fortunately, our area was not badly hit and we lost electricity for less than 24 hours, but Ed and I would have been well fed on just tuna loaf if we had needed to be.

You can use tuna (or salmon) loaf can in the same ways that you serve meatloaf: it can be a hot main dish (served with a side such as mashed potatoes or mixed veggies), then refrigerated and sliced the next day for use in sandwiches. It´s also good cut into cubes and stuck with toothpicks as an afterschool snack or party appetizer. Pack it, together with some macaroni salad, for a picnic. It truly is most versatile.

You probably have all the necessary ingredients to whip up a tuna loaf in your kitchen right now. If not, you may still be able to make it; have a look at the variations below the recipe for ideas on what you can switch up. Personally, though, and regardless of any other changes I make to the basic recipe, I always use butter rather than margarine. Used in moderation, real butter isn’t so bad for you—and makes just about any good recipe even more delicious!

More delicious fun with canned tuna:

• Tuna-Stuffed Avocados
• Victoria’s Tuna and Potato Salad

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Tuna (or Salmon) Loaf

Easy to make, versatile to use, and good warm, room temp, or cold.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword loaf, salmon, tuna

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Rest 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Servings 5 servings

Calories 470 kcal

Author Robin Grose / comboplate.net

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup 1 bar real butter
• ½ of a small onion, diced
• 3 ribs celery, preferably with leaves, diced
• 1 green or red bell pepper, diced or use half green and half red
• ¼ cup green or black olives, no pits, quartered
• 20 ounces 4 small cans / 568 grams total of canned tuna, drained OR one 14.75 ounce (418 grams) can of salmon, drained
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 fresh jalapeño chiles

Instructions

1. Turn your oven on to 350f (175C) so that it can heat up while you mix the loaf.
2. Cut up the bar of butter into several pieces. Place them in a glass or metal loaf pan (about 8x4x3 inches or 20x10x7 cm). Place this into the oven so that the butter will melt.
3. In a large mixing bowl, place the diced vegetables, the olives, and the drained tuna. Add the bread crumbs, egg, and salt, and mix well.
4. Once the butter has melted, take the loaf pan out of the oven. Pour all except about a tablespoon’s worth of the butter into the tuna mixture and stir well.
5. Swirl the loaf pan around carefully so that the small amount of butter left in it will grease the pan on all of the inside surfaces.

6. Spoon half the tuna mixture into the loaf pan. Pat it down with a spoon or your fingers to form a solid block.

7. Remove the stems from the fresh jalapeños, but do not open the chiles. Place the peppers lengthwise on top the tuna mixture in such a way that when the loaf is cut with a knife, the chiles will be cut into rounds. Spoon the rest of the tuna mixture on top of and around the chiles, pressing down enough that no empty spaces will remain in the pan and the loaf will be compact.

8. Return the loaf pan to the oven, and bake for about an hour and 10 minutes, until slightly crusty on top.
9. Take your delicious tuna loaf out of the oven and allow it to sit for at least 15 minutes to solidify before unmolding, slicing, and serving. This is delicious warm, room temperature, or cold. Leftovers are as good as—if not better than—a recently-made loaf.

Recipe Notes

Variations on Tuna or Salmon Loaf

This is the perfect recipe for changes or substitutions, so don’t be afraid to play around with the ingredients:

• Use potato flakes instead of breadcrumbs for a gluten-free version. If gluten is not a problem but you are out of breadcrumbs, crush us some saltines or other savory crackers.
• Add a bit of whatever commercial or homemade sauce you may have sitting around: Tabasco sauce, pico de gallo, Worcestershire sauce, prepared mustard, soy sauce, etc.
• Add a little of your favorite herb or spice: oregano, dill weed, a dash of ground cumin, red pepper flakes, etc.
• Experiment with additional or different veggies in your tuna loaf. Try chopped spinach, diced chile peppers (fresh or from a jar), canned or frozen mixed veggies, or cooked and chopped green beans.