Some Nostalgic Comfort Food
Nan’s Salmon Loaf With Creamed Peas
An old family favorite that I've taken a couple liberties with since I didn't have all of my grandmother's ingredients exactly as she wrote them. We got to enjoy this dish countless times growing up since it was my grandfather's favorite. It's pretty dang tasty and a great way to use leftover salmon and feed a lot of people at the same time.
Ingredients
For the loaf
- 4 cups white bread with crusts cut off cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoon onion minced or 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion
- 2 large eggs well beaten
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 pound fresh cooked salmon, I used Atlantic or 1 pound canned red salmon
- 1/4 teaspoon dry marjoram
For the topping
- 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 pinch each cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper
- Or you can omit this topping and simply sprinkle a little flour over the top like Nan did. I kind of like it with a little crunch.
For creamed peas
- 1 12 ounce package frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
For the loaf
- Mix all of the loaf ingredients in a large bowl, then turn out into a buttered loaf pan.
For the topping
- In a small bowl combine the Panko and melted butter with the cayenne, salt, and pepper, then spread the mixture evenly over the top of the loaf. Bake for about 1 hour or when the topping has turned a light golden brown.
- Remove from the oven to set for 10 minutes.
For the creamed peas
- Cook the peas per package instructions and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, make a rue by melting the butter and mixing the flour into it. Stir for a few minutes to combine well and cook the flour but not to brown it. After a few minutes, gradually add the milk to the rue in stages. Stirring continuously with a wire whisk, break up the lumps, continuously smoothing the mixture out after each addition of milk. When you've finished adding all of your milk and the mixture is smooth, add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir again. Blend in the seasoning for a minute or two, and then fold in your cooked peas.
- Cut the salmon loaf into 8 equal slices and serve topped with the creamed peas and maybe a nice baked potato and a salad on the side.
Wow! This brings back some fond memories , one of Dad’s favorites that we-all loved too! Thank you Don !!
Thanks so much for sharing it Mom! Been having fun going through Nan’s box you gave me, and found some others to place in the cue. It’s just so nice to experience and share all our collective memories.
I haven’t made this in years, but you’ve inspired me! I can’t wait to try it with the panko topping.
Yayy, thanks for visiting Deb, and remember sliced cold on a piece of bread with some relish, mayo, and salt? Had it for breakfast this morning and it was quite a treat!
Sounds great!
I just remember Grandpa saying “oh, that’s good.”