Salmon Loaf

On nights when you want the ease of a meat loaf but want to go meatless, bake a salmon loaf with a zippy olive cream sauce instead. This Depression-era recipe has always been a great alternative to meat loaf recipes, especially when families need to stretch a meal. The ready availability of canned salmon makes it a go-to option for budget-minded cooks.

Mixing the canned fish with onion, bread crumbs, butter, eggs and minimal seasonings allows the salmon flavor to shine without being fishy. It comes together like a traditional meat loaf, but you separate the eggs and beat the whites into stiff peaks. When gently folded into the salmon mixture, the egg whites give the loaf a mousse-like lightness.

Another trick to obtaining a light loaf: baking it in a water bath. Just as when making a cheesecake, steam inside the oven helps prevent dried-out cracks along the top of the loaf. Ina Garten’s meat loaf uses a similar trick with mouth-watering results.

Salmon Loaf Ingredients

• Cooked salmon: Convenient cans or pouches of cooked salmon make it easy to create this recipe from your pantry. Some versions of canned salmon are skinless, boneless and low-sodium. Traditional-style canned salmon leaves skin and bones with the meat because they boost the flavor, texture and nutrients, but the canning process softens them so they’re safe to eat.
• Onion: Yellow onion stores well and softens as it cooks in salmon loaf, but you can use a milder type of onion, like sweet onion or shallots.
• Soft bread crumbs: Soft bread crumbs taste freshest and absorb juices best when you make them yourself. Simply tear bread into pieces, place the pieces in a food processor or blender, cover and pulse until crumbs form. One slice of bread yields 1/2 to 3/4 cup crumbs.
• Butter: Melted butter helps bind the salmon loaf ingredients together and adds richness. You don’t need to use a top-of-the-line butter brand for this recipe, but avoid light butter and margarine, which will make the loaf watery and the sauce more likely to break.
• Eggs: Separate the eggs so that the rich yolks bind the loaf together and the whipped whites make the mixture light and airy. Fridge-cold eggs are easiest to separate. Once separated, let the yolks and whites come to room temperature for easier, faster beating.
• Lemon juice: Lemon juice tenderizes salmon’s meaty texture and enhances the taste. Use bottled or freshly squeezed lemon juice in this recipe.
• Seasonings: Fresh parsley gives salmon loaf a mild yet noticeable herbal note. This recipe also keeps the other seasonings simple, adding just a little salt and pepper to bring out other flavors.
• Sauce: Each slice of salmon loaf is enriched with a creamy white or bechamel sauce made from butter, all-purpose flour and milk. The briny, chopped pimiento-stuffed olives give the sauce a zing that complements the fish.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the cooked salmon, onion, bread crumbs and melted butter. Stir in the egg yolks, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper.

Step 2: Fold in the beaten egg whites

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Editor’s Tip: Beating the egg whites will be easier with a hand-held or stand mixer, but if you have the strength to do it by hand, go for it.

Fold the egg whites into the salmon mixture.

Step 3: Set in a water bath

Spread the salmon mixture evenly into a greased 8×4-inch loaf pan.

Place the loaf pan in a larger baking pan. Add 1 inch of hot water to the larger pan and carefully transfer the water bath to the oven.

Step 4: Bake the salmon loaf

Bake the salmon loaf until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the baked loaf stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Editor’s Tip: To ensure the salmon loaf has baked completely, check with an instant-read thermometer that its internal temperature has reached 145°. After you pull it from the oven, the loaf continues to set, so let it rest to avoid mushy and crumbly slices.

Step 5: Make the sauce

In a small saucepan, melt the butter, stir in the flour until smooth and then gradually add the milk.

Bring the sauce to a boil, and cook and stir until thickened, one to two minutes. Stir in the chopped olives and serve the sauce with the salmon loaf.

Editor’s Tip: The olive cream sauce is a basic white sauce. Start by mixing the roux over medium heat, and then add the milk slowly while whisking constantly to break down the paste. Bump up the heat as needed so the sauce bubbles and thickens as you stir. It will thicken further off the stove.

Salmon Loaf Variations

• Add other fresh herbs: Of all the herbs that pair well with salmon, dill may be the most popular. Add a pinch or two of fresh dill to the salmon loaf, sauce or both. Bake leafy fennel fronds or tiny thyme leaves into the loaf. Or, stir a few minced chives or sprigs of cilantro into the sauce after you remove it from the heat.
• Build up the flavors: Jazz up the salmon loaf with minced garlic or chile peppers. Stir a spoonful of Dijon or spicy mustard or a dab of prepared horseradish into the salmon mixture. If you’re using fresh lemon, zest it before you squeeze out the juice and add the zest to the loaf, sauce or both.
• Give it umami: To add umami, replace the salt in the loaf with soy or Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top for the last five minutes of baking.

How to Store Salmon Loaf

Let the salmon loaf cool completely for no more than two hours at room temperature (for safety), and then store it whole or sliced in airtight packaging in the refrigerator. Remove the unsliced salmon loaf from its baking dish and wrap it tightly in storage wrap. Place salmon loaf slices into a resealable container with a layer of parchment between slices to make them easy to unpack.

How long does salmon loaf last?

Salmon loaf lasts three to four days when refrigerated in an airtight container. To keep it fresh, make sure your fridge is set to the safest temperature—at or below 40°.

How do you reheat salmon loaf?

To reheat an unsliced salmon loaf, unwrap it and place it in an oven-safe dish. Warm it in a 350° oven until its internal temperature reaches 145°. Reheat slices on a baking sheet in a toaster or full-size oven to the same temperature. If you use a microwave, microwave the slices in 30-second increments to minimize dryness. Salmon loaf leftovers also taste delicious when served cold.

Salmon Loaf Tips

Can you use fresh salmon to make salmon loaf?

When you grill, bake or pan-sear salmon, cook an extra fillet and use the leftovers for a full-flavored salmon loaf. Remove the skin and bones and flake the salmon before you mix it with the other ingredients (the bones won’t be as soft as the ones that sometimes come in canned salmon). Mix in about 1/4 cup finely shredded smoked salmon for even more salmon flavor.

Do you need a loaf pan to make salmon loaf?

You don’t need a loaf pan to make salmon loaf, but the cooking time will change if you use another pan. To bake this salmon loaf recipe in an 8-inch square pan, spread the mixture evenly to fill the shallower pan and start checking on it after 30 minutes. Use the water bath technique to keep the fish from overcooking on the edges before the center warms to 145°.

Salmon loaf has a more delicate texture than meat loaf, so we don’t recommend shaping the entire mixture into a loaf and baking it on a baking sheet as we do for our best meat loaf. If you want to use a baking sheet, gently shape the salmon mixture into 6 to 10 patties and bake them at 350° to a 145° internal temperature, about 20 minutes. Alternatively, scoop the mixture into muffin cups, as in this baked salmon patties recipe.

What can you serve with salmon loaf?

Serve this salmon loaf recipe with light twists on classic sides for meat loaf, such as one of these new ways to make mashed potatoes, dill and chive peas, or a spinach salad. You can also switch up the sauce on top of the loaf. Serve the salmon loaf with dill sauce for salmon, give it an Asian spin by brushing it with a strawberry-teriyaki glaze, or skip the sauce altogether and serve salmon loaf with lemon wedges. Use leftover slices of salmon loaf in a meat loaf sandwich with arugula and pickled red onions, or cut the slices to fit in rolls spread with ginger pear freezer jam and topped with pickled carrots and daikon for sweet-and-sour salmon sliders.