Quick Dinner Ideas Continued

This is the final post in this series of quick dinner ideas. Many of us have used canned fish for sandwiches or salad, but how about salmon loaf, crab cakes, or tuna melt? These all sound complicated but are easy to make and takes just a few minutes from start to finish.

Canned Salmon or Canned Crabmeat

-salmon cakes/loaf: 1-14 ounce can salmon or 2-7 ounce cans, drained, flaked, add an egg, a sprinkle of pepper, 1 cup bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons mayonaise, a pinch of Old bay seasoning or dill or summer savory, mix together then pat into cakes or a small loaf, bake 350 degrees F, until it is hot 10-12 minutes, (add salt at table)serve with crusty bread, toasted English muffins, or with mashed potatoes and salad;
-creamed salmon with peas-1-7 ounce can salmon, drained, make a classic white sauce (or from package)2 tablespoons butter, melted, 2 tablespoons flour,pinch salt, pepper, dill, mixed into butter, heat for about 1 minute, add 1 cup milk, stir with whisk, heat until thick and bubbly, add salmon, and defrosted peas, heat through,whole dish can be cooked in microwave, serve over mashed potatoes, toast or dip crusty bread into mixture, with salad;
-add salmon to any Alfredo sauce over pasta,rice
-add salmonor tuna to packaged rice pilaf, serve with broccoli
-add salmon to chef salad, with hard boiled eggs, white cheddar, bread sticks
-salmon salad to whole wheat mini tortillas/or bread and cucumber slices


Canned Tuna or Canned Crabmeat

- classic tuna melt- toast crusty bread, bagels, English muffins, then mix the tuna with mayonaise,chopped green onion, salt, pepper, dill, lemon juice; lay toasted bread slices on baking sheet, cover with tuna mixture, add slices of cherry tomato, cover tomato slices with shredded mozzarella, or other white cheese, pop in oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, serve with cucumber slices, celery sticks; can use a flour tortilla and make a wrap instead;
- tuna is great in a quick Italian style salad: to washed and dried romaine/mixed greens, add a can of Romano/mixture of beans, drained and rinsed, thinly sliced small red onion, chunks of cucumber and a few cherry tomatoes, and jar artichokes, cut up, use Italian dressing, or use oil from the artichokes with white wine vinegar, garlic salt and pepper, mix altogether, top with shaved Parmesan cheese, serve with crusty bread;
- to mixed greens, a few small cooked red potatoes,a handful of cooked green beans, hard boiled eggs,tuna, compose a nicoise salad, use oil and vinegar as dressing, serve with crusty bread or bread sticks;
-add tuna to any Alfredo sauce with sharp cheese over macaroni or penne, slice a few grape tomatoes or use sun dried tomatoes;
- mix tuna with dry mash potatoes,chopped dill and green onions,mix all together to make cakes, if the cakes don't hold together, (add an egg and a bit of breadcrumb until they do)place on parchment covered baking pan, add dots of butter to each cake, heat in 350 degree F oven until golden brown, serve with broccoli, or green beans;