comfort food: salmon loaf

This is an old recipe—passed down from Grandma, to Mom, to me—and is such an unforgettable part of my childhood that just thinking about it conjures up a vision of Grandma's kitchen, complete with the rich aroma of salmon and onions baking in the oven. Small wonder it tops my list of winter comfort foods. In fact, a few years ago when J and I were the only two members of our extended family not felled by a dreadful stomach flu on Christmas Day (and our turkey was far away, surrounded by sickies) we made this salmon loaf for dinner. Not exactly traditional fare but it was delicious. So, with the caveat that my kitchen talent runs more to the style of 'I Love Lucy' than 'Julia Child', let's cook!

Grandma's Salmon Loaf

Ingredients
1 tin (213 g) red salmon (use the juice, skin, bones and all)
1 egg, lightly beaten
milk (add enough to the beaten egg to make 1 cup of liquid, total)
1 small onion, finely minced (use more or less to taste)
soda crackers (about 20)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
paprika

Method
• in a mixing bowl, mash the salmon with a fork to break up the bones
• stir in the egg and milk
• add onion, salt and pepper and mix well
• crush soda crackers and add the crumbs to the salmon mixture until it is thick but not too dry
• transfer mixture to a greased loaf pan and dust the top with paprika
• bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the loaf 'bounces' back when touched lightly in the centre
This recipe can be doubled to make a thicker loaf (and feed more people)—just increase the cooking time to around 60 minutes or until the centre passes the bounce-back test.

Serve with a salad or green veggies and for an added special touch, scalloped potatoes. Yum!

What's your favourite comfort food?