Gluten-Free Fresh Salmon Loaf

This is an updated version of one of my mother's go-to recipes: salmon loaf. She used canned salmon but I experimented with a fresh salmon steak that I had bought and didn't want to go to waste, or to make just another boring fish dinner.

Salmon can be thawed from frozen or bought fresh with the skin on but be sure the fish steak is cut lengthwise,  not across the bone. Costco has salmon steaks in their freezer section. A small hand-sized piece (or two smaller pieces together) is plenty for this recipe. 

Add your choice of vegetables to color up this fish dish: I cut the kernels from a few cobs of corn that I had boiled the day prior, along with a cup of frozen peas--throw them in a little water and they are ready in no time!

INGREDIENTS

One small (8-10 oz) salmon steak, either fresh or thawed from frozen

Small pat of butter for frying

1 tbsp olive oil

1-1/2 cups gluten-free bread crumbs or panko

1-1/2 tbsp butter

1-1/2 cups hot milk

2 eggs, well beaten

Juice of one-half lemon

2-3 lemon slices (optional)

1 tsp dill

Salt and pepper

One can whole corn, drained (optional) OR cut corn from the cob

1 cup frozen peas, cooked for a few minutes in 1 inch of water (optional)

Dried or fresh minced parsley

Cayenne pepper

White sauce or lemon sauce

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and part of the butter over medium-high heat. Rinse and pat dry the salmon steak, season lightly with salt, then add to the pan, skin side down. Put a couple of lemon slices on top of the fish and sprinkle lightly with dried dill seasoning. Turn down heat to medium as the butter gets brown. Cover and allow to sear for a few minutes, or until the fish flakes apart easily. Set aside to cool.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart bread loaf pan, preferably Corning® ware or other ceramic or non-stick bread pan.

When the salmon has cooled, break it apart with a fork and peel off the skin (if you use fresh salmon with skin), careful to be sure there are no bones anywhere. Remove skin and any bones and discard. Add salmon to a mixing bowl and continue to break into smaller chunks.

Add to the bowl: the 1-1/2 tbsp butter and the gluten-free breadcrumbs or panko. Add the hot milk, then the beaten eggs. Add dill seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice, about 1-2 tablespoons in all. Mix all ingredients together with a fork, taking care not to mash the salmon into too-small chunks. Add the drained canned corn (optional but recommended—I cut the kernels from a cooked cob of corn--so tasty!) and the cooked peas (if used) at this point. Lastly, mix in the fresh parsley. Pour mixture into a buttered bread pan or 2-qt casserole. (If you only have have dried parsley, sprinkle it over the top now.) 

Sprinkle a little cayenne powder over the loaf and bake in a 350° oven for 30-40 minutes, or until it is no longer wet.

Served with lemon-dill "béchamel" sauce

Serve with white sauce (also known as béchamel sauce), if desired, or lemon-dill sauce. (Lemon-dill sauce is white sauce with the addition of a bit of lemon juice and dill seasoning at the last stage of cooking.) You can find many recipes for white sauce, which is basically a butter-flour roux, milk added slowly whie cooked over boiling water. 

NOTE: If you don’t have access to fresh or frozen salmon steaks, you can substitute canned salmon. Drain well and remove any visible bones. 

No Bean Gluten-Free Tamale Pie

Tamale pie is a family favorite, but tailored to special diets like mine: I have been gluten-intolerant for 15 years and recently, I have to cut down on beans too. It's quick and easy to make, with ingredients you probably already have on hand. 

I like to use lean ground beef to cut down on grease and waste. Since the leaner cuts have less fat, you may have to add a tiny bit of oil to keep the meat from sticking to the pan during frying.

If you prefer less spicy, leave out the chopped green chilis.

INGREDIENTS

Meat Filling:

½ onion, purple or white, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 lb lean ground beef

1 14.5-oz can tomato sauce

1 8-oz can whole kernel corn, drained

1 small (4.25-oz) can chopped or sliced black olives, drained

1 small (8-oz) can chopped green chilis

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp onion salt

2 tbsp chili powder

½ tsp ground cumin

Cornmeal Topping:

¾ cup cornmeal

1 tbsp gluten-free flour of your choice (Bob’s Red Mill has a variety of baking flours)

1 tbsp sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

--

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 tbsp vegetable oil

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Shredded cheese, Monterey or cheddar, about ½ cup, optional. Add between meat layer and cornmeal topping layer before baking. 

INSTRUCTIONS

In a heavy bottom Dutch oven or other cooking pot, add the cooking oil and then stir the chopped onions until almost transparent. Remove the onions to another bowl and set aside. Add the ground beef and a few drops of oil if needed to keep beef from sticking. When the ground beef is nearly all browned, add back the onions to the pan, and stir well. Season with salt, pepper, onion salt, the cumin, and the chili powder.

Pour the can of tomato sauce into the meat mixture, then the olives and HALF of the green chiles (set aside the rest of the chilis for later). Stir well and continue to cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, or until heated through and the flavors combine.  Turn off heat and let rest while preparing the cornmeal mixture.

Cornmeal Mixture:

In a medium to large mixing bowl, add the cornmeal, the gluten-free flour, sugar, and baking powder. Whisk to combine well and mix out any lumps.

In a separate bowl, mix the egg, milk, and cooking oil, and the rest of the green chiles, then pour into the cornmeal mixture.

Next, spread the meat mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 Pyrex(c) baking pan, scatter the shredded cheese over the top of the meat, then drop the cornmeal-chili mixture using a small measuring cup (I use the 1/3 cup size) over the meat mixture, making sure cornmeal covers most of the meat mixture. Sprinkle lightly with red chili powder if desired.

Bake in a 425 oven for 20-25 minutes. Allow to rest in oven with heat off for 10-15 minutes as mixture will be too wet at first, until the liquid is absorbed into the cornbread topping. 

Chai Sweet Potato Pie

 

If you have yams or sweet potatoes and don’t know what to do with them, try this sweet and yummy dessert treat! Have on hand two cooked sweet potatoes (yams). Precook yams or sweet potatoes first, either cut into pieces and boiled OR microwaved whole for 8-10 minutes on high power. Carefully peel off the skins and hard parts and discard. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

INGREDIENTS:

1 unbaked pie crust (gluten free if desired)

2 c. cooked, peeled, and mashed sweet potatoes

1 can (15oz) evaporated milk

¾ c. granulated sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

2 large eggs

For chai flavoring, add ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and ½ tsp ground cardamom*

*Leave this additional step out if you prefer traditional sweet potato pie

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with a mixer until well blended. Pour into the unbaked pie crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the filling comes out clean. Let cool for two hours before serving. Add whipped cream topping if desired.