This flavorful vintage salmon casserole recipe has no canned soup, comes together quickly and puffs up like a soufflé when it bakes!
Do you think "Ew" when someone mentions fish in a can? Canned fish was a popular mid-century food, as it was readily available and more affordable than fresh fish. In 1942 while World War II was raging, the government began rationing food items such as butter, sugar, meat and seafood. Canned fish (or tinned fish, as it was often called) was easier to come by and could be used in casseroles such as this one, or it's popular mid-century cousin Tuna Noodle Casserole, to stretch the number of servings.
Here's some surprising news -- millennials are starting to like it!
We Like Canned Fish Again
Canned fish remained popular through the 1970's, but began a dramatic drop in sales in the 80's. In 2016, the US Department of Agriculture reported that sales of canned tuna alone had dropped a whopping 42% over three decades. But according to Supermarket News, the popularity of canned fish is once again on the rise, and global sales indicate an expected increase by 2021 of more than 23% over 2016's sales numbers.
Canned Salmon is Good For You
Why should you try canned salmon:
- It's healthy; low in mercury content and contaminants
- The USDA found slightly higher levels of two omega-3s in canned pink salmon than it found in fresh
- Canned salmon is an excellent source of protein, vitamin D and selenium
Salmon Casserole Ingredients
- Canned pink salmon
- Herb stuffing
- Yellow onion
- Parsley
- Eggs
- Milk
- Cornstarch
- Butter
- Vegetable Bouillon
- Salt
- Pepper
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Dried Parsley Flakes
- Chopped Celery
This dinner comes together so easily; don't let the long list of ingredients intimidate you. If you prep and measure out the ingredients in small bowls in advance, you'll zip right through it. Simply mix casserole ingredients in a bowl, then mix cream sauce ingredients in a pot, simmer it for literally one minute, add a sauteed stick of celery, then toss everything together in a casserole dish and bake. And if you prefer to skip making the white sauce and use cream of celery soup in its place, no judgement here.
Salmon casserole ingredients 
Cream sauce ingredients
Vintage Salmon Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
Salmon Casserole
- 14.75 oz canned boneless/skinless pink salmon
- 2 cups herb stuffing croutons
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 3 large eggs beaten
- ¾ cup milk
Cream Sauce
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- ½ cup chopped celery sautéed in 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Make the cream sauce first by sautéing the celery in 1 tablespoon of butter until soft, about 10 minutes. In a pot, whisk the cornstarch into the milk, then add the remaining ingredients except the celery. Bring to a boil and simmer for one minute. Add sautéed celery.
- Grease a 3 quart casserole dish. In a bowl, combine all the the salmon casserole ingredients thoroughly, then mix in the celery cream sauce. Pour into greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Dan Langdon says
Are you supposed to thin the Cream of Celery Soup, or just put it on from the can?
Nancy Blackstone says
Hi Dan,
Mix 1/2 cup of milk with one can of cream of celery soup. It turns out great, and I often make it this way!
Thanks,
Nancy