The Classic Salmon Meal That First Graced Dinner Tables In 1904

Meatloaf. Salmon. Both delicious, comforting, fairly simple weeknight dinners. Combining them, however, sounds unusual — but a century ago, it was anything but. A close relative of salmon cakes, salmon loaf offers crispy edges and a tender interior. Much like the best meatloaf recipes, salmon loaf recipes are pretty forgiving and allow you to use what you have on hand, within reason.

While it's tough to pin down exactly when recipes got started, we know that we can trace salmon loaf back to at least 1904, when canned salmon was introduced at the St. Louis World's Fair. The Alaska Packers Association (APA) published a canned salmon cookbook for the fair that year with everything home chefs needed to know about adding canned salmon to their pantries, including (if it was anything like its first, shorter edition) how to open the can. The cookbook included three different salmon loaf recipes, providing simple ways to include salmon in turn-of-the-century recipe rotations. Fresh-caught salmon was considered a treat for the wealthy, not an everyday food, and enjoying salmon regularly allowed non-upper-class families to enjoy a taste of decadence.

While salmon loaf recipes have some variation, the basic ingredients — including canned salmon, saltine crackers, and eggs — generally stay the same. Some recipes jazz the loaf up with seasonings, while others stick to bare-bones staples. That's the great thing about salmon loaf, though — if you've got some extra breadcrumbs, saltines, eggs, mustard, or any other meatloaf-esque staples that need to be used up, you can toss them into your salmon loaf mix. 

Ready to give this century-old meal a try in your own kitchen? We've gathered up a few tips and tricks to help you get it right. You'll want to avoid some of the same mistakes people make when creating salmon cakes. One of the most important rules to follow when creating any baked salmon dish: be sure you're adding plenty of liquid ingredients to maximize your chances of a super-moist result. If your salmon loaf mixture seems dry, add a bit of extra milk, or even an extra egg, to boost the moisture level and help create a cohesive loaf. Temperature is another consideration. While old-school recipes recommended serving the loaf cold, we wouldn't judge you for plating it up straight out of the oven.

Another way to amp up your salmon loaf: adding a homemade sauce, either on top of the loaf itself or served on the side. Salmon loaf can be great on its own, but adding a fresh tartar sauce can help to cover up any dryness and enhance flavors. If you're feeling like going the extra mile, you can make a from-scratch tartar sauce à la Gordon Ramsay. Not in the mood to bring out your inner Michelin-star chef? You can also jazz store-bought tartar sauce up by mixing in some lemon and fresh herbs — preferably, the same herbs used in your salmon loaf to bring the dish together.