200 Best Canned Fish and Seafood Recipes Book Review

Title: 200 Best Canned Fish and Seafood Recipes: For Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp, Crab, Lobster, Oysters, and More

Author: Susan Sampson

280 pages, 7″x10″, 24 color photos

ISBN: 978-0-7788-0415-4

Suggested Retail: $24.95 US, $24.95 Canada

Publication Date: September 31, 2012

Review:

Canned fish and seafood are convenient, retain nutritional value well, and can be economical to use. 200 Best Canned Fish and Seafood Recipes helps you create conventional and new recipes. These recipes incorporate tuna, crab, salmon, mackerel, cod, sardines, sprats, kippers, anchovies, roe, shrimp, clams, oysters, mussels, squid, and octopus. The author, Susan Sampson, notes that canned seafood and fish should be treated in a different manner than fresh fish because of its distinct flavors and textures.

200 Best Canned Fish and Seafood Recipes has two very informative sections near the front titled “A World of Canned Seafood” and “A Brief History of Canned Seafood”. The information provided is invaluable and unique. Along with explaining what to look for when buying canned fish, there are many interesting tips and facts. One fact: Roe (caviar) was so abundant in the early 19th century in the U.S. that saloons served it just to make their customers thirstier. That’s wild!

The recipes included start off with “The Top 15 Classics”. This includes Old-Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole, Vintage Tuna Salad, Hot Crab Dip, and others. There are not a whole lot of pictures included in this cookbook, but it is set up in such a nice and easy fashion. The recipes are also labeled as being “kid-friendly”, “fast”, “guest-worthy”, “healthy”, and “brown-bag” to help with meal planning. Then the book concludes with a chart including fish and seafood substitute options for the main ingredients used in this cookbook.

With my family, we usually keep canned tuna and salmon in our pantry that I regularly incorporate into our meals and we sometimes have canned crab. We live far from sea and ocean so canned varieties can be a great alternative while living in the upper Midwest.

Here are a few seafood dishes to try at home:

Sandwiches, kid-friendly, Mexico, page 124

Fish Tacos

These are less calorific but just as messy cousins of Baja fish tacos. Usually made with fried battered fish and tortillas that are either fried or doubled up to prevent leaks, Baja fish tacos are San Diego’s most famous dish. They were popularized in 1983 by chain restaurateur Ralph Rubio, who first enjoyed them a decade earlier in Mexico.

Tips

Go upscale by using top-quality solid white albacore tuna. Squeeze the tuna gently with your hands to remove excess moisture before using it.

These tacos are not rolled but rather presented open-faced, to be folded by the diner.

Bonus: This fresh salsa is also delightful with quesadillas, enchiladas or nachos, or served alongside grilled fish or chicken. Do not make the salsa ahead of time — refrigeration is disastrous for it because the cold ruins the texture of the tomatoes.

Makes 12 tacos

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350°F (180°C)

Dressing

1⁄2 cup sour cream 125 mL

1⁄2 cup mayonnaise 125 mL

2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves 30 mL

1 tbsp minced chipotle chile pepper in 15 mL  adobo sauce

Salt

Salsa

3 small tomatoes (about 12 oz/375 g total), 3  cut in 1⁄4-inch (0.5 cm) dice

1⁄3 cup chopped sweet onion (such as Vidalia) 75 mL

1⁄3 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves 75 mL

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and 1  chopped

1 clove garlic, minced 1

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 15 mL

1⁄2 tsp salt (approx.) 2 mL

1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 mL

Tacos

12 small corn tortillas (about 51⁄2 inches/ 12  14 cm in diameter)

11⁄2 cups finely shredded green cabbage 375 mL  (about 3 oz/90 g)

2 cans (each 6 oz/170 g) tuna in water, 2  drained, excess moisture removed and   broken into flakes (see Tips, left)

1. Dressing:In a measuring cup, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, cilantro, chipotle pepper and salt to taste. You will have about 1 cup (250 mL) dressing.

2. Salsa:In a bowl, stir together tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. You will have about 2 cups (500 mL) salsa.

Excerpted from 200 Best Canned Fish & Seafood Recipes by Susan Sampson

Pasta, fast, guest-worthy, page 204

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Pasta

This lemon pepper sauce is luscious. It stands up to all kinds of seafood, with or without pasta (see Variations, below).

Makes 4 servings

Tips

When preparing pasta, it is wise to save some cooking water as insurance. Add the water in stages to loosen your pasta or sauce.

Tricolor rotini is a mixture of white, spinach and tomato pastas. If you prefer, use plain or whole wheat rotini.

If you prefer, strip the leaves from the thyme sprigs and sprinkle them over the pasta rather than garnishing with the whole sprig.

Variations

Bonus: Serve this lemon pepper sauce with grilled or steamed seafood and rice instead of over pasta.

Substitute an equal quantity of tuna, salmon, crab or lobster for the shrimp.

12 oz tricolor rotini (see Tips) 375 g

1 tbsp unsalted butter 15 mL

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 30 mL

6 slender green onions (white and green 6  parts), cut diagonally into 1-inch (2.5 cm)   segments

1 clove garlic, minced 1

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest 10 mL

2 to freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided 30 to 3 tbsp 45 mL

1⁄2 tsp salt (approx.) 2 mL

1⁄2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 mL

1⁄3 cup heavy or whipping (35%) cream 75 mL

1 can (4 oz/106 g) small shrimp, rinsed 1  and drained

1⁄4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 60 mL

4 small sprigs thyme 4

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook rotini over high heat for about 12 minutes, until tender to the bite (al dente). Scoop out about 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) cooking water and set aside. Drain pasta.

2. Meanwhile, in a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet over medium heat, melt butter with oil. Add green onions and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, until softened. Remove from heat. Stir in garlic for 20 seconds. Stir in lemon zest, 2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir in cream, then shrimp. Return skillet to medium-low heat and bring just to a simmer.

3. Add rotini and toss to coat. If pasta seems dry or difficult to toss evenly with sauce, add enough reserved cooking water to loosen it. Taste and, if desired, add remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice and more salt to taste, if necessary.

4. Transfer the pasta to warmed serving bowls. Sprinkle Parmesan overtop and garnish with thyme sprigs.

Excerpted from 200 Best Canned Fish & Seafood Recipes by Susan Sampson

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review. The thoughts and feelings expressed are my own. No other compensation was received.

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