Saturday, September 14, 2013

Canned salmon salad with dill pickles

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I hear a lot of complaints from parents who hate packing lunch for their kids.

Actually, I don't mind packing lunch. It sure beats having my high schooler eat crappy public school cafeteria food or having to shell out $8 each day for the catered lunch at my younger son's private middle school.

We get into a rhythm with school lunches. On a typical day each boy gets a sandwich, two pieces of fruit, and a chocolate milk box (one kid gets soy, the other regular). If I've baked muffins or cookies, each kid also gets a small treat.

I always keep canned salmon in the pantry to make this simple, flavorful salmon salad, one of the boys' favorite sandwich fillings. The secret: I mince petite dill pickles in the mini-processor and add them to the salmon salad. The pickles add a little tang and a little crunch, balancing the richness of the salmon perfectly.

(Why not celery, you ask? My husband hates it, so I'm out of the habit. And why salmon instead of tuna? The mercury thing.)

A note on ingredients: Costco has excellent wild Alaskan salmon in cans, as well as large jars of petite dill pickles. As for mayonnaise, I am a Hellman's girl, although of course it's called Best Foods out here in California.



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Canned salmon salad with dill pickles
Minced petite dill pickles add crunch and a little tang to this easy salmon salad. Perfect for lunchbox sandwiches.
Ingredients
  • 3 6-ounce cans salmon (preferably wild Alaskan salmon)
  • 10 petite dill pickles, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or a little more or less, to taste)
  • 1/2 small fresh lemon
Instructions
Drain the canned salmon and empty the cans into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the pickles and mayonnaise. Squeeze the lemon over the ingredients in the bowl, taking care to fish out any pits. Mix everything together with a fork, flaking the salmon as you mix, until the salmon salad is well combined. Serve chilled.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: approximately 4 cups

5 comments:

Sippity Sup said...

Do you have to be a kid to have that for lunch? I don't think so... GREG

Kingfisher Charters Luxury Alaska Fishing Lodge said...

Ohhhh am drooling here.looks mouthwatering.

Erika Kerekes said...

@Kingfisher Thanks! I bet you have some amazing Alaskan salmon recipes in your recipe box, too! :)

Unknown said...

I'm going to try this for lunch today. My husband also hates celery and we are trying to limit our tuna due to mercury. Great minds must indeed think alike. Thank you!!

Sparkpersonkeepingfit said...

I used dill relish I buy in a small jar on pickle aisle in grocery store. Served on wheat crackers for an awesome lunch. Thanks for the recipe!

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