# low fat canned tuna/salmon recipes



## tessa (Sep 9, 2007)

as you know im on a fitness regime at the moment and want to increase my fish intake (im not a huge canned fish fan but do like it occassionaly) my brain has gone blank ..... must be why i need more fish :talk::talk: but anybody got some really tasty low fat ideas using canned tuna/salmon. 

Please no fish pie recipes  , they would make me gag and want to go out for MCdonalds :smoking:


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Hi Tessa,

I didn't know you were on a fitness regime - good for you.

Here's something to get you started. There are one or two more that should work for you, but I they are on my other computer - I'll post later today or tomorrow - let me ask first - do you like beans?

*Ventresca Tuna Salad*

Summer is the time for eating light, and eating fresh, seasonal greens. Here's a little tuna salad I've been making for a while. It has its basis in an Alton Brown recipe, but I've modified it to suit my tastes. I'm sure you'll like it for it's simplicity and easy prep as well as the taste. One jar of the tuna will make two servings - you can figure out the amounts you'll need from there.

Jar or two of ventresca tuna (Reserva 'Bonito del Norte' Tuna in Olive Oil by Ortiz or their regular ventresca, there are other good brands packed in olive oil - don't use typical canned tuna)
2 - 4 leaves butter or romaine lettuce, rinsed and patted dry
1 - 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot 
1 - 2 tablespoons finely chopped red or orange bell pepper, or my favorite, gypsy peppers 
1/2 - 1 tablespoon nonpareil capers drain, rinse, dry if you like - I just drain and pat dry, no rinse
1 - 2 tablespoons chopped hard-boiled egg 
1 tablespoon micro greens 
a little sea salt (find a nice tasty one, maybe one with a neat color for appearance)
Some fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon - Feminello's are perfect, not Meyer)

Carefully remove the tuna from the jar, leaving the loin pieces intact. Reserve the olive oil. Lay the lettuce out and carefully divide and lay the tuna atop the leaves. Sprinkle with the shallot, peppers, capers, hard-boiled egg and micro greens. Sprinkle with sea salt. Drizzle the salad with the reserved olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.


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## tessa (Sep 9, 2007)

hey shel , i love beans 

thanks for the recipe it sounds really nice


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Baked salmon loaf
Salmon croquettes
Salmon mousse Recipes available in most all basic cookbooks

Salade Nichoise
Tuna melt on rice cakes


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Here y'go Tessa. This is an old standby, and lends itself well to mixing up ingredients and changing proportions. Sometimes I'll add some finely diced celery, a friend suggested radishes - I don't know about that - and I thought about using some seeded tomato diced to be about 1/2 the size of the beans, and also some artichoke hearts, or even better, artichoke bottoms cut about the size of the beans. You might consider playing around with a sprinkle of your favorite fresh herbs. Have fun ...

*Tuna and Bean Salad*

This recipe idea came from a salad I had tasted from a local Italian deli and a recipe copied from a book back in 1972. It reflects my love of chick peas and good quality canned or jarred Italian or Spanish tuna. While a ventresca tuna is a nice touch for this salad, a somewhat less expensive tuna will be fine as long as it's packed in good quality olive oil. There is a brand found in the US that's available at Trader Joe's and some supermarkets called _Genova_ - that's not recommended. Some people like it, but I find it to be a pale and insipid version of a good Italian or Spanish tuna packed in good olive oil. From what I can tell, the tuna is packed/marketed by the people who bring you _Chicken of the Sea_, not one of the quality brands of canned tuna.

While this recipe calls for canned beans, lately I've started using dried and cooking them up myself, allowing for better control of taste and texture. Good canned beans are fine ...

1 can (15-oz) cannellini beans, other white beans will work
1 can (15-oz) garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1/4 cup or less of extra virgin olive oil (Tuscan or Spanish)
1 Tbs of fresh squeezed lemon juice, maybe add a few pieces of lemon zest as well, diced fine
a little bit of your favorite sea salt
some fresh, coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions, red onions, or even shallots (I like red onions)
1/4 cup finely diced mild red peppers - bell, gypsy, jimmy nardello, etc
1 to 4 Tbs finely chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, to your taste - 2-Tbs works for me
1 can or jar (about 7-oz) Italian or Spanish tuna packed in good olive oil

Rinse, drain, and dry the beans and chick peas. You can dry them on paper or clean, lint-free, cloth towels or warm them in a dry skillet over low heat. When dried, put the beans and chick peas in a small bowl that will easily hold them.

Take the tuna and drain it thoroughly, saving the oil. Add the saved oil to some EVOO to make no more than 1/4 cup total - a little less is ok, you can always add more EVOO if the salad is too dry for your taste.

Mix together the lemon juice, lemon zest if using, the salt and pepper, and then add it to the olive oil, and pour the mixture over the beans. Add the onions, peppers, and parsley and gently mix together with the beans. Let the mixture sit a while so the beans absorb some flavor.

Put the beans on a serving platter, then break the drained tuna into chunks and put over the beans in a nice pattern. Maybe drizzle a little EVOO over the tuna, and then serve.


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