Mealtime Magic: Canned Seafood

Seafood is a very healthy option - it's often high in omega-3s, and lower in fat and calories than many other meats. But it can be expensive, and canned seafood often gets a bad rap for being a second-class option. And if you're like me, you really only know how to make tuna mac or tuna noodle casserole to actually use canned seafood. But there's actually a whole lot out there, as a new cookbook by Susan Sampson shows. Here are just a few of the recipes she includes.

Faux Pho (I love the name)
4 oz snow peas, trimmed and halved lengthwise (about 1 1/2 c)
8 oz thin rice noodles
1 can boneless, skinless salmon, drained and broken into chunks
6 oz bean sprouts (about 2 1/2 c)
2 green onions (white and light green parts), thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/4 c loosely packed cilantro leaves
1/4 c loosely packed basil leaves, thinly sliced
Asian Stock
Asian chili sauce
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add snw peas and blanch for 1 minte, until tender-crisp. Using a mesh scoop, transfer to a colander and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking. Drain.

Add noodles to the boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes, until cooked through but not mushy. Drain. Rinse briefly under cold running water to stop the cooking. Drain.

Divide noodles among 4 warmed wide bowls. Top with equal amounts of salmon, snow peas, bean sprouts, green onions, cilantro, and basil.

Reheat the stock over high heat until steamy but not boiling. Ladle into the bowls. Add a dollop of chili sauce to each bowl (or serve it alongside). Before eating, squeeze the lime into the soup and stir the ingredients together.

Citrusy Crab and Sprouts

1/4 c mayonnaise
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 t finely grated orange zest
1 1/2 t freshly squeezed orange juice
1 can chunk crabmeat, rinsed and drained
2 small leaves Boston lettuce
1 1/2 c sprouts or micro-greens, coarsely chopped
2 cocktail tomatoes, cut in wedges

In a bowl, stir together mayonnaise, garlic and orange zest and juice. Gently squeeze excess moisture from crab and add it to the bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place lettuce on serving plates and mound crab mixture on top. Scatter sprouts overtop and finish with tomato wedges. Sprinkle additional pepper over the tomato.

The above recipes excerpted from 200 Best Canned Fish and Seafood Recipes: For Tuna, Salmon, Shrimp, Crab, Clams, Oysters, Lobster and More (available September 31). The book has recipes for appetizers and snacks, soups, and much more. Recipes are also indicated clearly with certain tags, such as kid-friendly, healthy, and budget. There's also a very helpful introduction regarding seafood.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book to facilitate this post.