Salmon Loaf With Cucumber Sauce

A tasty salmon loaf served with a warm cucumber sauce. Serve it with salad or vegetable dishes. What's leftover is delicious for lunch next day in a sandwich with baby spinach leaves or freshly sliced cucumber. Adapted from a recipe I've had in my files for years. I don't now remember where I found the original recipe. See my notes below for suggestions for additional ingredients.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can canned salmon, thoroughly drained and flaked (reserve the brine)
• 1⁄4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 3  tablespoons lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons onions, finely grated
• 2  garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1  teaspoon dried parsley
• 1  teaspoon fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1  cup  soft breadcrumbs
• 2⁄3 cup milk
• 2  eggs, beaten
• 1⁄2 tablespoon parmesan cheese

• Cucumber Sauce

• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 1⁄4 cup flour
• 2  cups milk
• 1 1⁄2 cups  grated cucumbers
• 1  teaspoon paprika (mild or hot, depending on your preference)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven at 325ºF.
2. Combine the salmon with the butter.
3. Add salt (to taste), lemon juice, grated onion, grated garlic, parsley and dill.
4. Soak the breadcrumbs in milk.
5. Add the beaten eggs.
6. Add the Parmesan.
7. Stir the breadcrumb mixture into the salmon mixture.
8. If the mixture seems too dry at this point, add a little of the reserved brine (about a teaspoon at a time) or if you have more lemon juice available, a little more lemon juice (a teaspoon at a time).
9. Spoon the mixture into a lightly greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
10. Bake at 325°F for 45 minutes, or until cooked.
11. THE SAUCE: grate the cucumber.
12. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium-low heat.
13. Blend in the flour.
14. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and bubbly.
15. Add the grated cucumber and paprika.
16. Stir to blend.
17. Serve with the salmon loaf and your favourite salad or vegetable side dishes.
18. Chef's notes: This loaf can be made with red or pink salmon. Red is tastier. For the health-conscious, use the salt-reduced or salt-free varieties. And omit - or reduce - the salt in the recipe. I made this again recently, after MarieAlice's review - I hadn't made it for years and years. And not being very good at following recipes exactly whether they be mine or someone else's, I just HAD TO make some changes. I added several grated baby carrots (they are just so sweet and flavoursome at the moment) and several tablespoons of wheat germ. Then in order to retain the moistness, I added some extra lemon juice. And I discovered also that this is one of those recipes that is tastier cold!