"Meatloaf and shepherd's pie are just two of many meals that take meat, mince it, and turn it into a hearty, compact dish. With the exception of crab cakes, seafood rarely gets this treatment - but it did in the 1950s. The decade gave us plenty of meals that toed the line between comfort and convenience, and the fish loaf is one that we desperately need back."
"Fish loaf has been around for at least a century, but the popular '50s dish took off due to how simple it is to make. The recipe features canned fish, butter, eggs, and breadcrumbs that are folded together and baked for about 35 minutes. The loaf can be eaten on its own or topped off with anything from gravy to a can of mushroom soup."
"Back in the day, boomers ate a lot of fish due to everything from religious reasons to the rationing of meat during WWII. A fish loaf provided the same dense tenderness as a meatloaf, but adhered to the restrictions of the day. There's no singular reason for the drop in popularity that fish loaves experienced, but Americans consuming less canned fish could be part of it. Either way, it's never too late to bring back the recipe with a few tweaks."
Fish loaf became popular in the 1950s as a convenient comfort-food adaptation of minced-meat loaves using seafood. The recipe commonly uses canned salmon, but tuna or other canned fish work, combined with butter, eggs, and breadcrumbs, folded together and baked about 35 minutes. The finished loaf is mildly sweet and hearty and is often served with gravy or canned mushroom soup. Postwar factors like religious dietary habits and WWII meat rationing increased fish consumption, helping adoption. Declining canned-fish consumption contributed to its waning popularity. Modern variations can update flavorings and toppings to revive the dish.
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