Salmon & Rice Balls

This is retro comfort food at its most practical. Canned salmon, cooked rice, breadcrumbs, eggs, onion, and green pepper get mixed and rolled into small balls, then baked in a cream of mushroom sauce that turns into a rich, savory gravy.

The combination of rice and breadcrumbs gives the balls structure without making them heavy. The eggs bind everything together so the balls hold their shape during baking instead of crumbling apart in the sauce.

Thinning the mushroom soup with water before pouring it over the balls is important. Straight from the can, condensed soup is too thick and won’t flow around the balls evenly. Diluted, it creates a sauce that bathes every ball and reduces into a creamy coating during the 30-minute bake.

Kitchen Tips

• Drain the canned salmon well and pick through it for any bones or skin before mixing. Some people leave the soft bones in for calcium, but remove them if the texture bothers you.
• Roll the balls to a consistent size so they cook evenly. About the size of a golf ball works well.
• Use a shallow baking pan so the sauce surrounds the balls without submerging them. You want the tops to brown slightly.
• Leftover rice works perfectly here. Cold rice is actually easier to mix and shape than freshly cooked.

Variations

• Use cream of celery soup instead of mushroom for a lighter, more delicate sauce.
• Add a teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning to the salmon mixture for a Maryland-inspired twist.
• Swap canned salmon for canned tuna for a more budget-friendly version.