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By Root 560 0

3 pretty-good-sized ones—too many for most people at one sitting, but you can have them several meals apart. Once I put a leftover cooked salmon cake in the fridge and found it a few days later. It was good, even cold. I had it that way with a spritz of fresh lemon juice, horseradish, and pickled onion rings over a bed of lightly dressed arugula.

1 (71⁄2-OUNCE) CAN SALMON, ABOUT 1 CUP

1-1⁄2 TABLESPOONS MINCED SCALLIONS OR ONION

2 TABLESPOONS CHOPPED PARSLEY

1⁄2 TEASPOON GRATED LEMON ZEST

1 TABLESPOON MAYONNAISE

1⁄2 TO 1 TEASPOON MUSTARD

SALT AND PEPPER

1 EGG, SMALL IF YOU HAVE ONE

1⁄2 CUP PLUS 2 TABLESPOONS BREAD-CRUMBS, FRESH OR DRIED

OLIVE OIL FOR FRYING

1. Open the can of salmon, pour off its liquid, then turn it into a bowl. Break it up with a fork and pick out any little bones. Add the scallions, parsley, lemon zest, mayonnaise, and mustard, and mix everything together lightly with a fork. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir the egg into the fish with a fork, followed by the breadcrumbs.

2. Heat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet and coat it with a film of oil. Shape the salmon mixture into patties. Slide them into the hot pan and cook about 5 minutes on each side. They should be brown and crisp on the outside, soft and moist within. Serve on a bed of arugula with lemon wedges, horseradish, mayonnaise, or sour cream.

Two Variations

1. Add 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro (instead of, or along with, the parsley) and 1⁄2 minced green jalapeño chile. Serve with jarred or homemade tomatillo salsa.

2. Replace the lemon with lime and serve with sour cream and lime wedges on a bed of thinly sliced napa cabbage.

Tuna Spread with Capers

This makes a nice change from the usual tuna spread. Water-packed tuna is fine here, as you will be adding olive oil.

1 CAN TUNA, DRAINED

1 SMALL GARLIC CLOVE, COARSELY CHOPPED

2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL

3 ANCHOVIES

1 TEASPOON MUSTARD

2 TABLESPOONS MAYONNAISE

SALT AND PEPPER

ZEST AND JUICE OF 1 SMALL LEMON

1 TABLESPOON CAPERS, PLUS EXTRA FOR GARNISH

A FEW PINCHES CHOPPED PARSLEY, THYME LEAVES, OR SNIPPED CHIVES

Drop the first 6 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well blended. Add a few pinches of salt, lemon zest, and a teaspoon of lemon juice, and pulse to combine. Scrape the spread into a bowl, stir in the capers, and season it to taste with pepper. Spread the tuna over toast or crackers and garnish with the additional capers and a pinch of fresh green herbs.

Spaghetti with Tuna and Capers

It’s waiting for the water to boil that takes longest in this very satisfying pasta—just time enough to throw together a salad or cook a vegetable. Half of a 7-ounce can of tuna in olive oil will make an ample dish for one. Use the second half for a tuna salad, spread, or sandwich. Crisp breadcrumbs are scattered over the pasta at the end to give the dish a nice crunchy finish.

BREADCRUMBS FROM ONE SLICE OF BREAD

2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL, IN ALL

3 TO 4 OUNCES WHOLE WHEAT OR WHITE SPAGHETTI

SALT AND PEPPER

1⁄2 CAN TUNA IN OLIVE OIL (ABOUT 3-1⁄2 OUNCES)

1 TABLESPOON CAPERS, RINSED

PINCH OF RED PEPPER FLAKES

1 GARLIC CLOVE, MINCED OR PRESSED

1 LEMON, ZEST AND JUICE TO TASTE

CHOPPED PARSLEY

1. Put the breadcrumbs in a small skillet with half the oil or butter on medium heat. Cook, stirring every so often, for about 5 minutes, or until crisp and golden, then turn off the heat.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil, then add in plenty of salt and the spaghetti. Give it a stir and boil until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Keep tasting until it’s as done as you like.

3. While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the remaining oil in a skillet wide enough to hold the finished dish. Add the tuna, the capers, pepper flakes and garlic, then grind in plenty of pepper. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, breaking up the tuna with a fork.

4. When the spaghetti is done, lift it out of the water with tongs and transfer it directly