Salmon and Wild Mushroom Casserole

Tonight I wanted to try some new recipes from a culinary mystery series that I am addicted  to. This one came from Blackberry Crumble by Josi S. Kilpack. It is a salmon dish that is kind of like tuna noodle casserole, but more fancy and definitely more delicious. Our favorite parts were the yummy mushrooms and the crumbly topping. It has a lot of butter in it, so next time I'm going to try to cut some of that out. I also wonder if the recipe would be any different if fresh salmon were used in place of canned. I'll let you know if I ever give either of those ideas a try. For now, here's the original recipe, butter and all... (And please don't judge the recipe by the horrible picture I took with my cell phone, because it really is yummier than it looks.)

Salmon and Wild Mushroom Casserole

Blackberry Crumble

by Josi S. Kilpack

Makes: 6-8 servings

1 (12-oz.) pkg wide egg noodles

1/2 c. butter, plus 2 Tbs. butter, divided

1 (14-oz.) can salmon*

1 onion, chopped

5 celery ribs, diced

4 to 8 oz. wild mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, etc.), washed and sliced (quantity should be based on how much you like mushrooms)

1/2 tsp. salt

6 Tbs. flour

1 tsp. double mustard powder (I used regular ground mustard)

1 c. milk

1 (14-oz.) can chicken broth

1 c. crushed oyster or saltine crackers

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish (or use cooking spray, to cut down on the butter). Cook the noodles al dente according to package directions. Drain, then return to the pot and toss with 2 Tbs. of butter. Set aside.

2. While the noodles are cooking, open and drain the can of salmon. Remove any round bones and discard them. (Other bones are soft enough to mix with the fish.) Mash the salmon meat with a fork. Set aside.

3. Melt 6 Tbs. of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and celery and saute until translucent, about 3 to 4 min. Add the mushrooms and salt. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms give up their juices, about 4 min.

4. Add flour to the skillet and stir well. Add mustard powder. Stir until combined. Cook 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk and chicken broth, stirring constantly (remember to scrape up any browned flour on the bottom of the pan for more flavor). Stir until mixture is thick and bubbly. Add the salmon. Turn off the heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Pour the vegetable-salmon mixture over the buttered noodles and mix until well combined. Pour into casserole dish.

6. Melt remaining 2 Tbs. of butter and toss with crackers. Spread buttered crackers over the top of the casserole dish. (A little garlic salt with the oyster crackers is yummy, too.) Bake 30 min.

*Could use canned chicken in place of salmon.