I recently came across a hundred-year-old recipe for Tuna Souffle, and decided to try it. The recipe called for separating the eggs and stiffly beating the egg whites, then folding them into a white sauce and tuna mixture which is baked.
The Tuna Souffle was tasty. When I made this recipe, the tuna became the bottom layer of the souffle. It was topped by a light souffle topping. My husband said it was “good” which is a high compliment from him.
Here is the original recipe:
I used one can of tuna when I made this recipe. That is less tuna than the original recipe called for, but the recipe turned out fine. The size of tuna cans have decreased over the years. I think that a can of tuna in 1926 may have contained about 1 cup of tuna. Today, many cans of tuna contain 5 ounces, which is less than 1 cup.
The recipe called for a “hot” oven. I interpreted this to mean 400° F.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Tuna Souffle
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1 can (approximately 5 ounce) tuna
3 eggs, separated
Step 1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
Step 2. Melt the butter in a skillet using medium heat. Stir in the flour and salt, then gradually add the milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring and cooking until the mixture comes to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add tuna, flake and stir to combine.
Step 3. Put egg yolks in a small bowl; stir until smooth. Place a small amount (approximately 1 – 2 tablespoons) of hot mixture into dish with egg yolk, stir quickly. (The egg is first combined with a little of the hot mixture to prevent it from turning into scrambled eggs when introduced into the hot combination.) Add egg mixture to the remaining hot mixture in the saucepan; stir. Set aside.
Step 4. Put egg whites in a bowl; beat until stiff peaks form.
Step 5. Fold the beaten egg whites into the tuna mixture.
Step 6. Pour into a 1-quart baking dish. Put into the oven and bake until set and lightly browned (about 30 minutes.
I’m sure this is a really tasty dish for those who love fish. It looks scrumptious and it was nice of you to post the conversion recipe.
Looks so yummy.
Did any of you grow up with “souffle” on the menu?
This looks like a hearty supper from one little can of tuna!
The souffle looks pretty on the top, and like it would be fluffy and creamy to eat.
I love making a souffle when an easy meal is called for, so this looks a good addition to the repertoire, and a nice change from my fall-back dish, cheese souffle.
That’s a lovely recipe and thanks for sharing your conversion of the original. It looks lovely, too.
I’m on the lookout for some ‘new’ recipes at the moment. I wonder if this could be made with salmon?
Comfort food at its finest from a can!
This looks great! My mom found many ways to make tuna, but this wasn’t one of them. I bet your husband enjoys trying all these unique recipes!
I like how you post the original recipe and then your modern day instructions for it.