The Dented Can Can Sale

Image via Wikipedia

I shopped the first day of the 40th anniversary Can Can Sale at ShopRite in Hackensack this morning, but I don't think I came away with such great bargains. And I was disappointed -- again -- to see no big discount on canned, wild-caught red salmon from Alaska.

My biggest purchase was three dozen cans of Adirondack seltzer at $1.99 a dozen. I also bought three cans of Progresso soup at $1.19 each or 10 for $10. Air Wick air freshener was only 65 cents each, and I picked up nine cans.

Bumble Bee-brand Alaskan red salmon was $4.99 for a can of about 14 ounces, compared to the usual price of $5.49. At long-past Can Can Sales, it was $2.99.

A lot of the stuff I buy at ShopRite wasn't being sold at a discount. Bottles of sparkling, 100% juice from Spain weren't on sale, and, in fact, there were none on the shelf. The oversize, bronze-cut pasta and the extra-virgin olive oil, both from Italy, also were regular price.

Barilla pasta was three for $4 or nine for $10. DeCecco pasta was knocked down to $1.50, from $2.49, not to 99 cents, as I wrote previously.

Another fish jumps into the salad

I continue to tweak my no-mayonnaise canned fish salad, this time by adding anchovies and fresh lemon juice in addition to pickled lemons (recipe follows). See previous posts, "Cleopatra's tuna-sardine salad" and "Way better than tuna salad."

I combined Alaskan red salmon, albacore tuna (two cans), spicy Moroccan sardines and anchovies, with their oil or water to keep the salad moist. I added a small red onion (diced)  and three small pickled lemons (minced), plus juice from a large lemon. I also added a half cup or more of powdered cumin. Diced celery would be great, too.

The pickled lemon and the spicy oil from the sardines came through, but I couldn't taste the anchovies. I'm still getting the heart-healthy benefit of their Omega-3 fatty acids, which is found in all the fish I used. You could even invite a fifth fish -- salted cod -- to join the party.

If you miss the mayo, I suppose you can spread some on your sandwich bread or toast, but I prefer pesto, hummus or my own low-fat organic yogurt cheese. Feel free to add organic greens and sliced tomatoes with za'atar spice mixture or even sliced cheese, such as Trader Joe's yogurt cheese with jalapenos.

Four-fish salad

1 can of Alaskan red salmon (about 15 ounces)

1 can of albacore or light tuna in oil or water

1 can of Moroccan or other sardines

1 can of anchovies with or without capers

3 small pickled lemons, minced


1 small red onion, diced


juice of one large lemon or more to taste

powdered cumin to taste

Add the fish with their liquid to a large bowl and mash with a fork. Add the other ingredients. You can find the pickled lemons, za'atar and cumin in a Middle Eastern market, such as Fattal's at 975 Main St. in Paterson (973-742-7125) or Sahara Stores at 242 S. Summit Ave. in  Hackensack (201-487-7222).

Way better than tuna salad

I don't think I can top the wild salmon-wild smoked salmon sandwich I had for breakfast three days last week, but I'm happy with the no-mayo canned fish salad that has succeeded it.

I combined cans of yellowfin tuna from Italy (Costco), fat smoked sardines from Morocco (Fattal's) and Alaskan red salmon (ShopRite), including the oil or water in each. I then diced about two-thirds of a medium red onion, adding it along with two or three tablespoons of powdered cumin and Aleppo red pepper to taste. Finally, I moistened it with two or three ounces of extra-virgin olive oil. This made four cups of fish salad -- enough for about 10-12 sandwiches.

I toasted some Italian semolina bread from Newark, spread on hummus and added salad greens. Then came lots of the fish salad, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shavings and tomato slices with za'atar spice mixture. My side dish was kimchi, my drink iced tea.