July 28, 2013

There's something fishy about this 1950s recipe


Hard as it may be to believe, here we sit on the last weekend of July. If you live in the Western Hemisphere, chances are that you're contending with some mighty toasty temps at the moment, proceeding through the sweltering dog days of summer as we presently are, and are not in the mood to read through a hefty tome of a blog post this morning.

As such, I'm certainly not going to toss one your way, fear not. Instead we'll kick off this sparklingly sunny morn with a quick, fun, and - yes, I'll readily admit - quirky mid-century recipe for Tuna Fish Mold (not the most appealing of names, I know, surely Tuna Mousse would have been better!).

Being married to a man who is both a big seafood fan and, fittingly, an avid angler (who I occasionally accompany of fishing excursions, as in this post from last August), fish springs up on the menu at our house fairly often.

While I've never been quite as big of a seafood lover as my darling husband is (growing up, despite our parents doing so, interestingly neither myself nor my two siblings liked seafood; as we matured and hit adulthood though, we each came to like it to varying degrees), there are certain plucked-from-the-sea (or lake) ingredients that I've come to enjoy quite a bit.

Tuna, with it's relatively mild flavour is one of them. My personal feelings about jellied meats and seafood (as discussed in this year's St. Patrick's Day recipe post) haven't altered, but I'd venture to add that an occasional exception can be made, especially when the mercury is boiling and just about any cold dish suddenly holds the appeal of a winning lottery ticket.




{Love the bed of cucumbers, sliced green olive eyes, and cute little green pepper fins on this delightful 1950s tuna fish mousse mold. Image source (click through for a larger version).}


This recipe is nothing short of wholly mid-century in every regard. The ingredient list (gelatin, mayo, cream cheese, celery, ketchup, canned tuna!) almost reads like a who's who of the most commonly used foods from the fifties, and I know it definitely won't be for everyone. However, I know there are plenty of folks out there who do enjoy both seafood and molded dishes (alas! A use for that copper mold we all seem to have gathering dust on a wall or cupboard shelf somewhere), and for whom this recipe holds much appeal.

You could very easily play around with the ingredients here. Canned salmon, crab, shrimp,or turkey (perhaps changing the shape of the mold you opted for, if not using fish) would all work, as would (perhaps most appealing, if you ask me) cubes or flakes of cooked ham. Alternatively a vegetarian/meat-free version could be whipped up by replacing the tuna with one or more vegetables instead. I'm thinking chargrilled red peppers, sweet onions, and black olives, for a Mediterranean inspired take.

If you're still feeling anything but enthusiastic about the idea, skip the dinner route entirely and instead just use your favourite mold to whip up a cute Jell-O dessert to take to a picnic, camp out, summer bbq, or (best of all) beach party, where the fun shape is sure to make it a major summertime hit (especially if you happen to have any anglers, like Tony, at your table!).

22 comments:

  1. Your recipe is a good idea to refresh these very hot days ( the air now crossing Italy has been named Caronte ). I love tuna mousse, and how cute the fish' eye!

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  2. I love seafood but the idea of jelling it turns my stomach. I would never eat anything like this -- but appreciate seeing the recipe and ad. In the 1950-70's, many dishes existed simply because they used processed, available ingredients. Half of the food my mother made had soup from cans in it. Same with Jell-O. An interesting historical fact where cuisine and commerce merge.

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  3. Hi Jessica, just popped by to see what I've missed while I was without Internet for a week, eek! Lots of catching up to do...of course I started here, :D Hmmm, tuna fish mold... I agree mousse would have sounded more appealing. Might have to give it a try, now where did I put that mold?!
    Hugs and enjoy the rest of the day,
    Beth P

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  4. I must admit, I never liked the idea of non-sweet items encased in gelatine *shudders*. XD A family cookbook we have here has several recipes like that, and every time I would look at them I would feel almost slightly nauseated XD. However, I do love looking at retro recipes!!! Thank you so much for sharing this!

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  5. Hahaha! This recipe so screams 50s. I'm sometimes amazed to see what different things cream cheese was put in when I flip through my vintage cookbooks. Pineapple is another that seems to pop up everywhere too. :)

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  6. Just thinking about this recipe makes me feel slightly queasy. It reminds me of how my great aunt used to serve tomato aspic every time she cooked for us and I had to eat the entire ample serving to be polite. How I dreaded those meals! And I was never a picky eater. However, if I ever get past the queasiness, I do have the perfect vintage fish molding tin. :)

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    1. Oooohh, I hear you loud and clear. I really was not a seafood fan as a child, and used to dread meals involving fish (save for fish and chips - that I loved from day one), especially because we absolutely had to clear our plates before we were allowed to leave the table. I'm sorry that you had such unpleasant childhood experiences with aspic, my dear.

      ♥ Jessica

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  7. Yikes! I think I'd pass on this meal! I have a similar photograph accompanying a recipe in one of my 1950s magazines. I have alot of vintage magazines, mostly "Women's Realm". Have you heard of that one? They are such a fun read! :D

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    1. It's awesome that you love to collect vintage magazines as well. I wish they were easier (and easier on the budget!) to come by around these parts still these days. I don't believe I've heard of Women's Realm before. What a great title! Was it akin to something like Ladies Home Journal or Good Housekeeping?

      ♥ Jessica

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    2. Yes, it's much like those magazines - but they have much more colour pages and are a little on the larger side! :D

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    3. They sound thoroughly marvelous! The more colour pages in a vintage magazine, the better. I'd love to add a copy (or ten! :)) to my collection one day, too. Off to see what eBay and etsy have listed at the moment.

      ♥ Jessica

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  8. Jellied meat isn't my thing either, but I love the idea of fish-shaped tuna. Fun!

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  9. Hear! Hear!
    I generally dislike fish(y) foods, but this appeals to me, probably because of the lovely mold it's been put in.

    Marija

    By the way,
    The drawing of you is so amazing, I stared at it for a long while, completely stunned. It resembles you, not just as a representation of your facial features, but it caught your "shine" (if you know what I mean)

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  10. This is such a cute idea I love 50s recipes. However I fear I haven a mold to do this justice the olive eye is my fave touch
    Kate the old fashioned way

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  11. That strikes me aa rather humorous. I think I want a fish mold now just to play with! Your bizarre recipes always make me hungry. One day I'll get round to actually making some of them!

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  12. July has gone by too fast for my taste. I have had little to NO time to edit. Sheesh, I should be done with that by now. LOL! I do love how cute this is, I'm just not a fish lover.

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    1. Oh no! It felt like a really long month to me for the most part, but I know that had almost entirely to do with how I've been doing on the health front lately. Typically though, I agree, July tends to whip past at the speed of light. The older I get, the more I've learned that summer as a whole is rarely my most productive time of the year.

      Thank you very much for all of your terrific comments today, honey!
      ♥ Jessica

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  13. I don't think it's something I'd make at home, as like you I am not very fond of sea food.
    However if this were served to me, i'd give it a try!

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  14. I have always wanted a fish mold just like that! When not in use it should decorate my kitchen wall. I wonder if I could make tuna mousse in it, if I could get it out?

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    1. Same here! I've seen quite a few over the years while thrifting, but never added one to my cart. The next time I spot one, so long as its reasonably priced, I'm going to grab it. I want to make fish shaped gelatin desserts for Tony to enjoy after a long day or weekend of fishing.

      ♥ Jessica

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  15. It definitely looks absolutely delicious :3 I've always been a huge fan of fish and tuna is one of my favourites :)

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