Tuna Fish — Sorry, Charlie

Tuna fish was popular at my house. There must be at least 8,738 ways to use tuna fish. My mother needed two.

She made tuna fish patties. They were fried until brown and crunchy on the outside, but soft and flaky inside, and always served with creamed peas. And she made a tuna fish soufflé that was like eating tuna fish-cheese-eggs- and marshmallows. Both recipes are lost.

Click on a link below for a few of my favorites:

• Canton Tuna
• Charlie’s Tuna Mac ‘n’ Cheese
• Tuna Melt
• Charlie’s Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole
• Tuna and Potato Chips Loaf
• Tuna Noodle Florentine

And in Addition to Tuna and Noodles—

Tuna and noodles take about anything you throw at them. For starters, try—

• Use any “cream of” soup
• Pimentos, chopped onion, or green peppers
• Chopped dill pickle
• Peanuts, cashews or almonds
• Can of chopped tomatoes, cauliflower or broccoli
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Try Swiss cheese or cottage cheese
• Use spaghetti or macaroni instead of noodles

You can put them in the pot on the stove, and not bother with an oven casserole.

Now You Know

• Charlie the Tuna is 48 years old.
• A generation ago Bluefish Tuna was sold for cat food. Today it sells for more than $100 a pound.
• The Bluefish Tuna has been clocked swimming more than 50 mph.