It is the season when fresh fish automatically increases in price, it’s the Lenten season when many Christians refrain from eating meat at least once per week, I don’t see how that warrants an increase in price but we can’t stress over what we cannot change.

So let us turn our attention to canned fish, which is actually not bad nutritionally. We do consume lots of canned tuna, and many brands are on sale at the moment at the supermarket.

Canned salmon and tuna can be very efficient economically, one tin of tuna can be turned into a delicious tuna noodle casserole for 4-6 persons, or the same in salmon can be made into delightful salmon and corn cakes for six people, as well as it can become the filling in some delightful salmon turnovers.

Why not become a little bit adventurous this week, make some magic in your kitchens and embrace canned fish once again.

Tuna noodle casserole

• ¾ cup uncooked macaroni elbows
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 small bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• ¼ cup chopped celery
• 1 10-oz tin cream of mushroom soup
• ½ cup milk
• 1 6-oz tin chunk tuna, in water, drained
• ½ cup milk
• 1 cup frozen green peas or any mixed veg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Boil macaroni in enough salted water, drain and set aside. Combine breadcrumbs with ½ cup cheese. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil, until fragrant, add peppers and sauté for a couple of minutes, add soup, milk, macaroni, tuna, half cup of cheese, and peas, stir to combine. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Pour into a greased one-quart casserole dish and top with cheese and breadcrumb mixture. Bake for about 25 minutes until top is brown.

Salmon and corn cakes

• 1 7 ½-oz tin pink salmon, drained and skin removed
• ½ cup whole kernel corn
• ½ cup chopped chives
• 2 tbs fresh French thyme
• 2 tbs chopped parsley
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 medium-sized potato, peeled and boiled
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste vegetable oil for frying

Drain salmon and flake, remove skin. Combine salmon with corn, chives, thyme, parsley, red pepper, garlic, and lime juice. Mash potato and add to salmon mixture, combine well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shape salmon into patties about 2 inches in diameter. Pour about quarter cup of oil into a medium-sized frying pan, and shallow-fry patties until golden on both sides. Drain.

Makes 6

Caribbean tuna and pasta toss with fresh herbs

• 4 cups penne pasta or any short pasta, boiled and drained
• 4 tbs olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic
• ½ cup chopped chives
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 6-oz tin chunk tuna in water, drained
• 1 tsp g