When we were first married, a meal of salmon cakes was a staple at the Brewer house. We were on a limited budget to say the least, and salmon cakes were inexpensive, easy to cook and just plain good. We still cook salmon cakes made from canned salmon on occasion, but last week I decided to use fresh salmon instead of canned. It was also delicious.
Here’s how.
It was just me and Nancy, so I bought a one-pound salmon filet. I seasoned it with salt and pepper, and a splash of olive oil and cooked it in a 350 oven for about 12 minutes.
While the salmon was cooling, I sautéed ¼ C finely diced onions, 1 minced garlic clove and 1/3 cup of minced celery until the onions were translucent. Next, I added 1 tablespoon of capers and cooked another few minutes.
By now, the salmon was cool enough to separate into small pieces. With the pulled salmon, I mixed ¼ cup mayo, ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, a splash of Old Bay seasoning and the onion mixture. Before forming the patties, however, I put the bowl in the fridge for about an hour. When cool and firm, I shaped about 4 patties of the salmon mixture and cooked them about four minutes on each side in 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
They were excellent, but, you know, I still enjoy salmon cakes from canned salmon.
Fresh Salmon Cakes (for 2)
1 pound salmon fillet
S & P to taste
2 T olive oil divided
¼ C diced onion
1 clove minced garlic
1/3 C minced celery
1 T capers
¼ C mayo
¼ C Panko crumbs
1 t Dijon mustard
1 t Old Bay Seasoning
1 T unsalted butter
