Delicious Salmon Cakes Recipe - Keeper of the Home (2024)
Real Food | Recipes
ByKeeper of the Home
My salmon cakes have always been a hit with our family, but when a good friend’s daughter had them with us and raved about them to her mom, I knew it was a “must share”. (And now you have the recipe, sweet Reese, so your mommy can make them.)
Even those who don’t care for fish might be happily surprised to find that these don’t taste all that fishy. They are well-seasoned, and frying anything in good fatscan only make them taste even better. As a perk, they’re a particularly inexpensive way to put nourishing seafoods on the table.
The Way We Get More Salmon in Our Diet
This was originally inspired by the Fish Cakes recipe in Nourishing Traditions. That recipe required fresh fish and fish roe, neither of which I have on hand or can afford to buy very often. I wanted to convert this recipe so that I could make it up anytime, as a way to get more fish in our diets.
Using canned foods isn’t a preference for me, and we avoid most canned goods due to BPA exposure from the linings of the cans. I’ve eliminated almost all other canned foods or found BPA-free versions, but fresh and even frozen salmon is expensive, but so incredibly nutritious and beneficial for our health.
Seafoods were one of THE most valued foods among the traditional tribes that Weston Price studied, and wherever he found cultures subsisting heavily on seafoods, he found exceptionally strong bones and robust health. Calcium and other nutrients in the bones, omega-3 fatty acids (including DHA and EPA for children’s growing brains and pregnant/nursing moms), and all the other goodness that resides in wild salmon is just nourishing beyond belief, and so that’s why our family still eats a lot of canned salmon.
2cans salmonwith bones, but drained -- Always choose wild salmon, never farmed. You can use pink salmon, which is cheaper, although my strong preference is for red sockeye salmon.
2free-range eggs
1cupbread crumbsany bread works- homemade wheat, spelt or kamut, gluten free, sourdough, etc.
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to tasteI just add a little- these have quite a bit of flavor already
Instructions
Drain canned salmon, then dump into a medium sized bowl. Using the back of a fork, break salmon apart and crush bones. Mix in eggs, then bread crumbs, and lastly, all of the seasonings.
Preheat a cast-iron pan to medium heat, and add a few pats of butter and some extra virgin olive oil (you can do just one or the other, or even use coconut oil instead, but the mix gives such a great flavor).
You'll have to use your hands to shape these patties as you go to make them. I just put a big dollop in my hands, shape it best as I can, and flatten slightly once in the pan if needed. I don't bother to pre-shape them, but just do it as I go.
Once cooked halfway through and nicely browned (2-3 minutes), flip over and allow to cook all the way (another couple minutes).
Notes
Makes 8-10 cakes, depending on size-- just enough for the 5 eaters in our home when served with other side dishes.
I frequently serve these with sweet potato fries (made similarly to these baked french fries– one of these days I’ll have to post a true tutorial, since they are among my children’s favorite foods), for a very easy dinner. They’re also good alongside any sort of salad– green, broccoli salad, coleslaw, what have you, or even with a plate of raw veggies and dip.
Although they taste wonderful just as they are, they’re also quite tasty with homemade tartar sauce. I don’t have a specific recipe but this is basically how I make mine:
Start with about 1 cup ofmayonnaisein a mason jar (homemade mayois best)
Take 1 good-sized dill pickleand mince it as finely as you can
Add a bit of pickle juice or lemon juice (or a bit of both) into the mayo, along with the minced pickle, and stir it well.
That’s it! Super easy. It tastes best if it has some time to sit, to allow flavors to mix.
Do you eat seafood very often? What are your favorite ways to get fish into your family?
Then you can scoop the cakes and put them on a sheet pan to cool down in the fridge once again. The cooler temperature of the mix will help everything stick together better when the patties are pan-fried, crisping them up nicely.
You can use wheat flour, oat flour or mashed potatoes egg substitute for binder in salmon patties. Replace each egg with 1/3 cup of flour or mashed potato.
Salmon patties can be served as a main course or as an appetizer. Serve with a variety of sides, such as brown rice, crispy potatoes, roasted vegetables, or a side salad. Salmon patties can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Eggs and cracker crumbs will help bind everything together below a drift of spice. Make sure to leave some time to chill the resulting patties in the refrigerator – the cold will help them set up so they don't fall apart in the sauté pan.
Salmon plays well with potatoes, cabbage, salad, rice or noodles. It's great with classics such as cucumbers, onions, lemon, dill and garlic. And fruit! A sauce made with berries, pineapple or mangoes is a delight.
Make sure to grease the pan or use a sheet of parchment paper to prevent the patties from sticking, and you'll have perfect-looking salmon patties every time.
Canned salmon is full of protein, B vitamins, vitamin D and heart-healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, making it an excellent pantry staple. Unlike fresh salmon, canned salmon's “sell by date” is a couple of years, not a couple of days, giving you a healthy option for a last-minute pantry meal.
You can also lessen salmon's strong flavor by soaking it in a milk bath for 20 minutes and then draining it and patting it dry before cooking. The casein in milk binds to the TMA, and when drained away, it takes the culprit that causes fishy odor with it.
Drain a little of the naturally occurring juices (the oily liquid in the can comes solely from the fish itself, there is nothing added but a little salt), then add a little olive oil plus some chopped onion. That really evens the flavor out in a very delicious way.
Once cooked, leftover patties can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. Eat them cold, or warm them up briefly in a skillet over low heat or in the microwave. Salmon patties also freeze well.
Chill the fish cakes in the freezer for about 30 minutes to help them set up so they don't fall apart doing cooking. Heat a skillet with about 1/3 inch of Avacado Oil in it over medium heat and place fish cakes into the hot oil.
Grill salmon flesh side down FIRST, then flip over once.
Place the salmon fillets on the grill flesh side down first (so the skin is facing you). Raw salmon is relatively firm, so starting it off with the flesh facing down is a great way to get some nice grill marks on the salmon without it falling apart.
The egg is crucial. If mix is rather dry (depending on type of potatoes used) I would use 2 eggs. Or just 1 if sloppy mix. As the eggs cook in the fish cakes it binds them together, so they hold their shape.
Introduction: My name is Wyatt Volkman LLD, I am a handsome, rich, comfortable, lively, zealous, graceful, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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