Salmon Cakes Recipe
Salmon Cakes are high-end, tasty, and even a bit unique when compared to the crab cake - their omnipresent cousin. But these pack a whole lot more than a distinguished level of class and flavor.
Our star ingredient of freshly ground salmon seamlessly melds with high-quality supporting actors to create something healthy, out-of-the-ordinary, and utterly delicious. In fact, we fully support your Instagram posts of the finished product! We don't doubt your work will be "worthy of the 'Gram".
Ingredients:
We're going to level with ya. There IS absolutely a time and a place for budget ingredients... but this ain't it. 😉
While there's no need to go completely wild with spendy ingredients (worry not - there's no edible gold leaf on this shopping list), we strongly encourage you to seek out items of high quality. Go wild-caught with the unfrozen salmon. Go organic and fresh with the veggies. Opt for a mayo that's found in a fancy jar...
You get the picture, right? Right.
Now, let's get shopping!
- 1/2 Pound of Fresh Salmon Filets
- High-Quality EVOO (Any of these will do nicely!)
- Kosher Salt & Ground Pepper (Freshly ground, preferably)
- 4 Tbs of Unsalted Butter
- 3/4 of a Cup of Red Onion (This equates to about a single, small onion)
- 1 & 1/2 Cups of Small-Diced Celery (Roughly 4 stalks)
- 1/2 Cup Small-Diced Red Pepper (About 1 pepper)
- 1/2 Cup Small-Diced Yellow Pepper (About 1 pepper)
- 1/4 Cup Minced Parsley (Fresh and flat-leaf, please)
- 1 Tbs of Capers (Drain 'em!)
- 1/4 Tsp of Hot Sauce (Here's where you can put your own spin on things! But Tabasco is a perfectly acceptable starting point)
- 1/2 Tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 & 1/2 Tsp of Crab Boil Seasoning (Old Bay will do just fine)
- 3 Slices of Stale Bread (We're aiming for dry! Remove the crusts, too)
- 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise (Err on the side of "fancy" here)
- 2 Tsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 Extra-Large Eggs (Lightly beaten)
Who's ready for the fun part? Time to create some salmon-based magic!
Instructions:
Act 1 - Preheated is Prepared:
Get that oven preheated to a toasty (but not too ripping hot) 350 degrees F.
Act 2 - Salmon Bake:
With the skin side down, place the fresh salmon filets on a baking sheet pan. Brush the salmon with olive oil and dust with salt & pepper.
Roast for 15-20 minutes. Once juuuust cooked, remove the baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil, and let 'em rest for about 10 min. Next, refrigerate.
Act 3 - It's Time to Shine, Supporting Players:
In a large sauté pan, place: 2 tbs butter, 2 tbs EVOO, onion, celery, red / yellow peppers, capers, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, crab boil seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.
Cook this heavenly mixture for about 15-20 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring somewhat regularly. The veggies should be cooked to the point of being soft.
Then, let the mix cool to room temp.
Act 4 - Get That Bread:
Grab your bread and grab a food processor. To help the food processor along, manually break down the stale bread.
Blitz that bread in the food processor until you have about 1 cup of bread crumbs.
Spread the bread crumbs on a pan sheet, and toast in that 350-degree oven until lightly browned. This will take around 5 minutes, but make sure you toss the bread crumbs occasionally! No sense in allowing an uneven toasting here.
Act 5 - Craft the Cakes:
Gently flake the cooked & cooled salmon apart into a large mixing bowl. Add the mayo, Dijon mustard, bread crumbs, lightly beaten eggs, and sautéed veggies.
Mix all of the above well! (Hey, don't be afraid to use your hands for the mixing. They're the best precision mixer money can't buy.)
Cover the bowl, and let chill in the fridge for a while. 30 or so minutes in the refrigerator will cool things down and prepare the mix to be shaped into cakes.
Once the mix is at optimal "cake-making" temp after a half-hour in the fridge, craft 10 cakes. This comes out to each cake being 2.5-3oz in size.
Act 6 - Fry & Serve:
Grab that sauté pan once more, and dial up the heat to medium. Heat 2 tbs of butter and another 2 tbs of olive oil in the pan.
Since you're looking at 10 salmon cakes, you'll want to execute the next steps in batches - perhaps, 2-6 cakes / batch (depending on your pan's size).
Fry each salmon cake for 3-4 minutes on each side. You'll want each side to be nice & golden brown.
Once cooked, briefly introduce each cake to a paper towel wrap to drain some of the excess liquid.
Finally, knock your oven down to a "maintenance temp" of 250 degrees F, and place the waiting-to-be-served cakes in. This will keep them warm and ready for serving.
Serve these delectable cakes warm and with a tasty side of your choosing!
Looking for a flavorful accompaniment to your salmon cakes? Allow us to suggest any of the wonderful sides & salads found here.