Salmon Cakes

Mmm Mmm Mmm!!!

About 7 months ago, I made some crab cakes that turned out phenomenal. These salmon cakes are right up there! These were terrific! (That red sauce you see on the plate in the 2nd photo is Sriracha sauce - my husband puts that stuff on everything!)

Honestly, it was a week and a half since I made these, so I'm having a little trouble remembering how the cooking process was for these. The last few weeks seem to have run all together for me! I did do some of the prep beforehand so that there wouldn't be as much to do when it came time to fix dinner. That helped a lot. I'm not the fastest person in the world when it comes to prep work, such as chopping, dicing, etc, so getting some of that done beforehand cut my time in the kitchen at dinnertime down significantly.

One thing I did differently from the recipe posted below is that instead of using a fresh salmon filet and going through the whole baking process, I just bought canned salmon. That really simplified the recipe, and it was still delicious! I also just used some packaged bread crumbs instead of processing loaf bread and toasting it in the oven, which also cut down on the time.

There was so much flavor in these salmon cakes! They were absolutely delicious, and definitely something I'll be making again. You don't want to miss out on this recipe! Give it a try!

Salmon Cakes

Prep time: 30 minutes  Inactive: 1 hr  Cook time: 50 minutes

Yield: 5 servings

1/2 pound fresh salmon
good olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)
1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp capers, drained
1/4 tsp hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
3 slices stale bread, crusts removed
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Place the salmon on a sheet pan, skin side down. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until just cooked. Remove from the oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and refrigerate until cold.
3. Meanwhile, place 2 tbsp of the butter, 2 tbsp olive oil, the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
4. Break the bread slices in pieces and process the bread in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. You should have about 1 cup of bread crumbs. Place the bread crumbs on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes until lightly browned, tossing occasionally.
5. Flake the chilled salmon into a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. Add the vegetable mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into 10 cakes.
6. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. In batches, add the salmon cakes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a preheated 250°F oven and serve hot.