Description
Easy salmon cakes made using pantry/fridge staples. They are perfect for weeknight dinner, yet special enough to serve to guests. This recipe only takes 40 minutes to make! One of my favorite go-to meals!
Ingredients
- Salmon Cakes:
- 3 tablespoon butter, divided
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 12 ounces canned salmon, drained (wild caught and sustainable, if possible)*
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup gluten free break crumbs (I use rice chex cereal and blend them in my food processor until smooth)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (or sub 1 teaspoon dried dill)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Greek Yogurt Horseradish Dip:
- 1 cup plain, fat free Greek yogurt
- 1 to 2 tablespoon horseradish – depending on how strong of a horseradish flavor you like (not the creamy kind, only ingredients should be horseradish, vinegar and salt)
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (or sub 1 teaspoon dried dill)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Saute the veggies: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Saute the onion, celery, and red pepper until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the veggies from the pan into a dish and allow them to cool. (Sometimes I stick them in the freezer for a few minutes to help speed things up).
- Make the salmon cake batter: To a large mixing bowl add the drained canned salmon. Use a fork to break it up slightly. Add the remainder of the ingredients, including the cooled sauteed veggies and stir until well combined.
- Fry the salmon cakes: Heat the same large nonstick skillet over medium high heat that we used to cook the veggies in. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and the oil. Use a 1/4 cup spring loaded ice cream scoop to measure out the cakes, place the cake on the hot pan, then use the back of your spatula to flatten the cake into a pattie shape**. Repeat until you have fit as many cakes on the pan as you can (I can fit 4 at one time). Cook one side for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip and cook about another 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Repeat the cooking process until the batter salmon batter is all used up, you may need to add 1 more tablespoon of butter to the pan if it dries up. If you aren’t going to make them all then you can save the salmon batter in the fridge and fry it up at another time, this works really well.
- Make the Greek Yogurt Horseradish Dip: While salmon cakes are frying up make the dip. To a small mixing bowl add all ingredients, whisk until combined. Taste and adjust as needed.
- Serve: Serve the salmon cakes once done cooking along with the horseradish dip.***
Notes
*I like Wild Planet. You could also try subbing the salmon for canned tuna. Again, I like Wild Planet.
**If you don’t have a spring loaded ice cream scoop that measures to be 1/4 cup then you may want to measure out your salmon patties and form them with your hands before frying them. However a1/4 cup spring loaded ice cream scoopis a good investment to make this recipe go faster. Also very great tool to have in the kitchen ;).
*** I like to serve my salmon cakes with a side of arugula salad. I just toss arugula with a squeeze of lemon juice, a little olive oil, and salt and pepper for a quick dressing. Dress the salad just before serving the salmon cakes. Totally optional but really compliments the richness of the salmon cakes well.
Leftovers: Option 1) Store leftover cakes in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat salmon cakes by frying them up on a nonstick skillet with a little butter, just until they are warmed through. In a pinch you can heat them up in the microwave, but to mantain that crispy outside. Option 2) Any un-cooked salmon patties/batter can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days and then fried according to the directions in the recipe. This is great for meal-prep or getting a head start if serving to guests.
