Salmon cakes are a delightful way to incorporate healthy and delicious salmon into a hearty appetizer or meal. You can easily find quality canned salmon in your market, or in my case you can use leftover smoked salmon.
Smoked Salmon
There is nothing better than smoked salmon. You need very few ingredients to get a flavorful and juicy piece of smoked fish. I went with a light salt and brown sugar coating.
Smoking time varies by the size of the filet, but generally doesn’t take too long.
Once you are done you have a delicious and healthy lean meat that can be used in a variety of ways.
You can start with a tasty piece of salmon steak and a side of healthy roasted or stemmed vegetables.
Or as a perfect addition to a fresh Caesar salad.
And last but not least, my favorite, salmon cakes.
Start with a large bowl and combine your chopped onion, egg, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, dill and Worcestershire sauce. Mix in 1 cup of your breadcrumbs and carefully fold in your smoked salmon, allowing some of the large chunks to stay intact.
Shape into four 3 inch patties. Then taking the remaining breadcrumbs, lightly cover the outside of the patties.
Heat 1 tsp of butter and 1 tsp of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Fry two of your patties for about 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown and crispy. Reduce the heat if your cakes begin to brown too quickly. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the remaining two patties.
Allow to cool and serve with a sauce or aioli of your choice.
I decided to go with a store bought Lemon Pepper Aioli that was absolutely delicious. There are varieties of this that also include dill that would be fantastic as well. Or whip up your own tasty sauce with whatever sounds good to you.
Make Your Salmon Cakes in Advance
The salmon patties can be cooked several hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Once you are ready to serve simply place the patties in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or until the patties have a crispy exterior and warm interior.
Freeze Your Salmon Cakes for Later
Cooked salmon cakes can be prepared and frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to cool and then place on a lined baking sheet covered with plastic wrap. Freeze the cooked patties in a single layer for 1-2 hours. Then wrap each patties individually in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe bag until you are ready. At that point thaw in the refrigerator and reheat in your oven or microwave.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 tbsp dill finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ cup smoked salmon broken into chunks
- 1 ¾ cup unflavored bread crumbs
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine your chopped onion, egg, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, dill and Worcestershire sauce. Mix in 1 cup of your breadcrumbs and carefully fold in your smoked salmon, allowing some of the large chunks to stay intact. Shape into four 3 inch patties. Then taking the remaining breadcrumbs, lightly cover the outside of the patties.
- Heat 1 tsp of butter and 1 tsp of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Fry two of your patties for about 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown and crispy. Reduce the heat if your cakes begin to brown too quickly. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the remaining two patties.
- Allow to cool and serve with a sauce or aioli of your choice.