Salmon Cakes

Cuisine: American

Inspiration: With warm weather finally here, I’ve really been craving a lot of seafood. As soon as summer hits, I think I’d be happy with lighter seafood and vegetable meals nearly every day. I had some fresh salmon out for supper last night, but none of the recipes that I could think of were really grabbing onto me. I finally thought of using my crab cake recipe as a base to make salmon cakes instead, and I’m so glad that I did. I ordered some shrimp and salmon cakes at a local Irish restaurant recently and loved them, and as it turned out, I loved these just as much.

What we Loved: Both B and I really enjoyed everything about this dinner. I adore things like crab cakes, vegetable fritters, mashed potato cakes, etc., so I was really hopeful that this recipe would turn out great, and it did. The salmon cakes have a really soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture, and they were packed with flavor, which was the best part. I used plenty of green onions and spices in the recipe, and I also added in a few tablespoons of Trader Joe’s roasted red pepper spread for some extra flavor. If there had been any eggs in my house, I would have breaded these, but instead, I just sauteed them in olive oil. As it turned out, I was really glad that I didn’t bread them. The cakes got nice and crispy brown, which added another great layer of flavor, and I loved the pink color. I sprinkled some Kosher salt on top of the cakes before serving, which I thought added the perfect final touch. It tasted great to eat a bite of the soft cake with a sprinkling of crunchy salt.

Helpful Hints: The only problem that I had with these salmon cakes is that they didn’t hold together as well as I would have liked while I was cooking. They were very fragile, and I had to be careful not to break them when flipping. To correct this, I would make sure to put the salmon cakes in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking, which will allow them to hold together more easily. I always do this when I make crab cakes, but I skipped the step this time because I was hungry. I would definitely recommend making sure to allow for extra time to refrigerate.

Similar Recipes: crab cakes, white bean fritters

Salmon Cakes
Source: Original recipe, inspired from this crab cake recipe

2 salmon filets
Extra virgin olive oil, for sauteeing
2 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons 0% Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons bread crumbs (I used Italian-seasoned)
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 tablespoons Trader Joe’s roasted red pepper spread, or something similar (you can also use finely diced or pureed roasted red pepper)
Kosher salt and black pepper
Dried or fresh dill

1. Add a drizzle of olive oil to a saute pan, and heat over medium heat. Add the salmon filets, and cook for approximately 5 minutes on each side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Put the cooked filets in a shallow bowl or on a plate, and shred with two forks.

2. In a shallow bowl, combine the green onions, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and roasted red pepper spread. Season as desired with Kosher salt, pepper, and dill. Add the cooked salmon, and mix well to combine.

3. Using your hands, form the salmon mixture into patties (it will make 7-8 small cakes), and place them in a baking dish. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

4. Add a drizzle of olive oil to a saute pan, and heat over medium heat. Add the salmon cakes, and cook for approximately 3-5 minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and serve.

Salmon Fish Sticks with Pesto Dipping Sauce

 

When I first ran across this recipe a couple of weeks ago while searching for new salmon recipes, I knew that I wanted to try it soon. Certain recipes seem so unique and interesting to me that they stick in the back of my mind until I give them a try, and this was one of those recipes. I never would have thought to use salmon to make homemade fish sticks, and I was really curious how they would turn out. I ended up being really pleased with the recipe. The breading stuck to the fish really well and turned out very crispy, and the salmon was such an interesting flavor in contrast to the flavor of white fish, which is normally used for fish sticks. The original recipe (from Giada, one of my favorite recipe sources!) called for a mayonnaise-based dipping sauce, but I can’t think of a single food that I despise more than mayonnaise. So, I thought for a while about what sauce I’d like to use, knowing that traditional fish stick sauces like ketchup, etc. just wouldn’t work. I ended up mixing up a quick pesto dipping sauce using homemade pesto and Greek yogurt, and it was delicious. Actually, I think that it was my favorite part of the meal. It tasted just like a creamy pesto, which is basically what it was. All together, the fish sticks and the sauce made for a great Italian-themed meal served alongside a tomato and artichoke panzanella salad.

Salmon Fish Sticks with Pesto Dipping Sauce
Source for the fish sticks: Giada de Laurentiis
Source for the dipping sauce: Original recipe (if you can call it a recipe….)

1 salmon filet, about 9 inches by 4 inches, skinned
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 egg whites
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Extra virgin olive oil
1 container fat-free Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons pesto

1. Rinse the salmon and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut the salmon in half, and then slice it into pieces approximately 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inches in size. Try to keep all of the fish sticks the same size, or the smaller ones will burn in the oven.

2. Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix to combine. Place the egg whites in a second bowl, and place the cheese and breadcrumbs in a third bowl, mixing again to combine.

3. Dip each piece of salmon in the flour mixture, then in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumb mixture. Place the breaded fish sticks on a greased cookie sheet.

4. Drizzle all of the breaded fish sticks with extra virgin olive oil. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven until cooked through. The original recipe called for 15-20 minutes, but in my annoyingly too-hot oven, I cooked the fish sticks for about 9 minutes, and I still burned some and the fish was definitely overcooked. So, keep a close eye on these!

5. While the fish is cooking, mix the container of Greek yogurt with two tablespoons of pesto. Serve the pesto dipping sauce alongside the fish sticks.

Seasoned Salmon with Dill

This is a very simple way to cook salmon, and it’s one of my favorite ways to eat it. Just throw it in the oven with some seasoning, some dill, and a pat of butter, and that’s all there is to it. I much prefer this meal when B grills it nice and charred in the summertime, but during the winter, throwing it in the oven to bake is really good, too. I’m normally not the biggest fan of dill, so I don’t use it often, but there are a few foods that I think it pairs really well with, and salmon is one of them. The flavor of the fish just goes so well with the freshness of the dill. I served this fish with some sauteed broccoli and some couscous mixed with toasted pine nuts, garlic, and feta cheese. A very simple and healthy meal, which is sometimes the best kind.

Seasoned Salmon with Dill
Source: B’s mom

2 salmon filets
Black pepper
Onion powder
4-6 sprigs of dill, stems removed
1 tablespoon butter

1. Season both sides of the salmon with black pepper and onion powder.

2. Place the salmon in a greased baking dish and sprinkle each filet with dill.

3. Top the filets with a couple pats of butter (I used about one tablespoon in total) and cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish flakes with a fork.

Phyllo-Wrapped Salmon and Goat Cheese with Balsamic Reduction

This recipe was fantastic. I think it’s now my all-time favorite salmon recipe. The fish is seasoned with salt and pepper, topped with goat cheese, and wrapped in phyllo dough, and the end result is amazing. The phyllo dough is crispy and a little buttery, and the fish and cheese inside stays super hot the whole meal through, with a great creamy texture from the cheese. I thought that this might go well with a balsamic vinegar reduction, and I’m so glad that I added this to the meal. It added a sweet, syrupy contrast to the flavors of the salmon and cheese, and it was so good to dip each bite of the flaky phyllo dough into a little of the vinegar. I will be making this often.

Phyllo-Wrapped Salmon and Goat Cheese with Balsamic Reduction
Source: Adapted from Bella Lately

2 salmon filets
4 tablespoons goat cheese
12 sheets phyllo dough
2 tablespoons melted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Lay the first sheet of phyllo down on your work surface and brush sparingly with melted butter. Repeat until you have 6 sheets layered on top of each other.

3. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place at an angle, pretty far into the phyllo so that the edges will close over the fish easily. Top the salmon with approximately two tablespoons of goat cheese. Bring the corner of the phyllo dough up on top of the fish and fold in the sides, wrapping the salmon like you would fold a burrito. When the salmon is wrapped, brush the top of the phyllo dough with more butter.

4. Repeat the process for the next salmon filet.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 35 minutes or until golden brown.

6. While the salmon is cooking, pour the balsamic vinegar into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the vinegar reduces and has thickened, approximately 5-10 minutes. Take the vinegar off of the heat, and it will thicken more as it cools.

7. Serve the salmon drizzled with the balsamic reduction.

Grilled Salmon with Puff Pastry

This is one of B’s favorite dinners. And it’s a great summer meal. Tonight, B grilled the salmon and I poured the crushed almonds over the top, rather than cooking both in the oven. I have to say that this was the best version we’ve had…the grilled flavor of the fish made the dish so much better. Mmm.

 

Salmon with Puff Pastry
Source: Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis

Here’s the recipe adjusted to how we made it:

2 pieces of puff pastry, each cut to be slightly smaller than the pieces of salmon
2 (4 to 6-ounce) pieces of salmon
2 T pesto (recipe follows)
4-6 slices of tomato
A handful of chopped almonds
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place the 2 pieces of puff pastry on a foil-lined baking sheet that has been brushed with extra virgin olive oil. Cook for ten minutes. Meanwhile, brush the salmon with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the salmon for 8-10 minutes.

3. To serve, place each piece of puff pastry on a plate. Top each puff pastry with 1 tablespoon of pesto, and top the pesto with 2 slices of tomatoes. Top the tomatoes with the salmon and sprinkle with chopped almonds.

Pesto
Source: Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Italian Recipes
*Makes about 3/4 cup
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
Salt and pepper

1. In a food processor or a blender, combine all of the ingredients. Cover and process or blend until nearly smooth, stopping and scraping the sides as necessary. If necessary, add additional olive oil to thin the pesto.

*I freeze the extra pesto in tablespoon portions in an ice cube tray. When the pesto is frozen, I transfer it to plastic baggies, leaving me with 1 tablespoon portions to use when I need them.