Griddled Salmon Cakes
Grandma Hilda, the “Chef” in our family, frequently made these salmon cakes, in the style of Maryland crab cakes. It’s mostly salmon with very little filler, which makes these always disappear fast. These cakes were well loved by all the kids in our family. They don’t even need sauce—a generous squeeze of lemon does the trick for these fantastic little fish cakes.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons good-quality mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning (or chili seasoning)
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ¼ cup onion, peeled, diced fine
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
- 1 pound cooked salmon, chilled
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking
- 2 teaspoons butter, for cooking
- A few lemons, cut into wedges
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, start by whisking the egg with the mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce. Mix in all the seasonings, onion, garlic and parsley.
- Flake the cooked salmon with a fork, remove any bones, and add to the bowl along with 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Gently fold the mixture together until just combined.
- Shape into 12 small patties (or 6 medium). I find it’s easiest to portion the patties using a large ice cream scoop and then form into ½- to 1-inch-thick patties. Place the remaining breadcrumbs onto a shallow dish and roll the cakes to coat the outside of each portion. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
TO COOK
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon butter in a large pan over medium heat. Once the butter is done sizzling, add half of the salmon cakes and sauté about 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. If the cakes start to brown too quickly, reduce the heat. Remove onto a paper-towellined plate. Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon butter to the pan and repeat with the remaining salmon cakes. Serve warm with fresh lemon.
Notes
EDITOR’S NOTE For whatever reason, we had a hard time finding Old Bay Seasoning when we tested this recipe so we did some research and created our Wannabe recipe as a stand-in.
CHEF’S NOTE Freshly cooked salmon is best, but left over cooked or canned salmon can be substituted. If the mixture is too moist to hold the shape, add more breadcrumbs; if it’s too dry, add an extra tablespoon of mayo.
