Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Fresh Salmon Cakes – Uncanny

Salmon cakes are one of my go-to, emergency meals. We keep a few cans of salmon in the pantry, and when faced with that dreaded “there’s nothing in the house to eat” situation, we pop one open, and are soon enjoying a batch of these easy, affordable, and pretty delicious patties.

That’s the typical scenario, but every once in a while I like to use fresh salmon. Salmon is one of those products, like chicken, that’s very easy to get into a rut with. People generally find a few recipes that work for them, and just stay with those, but this fairly simple preparation should be easy to add to anyone's rotation.

Like other seafood “cakes,” we want to use the minimum amount of filler. Just a touch of breadcrumb is all you need here, as the raw salmon is the real binder. That’s one of the big advantages over canned salmon cakes, where we’re cooking something that’s already cooked. The result is something much moister, and more tender.

As far as flavorings go, you’re faced with an infinite number of possibilities. Using this basic method, you can go hog-wild with variations, including, but not limited to, actual hog parts. These are also perfect for a burger bun, as well as a base for poached eggs. That may be my favorite use. I hope you give these fresh salmon cakes a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4 salmon cakes:
1 tbsp extra olive oil
1/4 finely minced onion
2 tbsp finely minced red pepper
2 tbsp minced celery
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp capers
1 1/4 pounds fresh wild salmon, trimmed, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (any will work)
2 clove finely minced garlic
pinch cayenne
pinch Old Bay
1 tsp Dijon mustard
additional olive oil for frying

31 comments:

Mike said...

Looks delicious! I will have to try this this weekend. And, unless I missed the joke, you have demoed the remoulade! I've even made it! http://youtu.be/1i4rtgP3B1M

Thanks for the recipe Chef! I will, as always, enjoy! :-)

Matt said...

I have a food wish for you!

I want to see that white melty cheese sauce that mexican restaurants use! The ones around here charge so much for it and wont give the recipe!

Unknown said...

What are some good mayonnaise that you recommend? How do we know if it's real mayonnaise or not like you said? Thank you. And by the way, I love your video Chef John.

edward said...

Thanks chef the patty cakes look awesome! Could I possible make this with any other fish? A white fish? I don't like using farm raised salmon either - but here in the mid-west great tasting wild-caught salmon costs another $20 a pound in truck driver fees and such.
Thanks!

Unknown said...

Hi, if I don't have any mayo, could I replace it with greek yogourt?

Food Junkie said...

That is a gorgeous fish cake. I will have to give this a try. I have always been partial to the canned version as made by my Grandma years ago. This looks good enough to break (at least once) with tradition.

Yardog59 said...

The first thing I thought of was.......Parmesan crusted!!

Sandy said...

Chef John, some of us have no other reasonable grocery store options besides Wally World. I live in an area that's rather "country," and while I love its many charms, I wish I had a better grocery store. Until then, farm raised it is for me. :-(

rancholyn said...

If you were to freeze left overs would you freeze before frying or after? Also, if using canned salmon, any additions to make less dry?
This looks yummy, thanks

Chef John said...

Sorry, I've never tried to freeze, but probably before cooking. Thawing and cooking already cooked food usually doesn't go too well. We have a canned salmon cake video, so check that out. Enjoy!

Dan and Hilary said...

Posting 1,001 like a boss. Can't wait to try this one!

The Calico Cat said...

Couldn't find the canned salmon cakes video, can you share a link?

Unknown said...

I know this has nothing to do with this recipe but I have a ? do you think if I combine your spicy penne pasta recipe with your vodka sauce with bacon and spicy sausage it would turn out good looks like almost the same recipe just want to do it with vodka in place of the white wine plus bacon and hot sausage

Josh said...

You know I've never had fresh salmon patties. Yeah, we call them patties. Anyway, never had fresh I've always used canned. Also, I usually put a bit of lemon juice and dill weed in there too and I use eggs not mayo. I can see where that would add extra moisture too. Going to have to try your recipe. Thanks.

Chef John said...

old salmon cakes http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2008/12/theres-nothing-in-house-salmon-cakes.html

Chef John said...

Joe, sounds good to me!

Days2Dream said...

These are delicious. Used frozen salmon on sale and these turned out SO moist and flavorful. I ended up cooking a teeny bit longer just to get the internal temp to 140 degrees. I also added the juice of a small lemon to the mix as well as some lemon zest. Absolutely will be making these time and time again.

rancholyn said...

Delicious! I served over your corn recipe from canned salmon, totally yummy. I cut recipe in 1/2 so I didn't have to freeze leftovers as per your suggestion of not freezing!

Even my non foodie husband raved....

Wild salmon was on sale...good timing..thanks

Unknown said...

I just made restaurant quality salmon cakes in my kitchen. Thanks for this recipe, it is delicious. I served it with a tomato salad (per your suggestion) and mashed potatoes. My wife hasn't really appreciated some of my other seafood cake experiments (experiment is a euphemism for disaster), but she was very complimentary of this one. You are the only food blogger that I regularly follow. Please continue.

internal_insomniac said...

Cannot wait to try this!

S/V Blondie-Dog said...

YiKeS! Sorry to say chef, but it almost seems criminal to me to see dat' fine filet of salmon get minced up as if it were a burger. In any event me thinks dat' the canned salmon purchased at da' Dollar Store be jest' fine fer' folks like me on a budget. I gots' to go now cuz' I be a goin' fishing today fer' sum' square grouper. Wish me luck! Thanks! Your're da' best!

Adam said...

Delicious. I'm really big fan of salmon and these salmon cakes were pretty good.

mOnO said...

What do you think about baking them instead?

BBTGoss said...

Hi Chef! You say to chill these in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Any reason you can't make these the night before and leave them fridge about 22 hours for the next day? Or maybe the morning of - about 9 hours before?

Big fan! Your channel helped me fool my girlfriend into thinking I could cook, and now she loves your recipes too! Do you ever do events in SF? We'd love to pay money to enjoy your cheesy jokes and/or cooking instruction.

Unknown said...

my patties fell apart i don't know what i did wrong! as i was cooking

Gretchen said...

We recently got a Costco here in New Orleans (yay!) and they sell frozen wild-caught salmon. I've read a lot lately about using farm-raised salmon, much of it not very pleasant. So, do you think it's better to use frozen wild-caught or fresh farm-raised, for this recipe or just in general

Toklineman said...

I made the salmon cakes last night for GF and me, and they were delicious, even though I used farmed Atlantic salmon. This was a trial run: we have friends coming for a birthday next month, and I'll make the full batch for them, and yes, I'll use Pacific salmon (I grew up eating locally in the Puget Sound area).

Sandra Teasley said...

Chef John,
I just want to thank you for this delicious fresh salmon cake recipe! It is one of out favorites. I like to serve it with a little Bearnaise sauce on the side! Absolutely fabulous!

Sandra Teasley said...

Chef John,
I just wanted to thank you for this most delicious recipe for fresh salmon cakes. It is one of our favorites. I like to serve it with a little Bearnaise sauce on the side. Absolutely fabulous!

Unknown said...

Farm salmon is sustainable. However, I usually buy the one that's on sale (also the freshest!). I will try this recipe, it should be better than the elementary school lunch version I had 50 years ago which turned me off salmon cakes until now.

Unknown said...

These are a big favorite in our house! And the best part: they freeze really well!! I'll double the recipe and make a ton of these cakes, wrap each one up and freeze for those nights when you have no menu planned. They thaw and cook just fine! My 10 month old son LOVES these too!