This is a pretty quick meal. It can definitely be prepared in under 30 minutes. Take that Rachael Ray :-)
What we are working with
Salmon in a pouch. I prefer the pouched salmon, but you can use canned if you want. Or is you are an over achiever you can even baked some fresh salmon. Whichever salmon you use, just make sure it is skinless and boneless.
And from my CSA farm basket... a big sweet potato, giant carrot, huge scallion, baby spinach, and a fresh from the farm egg.
Finish the list off with some panko bread crumbs (the sodium in panko is next to nothing), seafood seasoning, and dried dill.
First things first...
Peel, chop, and boil the sweet potato until they are just soft enough to mash with a fork.
Chop, mince, shred...
True story...I am not a big fan of veggies, so I like to hide them in my food whenever possible. Carrots are my least favorite veggie, second only to gross, yucky celery. You will notice that carrots will almost always be shredded into my cooking and celery will never even touch my cutting board. So, yeah... I shredded the carrots, minced the scallions, and chopped up the spinach.
Mash Up!
No need to break out the your potato masher/ricer or a mixer. I just crudely chopped at them with my spoon before adding in the rest of the ingredients.
Mix Up!
Ready for my über technical measurements, huh? Throw your salmon and veggies in the bowl with the potatoes. Crack an egg into the mix.
I personally crack my egg straight into the big bowl, but if you worry about getting shells in your food feel free to crack em into a small bowl first so you can fish out any shelled invaders. What can I say? I like living on the wild side of the kitchen :-)
Gage your spices to your taste. I probably used a little over a tablespoon of dill and 1.5 tablespoons of seafood seasoning. I was keeping it fairly mild because of my little man, but if I was not cooking for a toddler, I would have probably doubled the spices. I used three big handfuls of the panko crumbs, stirring them in after each handful to make sure my mixture wasn't getting to dry.
Patty-cake, patty-cake
Form the mixture into patties. I made mine about the size of my palm and was able to get 9 patties out of the batch.
Oil the pan
I love coconut oil. It is better for you than vegetable oils and I think it makes most foods taste better. The coconut flavor is very mild and barely noticeable in the finished product. I consider it my secret ingredient. People often ask what the subtle mystery flavor is, but they never guess it is coconut. You can use whatever oil you prefer, but don't be afraid to give coconut a go.
I used about 3 tablespoons of oil, enough to give a good coat of oil to the bottom of my pan.
Patty-cake... Oops, I already used that one...
Cook the salmon cakes over medium heat until they are nicely browned. I dare you not to eat the first one that you finish. Another perk of a toddler is that they are ALWAYS hungry, so I always have an excuse to "help" him taste test our food :-)
Stick it on a bun and you're done
Yes, that is a hot dog bun, so I had to cut the salmon cake in half. We had brats the other night and I am a firm believer in using the buns God gave you. JK... My husband's friend, George, gave them to us on brat night. Layer the cake up with some lettuce and tartar sauce. They tasted great. It was like eating a salmon cake hoagie.
P.S. That lovely red leaf lettuce is from my CSA basket as well.
Serve it up RIGHT!
I paired our salmon cake hoagies with a side of sauteed cabbage and some sliced pickles.
My husband gave this meal two big thumbs up and little man only dropped a piece or two on the floor, which is like a rave review from him :-)
I made these for dinner tonight. They are delicious!
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