Salmon Patties

Salmon Patties

A few weeks ago I made an old timey meal – salmon patties. Usually I make tuna patties, but this time I used Trader Joe's salt-free canned salmon and was pleasantly surprised. No bones or skin to deal with. Also, the canned salmon was a lot moister than canned tuna, an added bonus.

Trader Joe's NSA Salmon
Skinless, Boneless, & NSA
60 mg sodium / 2 oz

It all came together quickly and was super easy to prepare. I seasoned the salmon mixture with The Spice House’s salt-free Cajun blend along with a bit of onion and garlic. I also added one packet of True Lemon for an extra flavor punch and a couple of tablespoons of mayo for extra moisture. The end result was quite tasty even with all the low sodium ingredients.

Instead of frying the patties, I baked them. I didn’t coat them with crumbs, but that might add a nice crunch whether baked or fried. If desired, the patties could be dredged in flour before frying.

This is a dish my husband really likes. Now that I’ve got a good source for NSA canned salmon, I’ll make it more often. It can be served with homemade tartar sauce or your favorite dipping sauce. Or, if you want something fancier, I’ve served tuna patties with avgolemeno sauce (sort of a Greek hollandaise sauce). The lemony tang of avgolemeno pairs really well with fish. (Click HERE for the sauce recipe.)

The leftover patties are also delicious cold with a dip on the side. I think they’d be fine in a sandwich too. My only suggestion for a sandwich would be to flatten them out more.

The salmon cake recipe is from a former member of GardenWeb’s Cooking Forum. I've been using it for quite a while now, but mainly with low sodium canned tuna. I used salmon this time because I wanted to try out the TJ salt-free canned salmon.

Baked Salmon Patties with Homemade Tartar Sauce

Salmon Cakes w/ Dill Sauce

Adapted from Diana55

(Printable Recipe)

Salmon Cakes: (Makes 6 -8 patties)

2 6 oz-cans of salmon

2 eggs

¼ cup dry low sodium bread crumbs (I use homemade)

¼ cup NSA dry potato flakes

2 Tbs. - ¼ cup onion, finely chopped

1 - 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

½ tsp. dill or favorite spice blend (I alternate between using dill weed or a salt-free Cajun spice blend)

¼ tsp. celery seed

Enough olive oil to coat pan

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

(I also add some lemon juice and about 2 Tbs. mayo)

Dill Sauce: (or use your favorite tartar sauce/dip recipe)

½ tsp. lemon juice

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

2 Tbs. mayonnaise

¾ tsp. dill

1½ Tbs. buttermilk, milk, or yogurt

For the patties:

Beat the eggs and set aside. Mince the garlic and the onion. Shred the salmon into a large mixing bowl. (Remove skin and bones, if present) Mix in eggs, garlic, onion, bread crumbs, potato flakes, dill/spice blend, and celery seed. Mix well. Let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes so the liquid is absorbed equally throughout. Form the mixture into 6 -8 equal sized balls. Press balls into a cake shape. The cakes will be fragile so be careful with them.

Coat a pan with olive oil. Cook the cakes for 5 minutes on each side over medium heat. Be careful when flipping them. If desired, coat the patties with flour or crumbs before frying. If using a coating, add a bit more oil to the pan.

(I have never tried frying them. Instead, I lightly coat both sides of each salmon cake with cooking spray and bake in a 375 oven for 8-10 minutes per side.)

For the dill sauce:

While the cakes are cooking, mix the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, dill, and buttermilk/milk/yogurt to form the sauce.