Salmon Patties

Back in September, my Mister and I bought a rather large amount of fresh salmon at a very reasonable price. We froze some of it in fillets and roasts, and canned the rest, to be enjoyed throughout the winter.

Not to say that fresh salmon isn't welcome, but there's just something about having a salmon meal in the dead of winter, when it's not fishing season, that just tickles me to death. It almost feels like we're getting away with something.

That appeals to the rebel in me. Or, actually the wanna-be rebel in me.

One of our favorite meals are these salmon patties. I found the original recipe in a cookbook called, "Whole Foods for the Whole Family", by the La Leche league. (In case you don't know who they are, they are the breastfeeding experts.) Over the years, this recipe has been tweaked several times, but it has stayed pretty close to the original.

Like I said, a wanna-be rebel.

When making these, I always double the recipe so that we can enjoy salmon burgers for lunch the following day. With some homemade tartar sauce, this is one of those comfort meals that always finds its way onto our table several times a month.

Salmon Patties with Homemade Tartar Sauce

~The Players~

1 lb. canned salmon with liquid (1 pint home-canned or the equivalent of store-bought)

1/3 C. whole wheat flour (use fresh-ground if you can)

1/4 C. cornmeal (again, fresh ground is best)

1/4 C raw wheat germ

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 large onion, chopped (sweet is best, but yellow is fine too.)

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (You can use green, yellow or orange if you prefer.)

Zest and juice from 1 large lemon (I used Meyer lemons)

1 t. sea salt

1/4 t. fresh ground pepper

oil for browning (I used Red Palm oil, but expeller pressed coconut oil works too.)

Dump the salmon into a large bowl, using a fork to break apart. Don't worry if there are bones in there, they are soft and break into the mixture well. You won't even know that they are there.

Add the whole wheat flour, cornmeal, wheat germ, salt, and pepper. Slightly mix in.

In a separate, small bowl, lightly beat eggs.

But first marvel at the ridiculous size of eggs that some of your chickens might be laying. You may want to congratulate them.





Into the salmon mixture, mix in the eggs, lemon zest and juice; stir well. Add in in the onions and peppers.

You mixture should look something like this.

Unless you used green, yellow or orange peppers.

In a large cast iron pan, heat oil until very hot, but not smoking. You only want about 1/4 inch of oil in the pan, anymore than that and we'll have to rename the art of frying to the art of swimming.

I get my Red Palm oil here, but you can find it at most whole food/health stores.



Don't be alarmed ,Red Palm oil is supposed to be...well, red!



Make patties in the palm of your hand, and using a pancake turner, very carefully place in the hot oil. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip over (again, very carefully!) and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes more. Remove cooked patties from oil and place on paper towels to drain.

Serve with Homemade Tartar Sauce! (Recipe follows)

Kim's Tartar Sauce

1-1/2 C. mayonnaise (The best that you can buy or make)

1 large dill pickle, chopped

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1/2 t. dry mustard

1 t. dried parsley

1/8 t. paprika

1/2-1 t. fresh-squeezed lemon juice (to taste)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Serve with Salmon Patties, homemade fish & chips, or your favorite seafood.

Enjoy!

This post is linked to Fight Back Fridays over at the Food Renegade!