Getting enough protein has been a struggle for me this entire pregnancy. Typically, I rely on a large variety of seafood to help me reach my protein goals, but fish just hasn’t been sounding good to me during these last 9 months. Last night, I had the thought that perhaps if I could disguise the fish in carbs (my current overindulgence of choice), I’d have greater success in eating it. Thankfully, I was right! These salmon cakes turned out great. In fact, the Irishman (who generally loathes fish) ate two and gave them his seal of approval. I’ll be making them again on Friday when my in-laws are in town since they are observing meatless Fridays during lent.
Okay, here’s what you’ll need (this ingredient list is for 12 medium salmon cakes, but you’ll notice in the pictures that I only made half of the amount specified below because I wasn’t sure if I was going to be the only one eating them):
2 salmon fillets (about 3-4 oz. each)
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs (plus a 1/2 cup for breading the final product)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
For the dipping sauce:
1 Tablespoon mayo
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 Table spoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dill
1.5 teaspoons dijon mustard
Go ahead and mix together the ingredients for the sauce so that those flavors have a chance to meld. Next, we’re going to poach the salmon. I do this by adding about an inch of water to a saucepan followed by the juice of one lemon and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Bring the liquid to a simmer, add in your salmon and cook it about 5 minutes or so (flipping once). Be careful not to overcook the salmon since we will be pan frying the salmon cakes. Once the salmon is done, flake it with a fork.
Add in the eggs, breadcrumbs, dill, lemon juice, onions salt and pepper and mix really well.
Go ahead and add a couple tablespoons of butter and a couple tablespoons of olive oil into a saute pan and heat it until a breadcrumb sizzles when dropped in. Next, we’re going to form the salmon into cakes (about 1/2 the size of your palm) and lightly dip them in breadcrumbs to coat the outside.
Now, just add them to the frying pan and cook them for 2 minutes or so per side, or until they are a nice golden brown.
Plate them up when they’re done and serve with your dipping sauce.
This was a wonderful meal that took less than 20 minutes start to finish. I’m definitely adding this into our regular rotation and putting it on my short list for when we have company. You can’t beat the combination of easy and delicious!
Daily Cynema 