Confession time. I don’t like eating salmon.
Unless it’s sashimi. But cooked salmon does not appeal to me at all. So, why on earth I ended up with a piece of salmon fillet in my freezer boggles my mind!
In an effort to make it work, I decided decided to try something – Salmon Fish Cakes or Salmon Patties. I do like fish cakes, or fish patties. It is always a nice accompaniment to make a salad more substantial, or to have it with pasta, in a sandwich or heck, just as a snack!
It turned out quite a treat, and is really quite easy, so I thought I’d share it with you 🙂
I adapted this recipe for Salmon Fish Cakes after checking a few online recipes, and then made it my own. I had made fish cakes before, using tuna and potato so it’s more like a croquette, but I wanted to make it easier, with less bulk. Potato, while very comforting, adds a lot of bulk.
I also used fresh salmon, and one thing I did was to precook most of the ingredients. While it isn’t necessary, do remember that I said I don’t like the taste of cooked salmon, and I wanted to avoid any fishy smell or taste. Cooking it first, before mixing with the other ingredients made it more fragrant after being made into patties.
I reckon you could substitute salmon for any firm fleshed fish although I have yet to try. If you intend to use canned tuna, be sure you use tuna chunks, and drain it well or your fish cake will be too soggy and won’t hold together.
I found that adding spices helped kill the fishy taste, and be sure to season everything well as you go. I made a small batch and fed one to my nephew, who declared that it was delicious! So, clearly, this passed for a quick snack or even meal for little ones 🙂
Here’s my easy recipe for Salmon Fish Cakes.
Easy to make, delicious to eat and kid-approved!
- 225 g Fresh Salmon fillet
- 2 cloves Garlic - diced
- 1 medium sized Yellow onion - diced
- 1/2 Red bell pepper (capsicum) - diced
- 1 bunch Chinese celery (daun sup) - chopped including the stem You may substitue with a stalk of celery (diced) or a bunch of chopped parsley as you prefer
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp Mayonnaise (I use Japanese mayonnaise)
- 120 g Panko breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive Oil and oil for frying
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Wash and pat dry your salmon fillet. Season with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil.
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Heat a pan and pan-fry your salmon fillet (skin down first) for about 4 minutes until skin is brown. Then flip and cook for further 3-4 minutes depending on the thickness of your salmon. Remove from pan, flake into fairly large flakes and set aside to cool.
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Pan fry the diced garlic, onion and red bell pepper until soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Just before you are done, add the chopped chinese celery and stir till wilted. Remove from heat and let it cool.
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In a large bowl, add the flaked salmon and cooked garlic, onion, bell pepper, chinese celery mixture. Add the panko breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, egg, cumin and paprika. Season with salt and pepper and mix together well.
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The mixture should be slightly sticky and hold its shape when shaped into patties. If it feels too wet, add more breadcrumbs. If it feels too dry, add a little more mayonnaise.
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Scoop a ball of mixture, and flatten to about 1cm thick patties. This mixture should yield about 6-7 medium sized patties or more if you make them smaller.
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Heat some oil in a pan and when hot, place a few patties and fry for about 2 minutes on each side, until brown. Don't touch the patties too much or they may break up. Repeat until all are done
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Let cool and serve with a salad, with a simple pasta, in a sandwich or burger or just have them as a snack. Add a squeeze of lemon before serving if you prefer. I froze some after cooling and they froze well. To reheat, just wrap in foil and toss into your oven.
- Paprika does not add heat so it isn't spicy. But it adds a lovely smoky flavour and helps mask any fishy smells and taste. You can add some chilli powder for some heat if you prefer, or perhaps even turmeric for added spice.
- I use Japanese mayonnaise from the Kewpie brand. I find it tastes better, with a milder flavour and is less cloying. Mayonnaise is probably optional, but it helps the patty remain moist.
Not adding potato made this less stodgy but no less filling, because you are getting lots of fish in just one patty. Good for fussy fish eaters 😀 Also, note that I don’t coat the patty before frying. You can, if you like, but it’s fine this way too.
Do let me know if you try this. I’d love to know if you enjoyed it 😀
Do you have a special fish cake recipe to share?
It really isn’t very hard to make it at home as I’ve learnt over time, and it actually looks pretty fancy once you dress it up a little LOL 😀
Paris B
Thanks for sharing your recipe. Like you, I don’t like cooked salmon too! But I do like fish cakes and your recipe looks good. Must try!
Oh someone else who doesn’t like cooked salmon! LOL Many people think I’m a bit weird. Do let me know if this recipe works out for you. Don’t have to use salmon. Any fish will work!