Karl’s Fresh Salmon Patties

Jan and I are on our own this weekend as Eilene has gone to a CON in L.A. I did not feel like left over chili, but I am unused to cooking for only two. Jan has been complaining about red meat and starch heavy meals, so I finally settled on salad and salmon patties.

Many recipes for salmon patties call for using canned salmon—including my mother’s. For this meal, I decided I wanted to use fresh fish and my new favorite ingredient Japanese mayonnaise. Glancing at a few other recipes, I settled on my ingredients list and off I went.

Note: Serve with a green salad.

Karl’s Fresh Salmon Patties

For two servings

Ingredients

8 oz. fresh salmon

2 Tbs. Japanese mayonnaise
1 egg
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup ciabatta bread crumbs

1 Tbs. vegetable oil, separate uses
2  green onions, minced
2 Tbs. celery, minced
Pinch Kosher salt

1 Tbs. flat leaf parsley
¼ tsp. black pepper

2 Tbs. panko

Directions

1. Skin and chop the salmon.

Tip: You are going for a “mama bear” chop—not too finely, not too coarsely.

2. Put the mayonnaise, egg, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl and lightly scramble them together.

3. Stir in the bread crumbs and let them soak for 10-15 minutes.

4. Add the salmon to the egg mixture.

5. Heat the one teaspoon of the oil in a small pan and sauté the onions and celery with the salt over medium high heat until soft, about 4 minutes.

Tip: Fish cooks fairly quickly. If you add the raw vegetables to the salmon the vegetable bits in the center of the patty will be underdone.   Lightly sautéing them first solves this problem. It also adds flavor with the Maillard reaction and removes excess liquid that would make your patties soggy.

6. Stir in the sautéed vegetables and the parsley into the mixture.

7. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the mixture for 20-30 minutes.

Tip: This rest gives the bread crumbs to fully hydrate and for the mixture to firm up.

8. Put the panko in a small plate.

9. Form the salmon mixture into patties and coat both sides with the bread crumbs.

Tip: You may form the meat into two big patties or 4 small patties.

Note: As well as giving the patties a crisp crust, the bread crumbs are less likely to stick to the pan.

10. Heat the remaining oil in a skillet and fry the patties for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown.

11. Serve warm with Karl’s Caper Sauce.

Tip: You may garnish with a sprig of parsley, if you wish.