Being from the Lowcountry, I take my seafood cakes (crab cakes and in this case salmon cakes ) very seriously. The perfect use for leftover seafood. Truth be told, sometimes I skip the main course and go straight to these instead. The key to really amazing seafood cakes is to keep the ingredients minimal and allow the seafood to speak for itself. And the real insider tip…skip the bread crumbs all together and go straight to your pantry for crackers! For the classic, crowd pleasing varieties…these simple buttery club crackers are where it’s at. For a slightly elevated, gourmet version that pairs beautifully over salad, these rosemary crackers are my favorite of all time (and my husband’s too, because when I first made these, purely by accident and purely because rosemary crackers were all I had at the time, we both agreed there was no other way to make a crab cake, or salmon cake again!)
Ingredients
Leftover Salmon…our from this Sheet Pan Salmon Recipe
Crackers
Mayonnaise
Dijon or Ground Mustard
Lemon
Pepper
Worcestershire (not a game changer if you don’t have it)
Parsley
Egg
To Make :
I debated giving you a real, solid, strict recipe, but a) we’re talking leftovers here so your available salmon will vary and b) the best seafood cakes I always make begin with this simple base.
In a bowl, mix a heaping spoonful of mayonnaise, 1/2 a spoonful of dijon or ground mustard, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of pepper. Here’s the trick to making YOUR favorite seafood cakes…this base. Give it a little try and customize accordingly, too mustard-y for your taste? Add a bit more mayonnaise. Looking for more of a kick? Ramp up on the Dijon. Same with the lemon and pepper. Obviously if you have a lot of salmon and you plan to make these for a crowd…scale up the ingredient sizes.
Ok, got your base! Add a splash of Worcestershire (only if you like and have it on hand…skipping it isn’t totally detrimental). Again, to your taste. Take your leftover Salmon and break it into pieces. Then take about half or a third the amount of salmon in crackers (have 1 cup of salmon, use 1/2 or 1/3 cup in crackers…the less crackers to salmon the better). Then using your hands, break up the crackers…I prefer texture to my cakes and larger cracker bits mixed in are fine by me.
Mix in your salmon and crackers into your base. You want things coated well, but not too soggy. If things are extremely dry add more base items. Once things look to the consistency of the photo below, add in an egg.
Ideally, you’d put this mixture in the fridge for an hour prior to cooking, sometimes this is ideal for me, but mostly it’s not. So right into the skillet they go…and it’s not a huge deal.
Over medium high heat, heat olive oil & a little bit of butter (because life’s worth living!). Shape your cakes and put in the pan for about 3 or 4 minutes per side. Flipping when golden.
Plate and Enjoy hot!!! Or let cool and pack in these food safe containers for the perfect next day lunch!
