Salmon Cakes
These salmon cakes are pan-fried and served with an avocado dip and chimichurri sauce. Certain to banish all memories of the less-than-stellar fish cakes of your youth.
- Prep time
- 45 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1/2 pound russet potatoes (peeled and halved (about 1 large))
- Sea salt
- 2 scallions (white and light green parts, thinly sliced)
- Handful of arugula (coarsely chopped)
- 1/4 cup (1/2 oz) chives (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 large egg (beaten)
- One (6 ounce) can of salmon (drained and picked clear of any bones)
- Sunflower oil (for frying)
- Flour (for dusting (optional))
- 1/2 lime
- 1 avocado (pitted)
- 1/2 shallot (finely diced)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 red chile pepper (seeded, or a pinch crushed red pepper flakes)
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 shallot (halved)
- 1/4 inch piece ginger (peeled and coarsely chopped)
- 1 bunch of mint (leaves only (about 1 cup loosely packed))
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- 1
In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the potato with enough water to cover by 1 inch and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the potato is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and let cool.
- 2
In a large bowl, roughly mash the potato, then mix in the scallion, arugula, chives, and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper.
- 3
Add the egg and the salmon and mash with a fork until everything comes together in a coarse mixture.
- 4
Shape the potato-salmon mixture into balls that fit in the palm of your hand and then flatten them until they’re between 1/2 and 3/4 inch (12 and 18 mm) thick. The salmon patties will be fragile. Place on a plate, loosely cover, and slip in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- 5
In a medium bowl, mash the avocado with the shallot, lemon juice, and some olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- 6
Purée all the ingredients in a food processor until mostly smooth or the desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle in a little extra olive oil if the sauce is too thick.
- 7
In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, warm a splash of sunflower oil. Dust the patties with a bit of flour, if using. Carefully add the cakes to the skillet and fry util golden brown on 1 side, 3 to 4 minutes.
- 8
Carefully flip with a spatula and fry on the other side for 3 to 4 more minutes. The cakes should be nice and hot inside.☞ TESTER TIP: These salmon cakes are quite delicate, so take extra care both when slipping them into the skillet and when flipping them.
- 9
Lift the salmon cakes out of the pan and onto paper towels or a brown paper bag cut open. (You can also keep them warm in a low oven until the rest are cooked, if you prefer.)
- 10
Serve with the avocado spread, chimichurri, and lime.