Simple Recipes and Common Sense: Salmon Cakes w/ Curried Ranch Dipping Sauce

Hello Nomsters,

With the arrival of spring, the warm weather has obviously increased our desire to go outside, socialize, and avoid Leo’s to indulge in eating out… but really? How many brunches, lunches, dinners, and midnight snacks can you justify until you’re “broke phi broke?” So, if you’re looking for a way to avoid Leo’s, spending money on one one more meal out, or just feel like cooking yourself and friends a delicious meal, try out these salmon cakes! They’re easy enough to make in a dorm or apartment kitchen and pack a healthy punch of Omega-3s too.

This recipe is pretty basic, but incredibly tasty. Similar to crab cakes, salmon cakes are a combination of fresh or canned salmon, breadcrumbs, herbs & veggies, an egg or two (as adhesive), and some sort of substance to make sure the ingredients can be formed into a patty (for example mayonnaise is a common item). You can be as basic or creative with these little patties as you want! If you’re thinking, “I probably don’t have most of these ingredients, nor do I want to spend the money on a jar of “x” that I’ll only use once,” never fear, most of what you need can be found right under your nose. So take a risk and take this recipe for a spin. I promise you won’t burn down your kitchen!

Ingredients (and where to find them)

-2 6oz cans of Salmon, I personally like wild Alaskan, but any salmon will do. (can be found at Safeway, CVS, maybe even Vittles)

-1 ¼ cup breadcrumbs (Safeway, Vittles, CVS)

-1 egg (whisked before its added to mix)

-1/3 cup finely chopped celery (optional, but can be found at Leo’s in the salad bar section) or scallions (which can be bought at Safeway)

-3 Tbsp mayonnaise (and more as needed to moisten mix. Can be found at Grab’n’Go, approx 6 packets)

-2 tsp mustard (more as desired for flavor, at Grab’n’Go, approx 2-3 packets)

-Pinches of salt/pepper (can be found in Leo’s/Grab’n’Go also)

Sauce

-2 packets of Fat Free Ranch (from Grab’n’Go, or 4-5 Tbsp worth from your own supply)

Additional ingredients (option)

-a pinch of curry powder, cayenne pepper, ground pepper, and a ½ tsp caper juice or a squeeze of lime/lemon.

Method-

1. Beat egg in a bowl until yolk breaks and mixes with white, add cans of salmon and mix until incorporated.
2. Add breadcrumbs, mayo, mustard, celery/scallions, and seasonings, mix until well incorporated. You should have a moist consistency that allows for you to form the mixture into patties, so add more mayo if dry or more breadcrumbs if too moist.
3. Form ¼ cup sized amounts of cake mixture into about 3/4inch-1inch patties. The patties should be about 3-4inches in diameter.
4. Grease a frying pan with butter, olive oil, or a mixture of both and turn on the stove to medium heat to warm the pan (about 3-4minutes). If you want to test the pan’s heat, take a drop of water on your finger tips and let it drop onto the hot pan, if it sizzles, you should be good to go!
5. Place salmon cakes into frying pan; cook for about 5-7minutes on each side, or until crispy/well browned.
6. Once you finish cooking, place salmon cakes on paper towels to catch access oil, serve with plain ranch sauce, curried sauce, or a sauce of your choice (plain mustard tastes pretty good too!).