Monday Night

So, after a delicious dinner on Sunday with the crew, Monday left us to our own devices, and an opportunity to get back in the kitchen after a solid two weeks of not cooking. The wedding/honeymoon and general activity/business travel kept us eating out for a solid week upon our return. No more, my friends. Monday brings us to simplicity in the kitchen, simplicity in the form of Salmon Patties.

Yep -- think crab cakes, but, made with canned salmon. A family recipe perfected over the years exists; however, I didn't have that recipe handy when it was time to make them. So, we improvise.

Salmon Patties:
One can (the big one) of Red Salmon -- I like Honey Boy. Mostly for the name.
One Lemon
1/2 a small red onion, minced
Panko
Spices -- garlic, lemon pepper, Old Bay
Mayo
If, you had some celery, red pepper and/or zucchini, that would be nice too.

Mince up that onion, and throw it into a skillet with a little olive oil and salt & pepper, to sauté. If you’ve got red pepper, mince it and add with the onion. If you’ve got celery and zucchini, mince and add after the other vegetables have softened a bit.

Meanwhile, open up that can, and dump your salmon log out onto a plate. Take some time to pick out the big bones. I also like to de-fat and de-skin the salmon as much as possible. This makes for a better patty. Once you've cleaned your fish a satisfactory amount, throw away those bones and mash up the remaining fish, and then place in a mixing bowl.

By now, your onion should be nicely golden. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool. While the onion cools, zest and juice the lemon into the bowl with the salmon. Add your onion. Now, spice the patties as you see fit. I probably used 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon+ of Old Bay. As has been suggested by so many chefs, season the mix until you think it tastes good.

Add a handful of Panko crumbs, and mix it all together. It should form balls fairly easily. If it's too dry, add some mayo -- a tablespoonful at a time. Too wet? Add more Panko. Let the mix firm up a bit in the fridge, maybe twenty minutes or so, before you form the mix into patties -- I generally get 5 from a batch. Heat a skillet with a bit of olive oil, and sauté the patties till golden brown and delicious.

These patties were served with green peas from a can (gross! -- Joy likes them) and cheesy garlic biscuits from a package -- which were delicious. Though, not nearly as delicious as the cheddar bay biscuit from Red Lobster -- which, as it turns out, is the only thing worth eating at the Pirate's Cove.

*Please note, I added an egg, for binding power, to my patties. This was absolutely unnecessary, and should not be repeated.

--Brad