A Recipe . . .

Thought I would share this recipe that I got from Linda the Chicken Lady.  She got it from a book about peri-menopause and shared it with me three years ago when I first began the ovo-pescetarian journey.  It has been one of my go-to's every since.

Here is the recipe as Linda gave it to me.  My modifications follow.

Salmon Cakes

1 1/2 C Canned Salmon (use one large can)
1 C Steel Cup Oats
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 C Liquid from the salmon, plus water
2 Eggs
2 T Butter
1/2 C Green Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 C Onion, diced

Drain salmon and save liquid.  Remove very large bones, but smash up smaller ones.  Slightly beat eggs in a medium bowl and add salmon, oats, salt, pepper, and salmon liquid plus water.

Saute diced pepper and ion in butter.  Stir vegetables into salmon mixture.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat inside of a 12-cup muffin plan with non-stick spray.  Spoon salmon mixture into tins and bake for 45 minutes or until firm and golden brown on top.

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  •  I use Pillar Rock red salmon.  It's wild, Alaskan salmon - exactly what we should be eating.
  • Omit salt
  • I often add a few pinches of a seasoning.  This could be anything you want to try, yesterday I used ras el hanout, which is Moroccan
  • I don't measure the pepper - just a few grinds of the pepper mill
  • Substitute Olive Oil for the butter and reduce to 1 Tablespoon
  • I use garlic-infused olive oil
  • Substitute Sweet Red Pepper for green pepper.
  • I use 1/2 a pepper and 1/2 an onion rather than measuring 1/2 cup, so I think mine have more veg in them than the original.
  • I call them hockey pucks  ;-D
My putting it together steps accomplish the same thing as the original, I just do them in a slightly different order and I mix the hell out of it.
  • I slice/dice the onion and pepper and get that on to saute immediately.
  • In the bowl, I work with the salmon first.  I remove the black/silver skin as well as the large bones.  I smash/mash really, really well with a fork.  Then, I add the oats and mix again.  Then the pepper and seasoning and mix again, then the liquid/water and mix again, and then the eggs and mix well again.
  • During the mix prep, I keep sauteing the veg.  As soon as the saute is done, I turn the heat off and let it sit on the stove.
  • At the end, I add the sauteed veggies and mix well again.  
Everything else is the same.

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It definitely needs to rest in the fridge overnight - or at least 8-9 hours.  If it doesn't rest long enough, the cakes will be crumbly and crunchy because the oats won't have absorbed enough liquid.  As well, I've discovered that you can't let them rest must longer than that.   

Usually I make them in the morning and cook them at night.  Or, make them at night and cook them early in the morning.  If I make them at night but don't cook them until the next night, they don't turn out nearly as well.

They come out of the muffin tin and look like little hockey pucks  :-D  They also freeze REALLY well.  I freeze them two to a package.  When I take them to work, I can open my lunch bag, and pull them out and let them defrost - they're just unfrozen by lunchtime.  Perfect!

Comments

Linda said…
I'm so glad you continue to find that recipe useful! I keep some in the freezer so I can defrost and heat them for a quick breakfast or lunch. :-)

In my last Sun Basket order I had my choice of a couple recipes that were baked in parchment paper. One was a fish and veggie recipe and the other was a veggie and egg recipe. The parchment packet reheated well, too. This may be another recipe/technique to add to your repertoire. I'll see if I can pull it down and send it to you.
A :-) said…
Yup, this is one of the best OP recipes I have!! Thank you!! T just mentioned parchment paper to me yesterday, too. Do send the details if you can!

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