Salmon Patties

Wild salmon is a wonderful food.  Firm-textured, rich in flavor, and high in the omega-3 fats DHA and EPA, Vitamin D, and other minerals as well as an excellent source of protein, there is no wonder it is one of the most popular fish to eat.  And here in the Pacific Northwest, we are blessed with the ability to enjoy it fresh just about any time we want.  Grilled, baked, sashimi – you name it and you can find it prepared that way here, often only a couple of hours from being pulled out of the water.

And while there are endless ways to prepare fresh salmon, what about saving and storing that wild fish, and then preparing it later?  Of course, we can vacuum seal and freeze the fillets or steaks to be thawed and cooked later, but wild salmon is also great for canning (so much so that nearly all commercially available canned salmon is wild salmon).  And a great way to use that canned salmon is in these salmon patties (croquettes if you want sound sophisticated)!
Gather up:

• 1 pint jar home-canned salmon (if you are so lucky as to have some), or 3 cans (6-oz each) commercially canned wild salmon, about half-drained
• ~3 tbsp green onion or scallion (about three), minced
• 1/2 bell pepper, minced
• 1~2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
• 1 tbsp fresh dill chopped fine, or 1 tsp dried
• 4~5 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp No-Salt seasoning
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper

Put all of the ingredients except the coconut flour in a large bowl.  Notice the texture of the green onions and bell pepper – we’re looking to “hide” them into the patties, similar to how we did the Onion Pepper Burgers.  This gets the kids to eat their veggies and gives the meal some added flavor and complexity.

Mix everything up well, then start adding coconut flour (as a binder), one tablespoon at a time, until you get a consistency that will stick together well but not be too dry.  For me, that’s usually around 4 or 5 tablespoons, depending on how much of the liquid from the canned fish is in there.

Form into patties as desired.  For these, I like to use a basic burger press to keep them consistent in thickness, which helps in cooking.  Spoon the mix into the press and pre-shape by spreading it evenly within the press before turning it over onto a cutting board and pressing it to compact everything.  Use a thin flexible spatula to release the press from the patty, as it may stick a little.  This recipe yielded two patties at about 1/4 lb each and two at just about 1/3~1/2 lb each.

Preheat your skillet to medium-high heat.  Melt a tablespoon or so of butter or coconut oil, then transfer the patties to the pan.  You’ll see here that these bigger patties have a tendency to break apart if you don’t get the spatula fully under them them putting them onto the pan.  Not to worry – it won’t affect the taste.

Brown for about 3~4 minutes on each side.  The fish is already cooked as part of the canning process, so we’re really just looking to firm up the little bit of egg that’s in there while heating everything through.  Serve next to a nice salad, or on a bed of fresh greens.  You can top with a squeeze of lemon, some fresh salsa, a pinch of fresh chopped chives, or just plain.  Enjoy!