Salmon Potato Cakes

With all of the news on how wonderful omega-3’s are and how fish might be better for you than meat, I’ve been trying to work more fish into our diet.   I certainly remember as a kid, my mom always called fish brain food although I don’t think I started to appreciate fish until I was a bit older.  This is another quick pantry meal that I go to somewhat regularly that uses very few ingredients. Interestingly, canned salmon is made with wild salmon which has much more omega-3’s than farm-raised salmon and is one of the most economical ways to serve wild salmon.

This recipe also uses one of my secret ingredients: mashed potato flakes. I first tried using mashed potato flakes instead of bread crumbs to make the recipe gluten free and I liked how this formed cakes that didn’t fall apart in the pan, and now I keep a ziploc bag of mashed potato flakes around and use it instead of bread crumbs in recipes, as a thickener in pureed soups, and sometimes as a coating on oven fried chicken.  I like serving the salmon cakes with a sauce made of 2 parts mayonnaise and one part sriracha hot sauce, and at least one vegetable side that has a slight sweetness to offset the deep savory tastes of the salmon, such as sweet and sour red cabbage or baked sweet potatoes.  You can use boneless skinless canned salmon from 2 small cans if you prefer.  You can also find more ideas in my post on emergency pantry meals.

Salmon Potato Cakes
makes 4 large cakes (or 6-8 small ones)

1 can salmon (about 14 oz.)
1/2 cup mashed potato flakes
2 eggs
2 green onions, chopped
tobasco, to taste

Drain the canned salmon and flake with a fork into a large mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients and stir to mix.  Start with slightly less mashed potato flakes and add more as necessary to acheive the right texture.  You want the mixture to be moist, but to hold together well enough to form patties. Form into patties. Heat a pan to medium high and add a bit of oil or cooking spray.  Add the salmon patties to the hot pan.  Allow to cook undisturbed for about 4 minutes, and then flip over and cook on the other side for about 3 minutes.  The fish is fully cooked, so it doesn’t take too long.

see also my recipe for Salmon Chili and other recipes at $5 Dinners and Ultimate Recipe Swap