Monday, April 20

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-y Tzatziki Sauce

Makes about 15 cakes
Total price: NY $10.33
Price per cake: $0.69


Salmon Cakes with Lemon-y Tzatziki
As we’ve said before, we’re not willing to give up fish entirely until the Great Recession is at last over, but we’re not about to go splurging on wild bluefin tuna these days either. Enter fish cakes. This version uses canned salmon, which is very inexpensive. These are topped with tzatziki, a riff on the traditional tartar sauce accompaniment.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-y Tzatziki
Tzatziki has a similar smooth creamy mouth feel punctuated with crisp bursts of green, and also contrasts nicely with the texture of the fish cake, but is a lighter and more modern alternative.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-y Tzatziki
Ingredients
For the Salmon Cakes:
  • 2 cans salmon (about 6 oz. each) (NY $3.98)*
  • 3 stalks celery, finely diced (about ¾ cup) (NY $1.69 for bag of 2 bunches)
  • 1 small onion, finely diced (about 1 cup) (NY $0.59)
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise (staple)
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard (staple)
  • 1 tbsp drained pickle relish (staple)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (NY $0.50 for 1 lemon)
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika (staple)
  • ¾ teaspoon Worchestershire sauce (staple)
  • 2 dashes hot sauce (staple)
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs (staple)
  • 4 tablespoons canola oil (staple)
For the Lemon-y Tzatziki Sauce:
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt (NY $1.99)
  • 1 cucumber (NY $0.99)
  • 1 tsp lemon zest (uses the same lemon from above)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice (uses the same lemon from above)
  • 1 clove garlic (NY $0.59 for one head)
  • Pepper (staple)

Directions
For Salmon Cakes:
Crack open the salmon cans, and empty the salmon into a small colander to drain. (Warning: if you have a puppy, she will become most decidedly under foot at this point. The opened cans will be, ummm, fragrant. If you’re new to canned salmon, I promise the final result won’t smell like this! Of course your puppy thinks it smells just divine right now.) Flake the salmon in the colander, then transfer to a medium bowl. Combine chopped celery and onion with the salmon in the bowl. (If any small bits of salmon still cling to the colander at this point, put it on the floor for the puppy, who will now love you forever. Or at least until somebody else starts to look like he might take her outside to play.) Salt and pepper to taste, and fold together gently with a rubber spatula.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-y Tzatziki
In a small bowl, combine mayo, mustard, relish, lemon juice, Worcestershire, paprika, and hot sauce, and then gently fold into salmon mixture.

In same small bowl, crack open one egg. Whisk vigorously, then fold into salmon mixture along with ½ cup panko. (Shoo the puppy away with your ankle, as she will be inquiring as to who, exactly, will be licking these discarded dishes and spoons you’re going through.)

Pour out about another ½ cup panko onto a plate.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-y Tzatziki
Using a spoon, pick up about a palmful of salmon mixture, and roll it gently between your hands to form a ball shape. Try not to overhandle the fish. Put the ball down onto the plate, and gently flatten to form a patty shape, about 2 inches across. Gently flip over to coat the alternate side with panko. Transfer to a flat-bottomed dish. Repeat until you’ve used all the salmon mixture, creating approx. 15 patties. (The puppy will reeeeeeallly want to know why she can’t have the nice fishy dirty bowl, especially since her mean owners haven’t fed her in weeks and weeks and weeks and she’s wasting away to nooooooothing. Stay strong: its had onion in it. Ignore the beseeching puppy dog eyes.)

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-y Tzatziki
Transfer to fridge to chill for about an hour, and move on to making the tzatziki sauce.

Remove chilled cakes from fridge. Heap 2 tbsps canola oil in non-stick skillet. Carefully transfer cakes to skillet. Be sure not to crowd them in the pan: give them some elbow room, this isn’t a subway car! Let them cook about 2 minutes, then carefully flip with an offset rubber spatula and continue cooking about another minute longer. Transfer to paper-towel lined plate to drain, then serve immediately, garnished with the tzatziki.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-y Tzatziki
Directions for Lemon-y Tzatziki Sauce:
Seed and dice the cucumber finely, and mince the garlic.

Combine all ingredients in bowl, and put in fridge to chill and allow flavors to blend until ready to serve.

Any leftovers are delicious with pita bread, carrot sticks, or even tortilla chips.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-y Tzatziki

Loosely based on Parade, October 2002

* We got boneless, skinless canned (Wild Alaskan but still inexpensive! High fives for the shopping coup!) at Trader Joe’s. If yours has skin and bones, pick out the skins. You can then either remove the bones or mash them into the salmon for extra calcium. I recommend the later option (the bones are soft cartiledge, and in these cakes you shouldn’t even be to tell that they’re in there) but if they skeeve you out, go ahead and dig them out.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-y Tzatziki
Nutritional Information
Approximate values per cake
Calories 142.9Vitamin A 2.0 %Iron 4.0 %
Total Fat 9.1 gVitamin B-12 16.9 %Magnesium 4.0 %
Cholesterol 13.9 mgVitamin B-6 5.8 %Manganese 6.4 %
Sodium 212.5 mgVitamin C 5.2 %Niacin 10.3 %
Potassium 163.0 mgVitamin D 0.0 %Phosphorus 10.1 %
Total Carbohydrate 8.3 gVitamin E 5.2 %Riboflavin 5.1 %
Fiber 0.9 gCalcium 8.3 %Selenium 13.9 %
Sugars 0.9 gCopper 3.1 %Thiamin 6.4 %
Protein 6.9 gFolate 5.0 %Zinc 2.7 %

Fish Cakes on Foodista

46 comments:

  1. Great idea for using the more healthy Tzatziki as a sub for Tartar sauce. I like to make Salmon Patties when I am in a hurry to put something good and easy on the table. I just recently blogged about the same, great minds think alike? Highly recommended for a cheap, tasty meal! Thanks for the post. PS, we use Tzatziki in wraps all the time, really good with rotisserie chicken shredded and wrapped in Naan.

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  2. Oh wow, thx for sending me this, it looks so crunchy and delicious all at the same time!!!

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  3. This sounds like a very tasty dish. I can't wait to try it. Thanks.

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  4. Looks delicious....

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  5. love tzaziki, and anything it is served with!

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  6. I love salmon cakes! I've never had them with tzaziki but I'm sure it's delicious!

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  7. sounds good and probably tastes good.i added this to reddit

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  8. We have salmon cakes quite often and you know, I never thought of pairing them with tzatziki? Usually we use tartar sauce or some type of remoulade.

    I will be giving this combo a try.

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  9. Thanks for sharing this dish! Looks good and healthy too.

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  10. I do love Salmon cakes, my mom used to make them all the time. It's probably been 5 or more years since I've had them, I think i know what's for dinner this week. Let me know if you have a good recipe for Blackbean burgers. There's a place in Charlotte, NC that has the BEST. I think they have beets in them (sounds weird, but they're amazing).

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  11. I love salmon cakes. I make mine with mashed potato...have just started making them with sweet potatoes and chick peas instead. these look delicious!

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  12. I love this. I actually have made this for years with a very similar recipe. I agree the bones mashed in are a great source of calcium. For the sauce, I usually add minced green scallions, white and green part, but I am an onion freak.
    I love Mannix's ideas! Thanks I will try them, too. Panko bread crumbs are a bit too processed for my cupboard. Thanks for an excellent recipe and write-up. I also have an 8 week old chesapeake puppy and can relate.

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  13. The addition of a few shakes of dried dill to the tzadziki gives it an extra yummy flavor that is also lovely with the salmon.

    xo
    greek lady

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  14. I love these, either with tzaziki or roasted red pepper and chive aoili. Yum!

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  15. What an amazing, instructive, beautifully photographed post!! Best, from Santa Barbara, s

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  16. great ideas for the current economic situation...

    yvonne
    editor, my halal kitchen
    http://www.myhalalkitchen.com

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  17. Yum, this looks fantastic. I love this idea for dinner.

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  18. My son asks for salmon patties - it's some sort of teen boy joke, but he really loves it for dinner. I like your sauce.

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  19. These look amazing. Light and delicious ~ perfect spring dinner.

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  20. Delicious ! Thank you for sharing.

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  21. Yummy! Will try this soon & thks for sharing!

    Blackswan,
    http://luxuryhaven.blogspot.com

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  22. They look fabulous! Never been one for tinned salmon but you might have tempted me- cheers!

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  23. Very well done ...I know how difficult it can be to do delicate fish cakes, these ones look great ...cheers!!
    Rico-Recipes

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  24. The salmon patties look gorgeous, but it's that sauce I'm after. What a great application for tzatziki!

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  25. Sounds good and easy. Thanks for the TJ's recommendation. I'm always a bit wary of canned salmon, but nice to know there's a boneless option out there! And I love tzatzik!

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  26. Isn't it great to know that we can still eat gourmet-style these days? Great recipe!

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  27. This looks delicious!!! I absolutely love tzatziki, I will have to try this.

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  28. Yummy! I am a big fan of tzatziki sauce and this is a great alternative to the traditional tartar or cocktail sauce. And, the pics make the dish look even more delicious! Thanks for sharing.

    Jan ~ Founder, PantryConnection.com

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  29. This is excellent! Tzatziki sauce is so creamy and refreshing; I can already taste this pairing.

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  30. Oh my gosh! This looks so good!

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  31. This looks so delicious. I might have to stop at Trader Joe's on my way home tonight. :)

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  32. Do you have any canned salmon brand suggestions? I'd really love to try this, but it seems to me that many canned salmons out there have little bones. Probably harmless but nonetheless...

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  33. What does NY stand for?

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  34. Nice recipe! It would be a good treat on our food blogger gatherings.

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  35. WOW! These look really yum! I love anything with fish. Tuna and Salmon cans are staples in my pantry at all times. Will definitely try this one out.

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  36. HELLO THIS IS A GREAT NEW TWIST ON SALMON SOUNDS GREAT WILL BE TRYING SOON THANKS

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  37. I've been looking for a good Tzatziki sauce recipe forever. My daughter loves it and will even eat it with her French fries and she's 39. She is really going to be happy.
    Martha

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  38. I know what I am making for dinner tomorrow!

    Thanks!!!!

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  39. this looks delicious, will be making these this week!

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  40. Hi Jen - thanks! Please let us know how they turn out!

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  41. Delicious ! Thank you for sharing recipe.

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  42. ok, I am def making this tonight, but was curious, what do you make with this dish?

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  43. Hi Jen,

    Asparagus is in season right now, and we think would be lovely with these. If you're looking for a starch, try new potatoes! These are quite similar to crab cakes, so anything you would serve with crab cakes will probably work splendidly. Let us know how it turns out!

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  44. These were great! I got a little nervous with all the celery and onions so I ended up only using about half of each. Served them on a bed of mixed greens and with a side of steak fries (totally didn't think about a side until I was done cooking them. eek!) YUM!

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