Easy Salmon Cakes

By gnfshn4

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 scallion, sliced thin
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 (1 1/4 pound) skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from americastestkitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

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Combine 3 tablespoons panko, parsley, mayonnaise, lemon juice, scallion, shallot, mustard, salt, pepper, and cayenne in bowl. Working in 3 batches, pulse salmon in food processor until coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch pieces, about 2 pulses, transferring each batch to bowl with panko mixture. Gently mix until uniformly combined.

Place remaining 3/4 cup panko in pie plate. Using 1/3-cup measure, scoop level amount of salmon mixture and transfer to baking sheet; repeat to make 8 cakes. Carefully coat each cake in bread crumbs, gently patting into disk measuring 2 3/4 inches in diameter and 1 inch high. Return coated cakes to baking sheet.

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place salmon cakes in skillet and cook without moving until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip cakes and cook until second side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer cakes to paper towel–lined plate to drain 1 minute. Serve.

The fishy smell of cooked salmon (and other fatty fish such as mackerel and tuna) comes from a different source. Salmon fat is highly unsaturated, which makes it susceptible to oxidation when cooked. Oxidation causes the breakdown of the fatty acids into strong-smelling aldehydes, which are the source of salmon’s characteristic flavor. Cooking the salmon twice resulted in very thoroughly cooked fish and, thus, a high level of aldehydes. Baking the cakes had a similar effect because the ambient heat of the oven cooked the fish more thoroughly than the stove did. The pan-fried cakes were mildest because the least amount of the fat had oxidized. In sum: Fish shouldn’t smell “fishy” when raw; if it does, don’t buy it. And for the mildest flavor, cook salmon and other fatty fish as briefly as possible.

Hand-chop fish into 1-inch pieces before adding them to food processor. Any bigger and you’ll end up with some large chunks and some finely ground paste.

To ensure that pieces grind evenly, pulse chopped fish in 3 batches into 1/4-inch bits. (Be careful not to overprocess.) Mix with bread-crumb binder and flavorings.