Ginger Salmon Cakes
Submitted by leeannb
Pan-fried ginger salmon cakes built on canned salmon with fresh grated ginger, scallions, and parsley. Served over peppery watercress with a lemon-ginger oil dressing.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minThese salmon cakes push past the standard canned-salmon-and-cracker-crumb recipe by leaning hard on fresh ginger root, which lifts the flavor out of pantry-meal territory and gives the patties an unmistakable Asian-inflected character. The ginger goes into the patty AND into the dressing, so the flavor compounds rather than competes.
The peppery watercress bed isn’t garnish, it’s part of the dish. The bitter, mustardy bite of raw watercress cuts through the richness of the salmon and the bread crumbs, while the warm patties wilt the leaves directly underneath into something halfway between salad and side. The lemon-ginger-oil dressing pulls everything together at the table.
Kitchen Tips
- Drain the canned salmon hard before mixing. Wet salmon makes mushy patties that fall apart in the pan.
- Grate the ginger on a microplane for the finest texture. Coarse ginger leaves fibrous strings in the patty.
- Coat the patties in the second batch of breadcrumbs only just before frying. Pre-coated patties go soggy as they sit.
- Don’t crowd the pan. Four patties at a time leaves room to flip cleanly without breaking them.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Squeeze 1½ tablespoon juice from lemon into small jar.
Add ½ teaspoon ginger, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Shake until salt dissolves.
Add 3 tablespoons oil, shake to combine.
Remove tough stems from watercress; divide leaves among 4 plates.
In large bowl, beat egg.
Drain salmon, add to egg with remaining ginger, scallion, parsley, ½ cup bread crumbs, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Mix well and shape into 8 patties.
In large non-stick frying pan, heat remaining oil over medium heat.
Coat patties with remaining crumbs and cook until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes.
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