Salmon Croquettes with Remoulade Sauce

Salmon croquettes with remoulade sauce are the kind of comfort-food dinner that punches well above its grocery-list weight. The base is two cans of salmon, which means this is a dinner you can pull off entirely from the pantry. The fish gets gently flaked, then folded with chopped onion, celery, dried tarragon, mayo, Dijon, beaten egg, and just enough cracker crumbs to bind. The mixture forms eight patties that chill for an hour to firm up, the secret to croquettes that hold their shape in the pan.

The remoulade is a quick mayo-based sauce sharpened with two mustards (Dijon and grain), tarragon, capers, parsley, sliced green onion, and a hit of hot sauce. Some of it doubles as the dressing for grated carrot slaw served alongside, and the rest gets dolloped on top of each croquette at the table. The croquettes pan-fry in butter and oil for three or four minutes per side, until they wear that bronzed, lacy crust on the outside and stay tender inside.

Pro Tips

• The full hour in the fridge is non-skippable. Warm croquettes fall apart in the pan; chilled ones hold their shape and develop a better crust.
• Use butter and oil together as the directions say. Butter alone burns; oil alone doesn’t brown the same. Together they hit the sweet spot.
• Don’t crowd the pan. Cook in batches if needed, with space between croquettes for proper crust development.
• Bone the canned salmon if you prefer, or mash the soft canned bones into the mix for extra calcium and the traditional preparation.

Variations

• Use canned tuna or fresh-cooked salmon instead of canned, adjusting moisture by adding more cracker crumbs.
• Add a tablespoon of fresh dill to both the croquettes and the remoulade for a brighter herb profile.
• Sub panko for cracker crumbs for a crispier exterior.