photo by James Baigrie
We serve this dish for brunch, lunch, and supper or as a first course. It’s easy, fast, and a terrific way to use leftover salmon from last night’s dinner. The Crunchy Corn Relish can be made 3 or 4 days in advance and is delicious as an alternate sauce for Sautéed Soft-Shell Crabs or Herb-Grilled Salmon. This recipe is also great made with crab instead of salmon.
Makes about twelve 2½-inch cakes; serves 6
2 pounds cooked salmon (poached or grilled), cooled to room temperature
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
½ cup Basil Mayonnaise, or good-quality mayonnaise mixed with ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 large eggs
½ red onion, minced
3 scallions, trimmed and minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill.
1 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco or Texas Pete)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup canola or safflower oil.
1 recipe Crunchy Corn Relish (recipe follows)
1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. Carefully break up the salmon with a fork into large chunks in a large bowl. Add ½ cup of the bread crumbs, the mayonnaise, mustard, eggs, onion, scallions, jalapeño, basil, dill, hot sauce, salt, and pepper and stir just until mixed. Do not overmix; the salmon pieces should be bite-sized chunks, not fine flakes.
3. Form the mixture into twelve 2½-inch cakes about 1½-inches thick. Coat both sides of the cakes lightly with the remaining bread crumbs, shaking off any excess crumbs.
4. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, non-stick skillet. Cook 6 to 8 salmon cakes at a time, about 3 minutes per side, turning only once, until light golden brown. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel to drain. Transfer the cooked, drained cakes to a baking dish and place in the oven to keep warm while the remaining cakes cook. Serve immediately with Crunchy Corn Relish.
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