Back in the Kitchen – Salmon Patties!

Click here for my revised recipe. It’s also egg-free and gluten-free, and has printable formatting and much better photos! Thank you!

Ever since Thanksgiving, I’ve been pretty much out of the kitchen.  With being so sick for so long, I completely lost my drive to ‘create’ and found myself fairly content with ‘surviving’, food-wise.

It’s time to get back into the kitchen, and I started yesterday with Salmon Patties.

Now, when I was young and had the unrefined tastes of a kid, my Mom always made Salmon Patties with canned salmon.  As an adult, I’ve spent considerable time in Alaska and learned that the salmon in the cans is basically the same salmon the Native Alaskans feed their dogs.  Well, I do prefer fresh salmon for fillets these days, but the canned stuff works just fine for this, thankyouverymuch!  (Even if it is – sort of – dog food.)  

The only reason I hadn’t made Salmon Patties in the last 2.5 years was because the only recipe I knew for making them had EGGS and FLOUR in it.  Eggs have been a no-no in our house because of Mr. Charm’s IgE allergy to eggs for over two years, and recently the Fructose Malabsorption diet we are on says no to wheat.  So, how do you make Salmon Patties, when salmon, egg and flour are basically the only three ingredients?

The solution was easy, and I have to confess something: I think I’m absolutely, madly in love with my Quinoa Batter!  I have found more uses for this stuff in the last few months than almost any other kitchen concoction I’ve found.

So, I took 1/4 cup of quinoa flour, 1/4 cup of water, salt and pepper, and made a batter.

Yup. I’m re-using a picture from my Quinoa Battered Veggies post. Because I totally forgot to take a picture of this step today!

And…that’s why I didn’t take a picture of the batter. Mr. Charm really wanted to help stir!

Then I tossed the salmon in the bowl.  I know some people don’t worry with removing the few bones that are in the salmon; they do pretty much dissolve in cooking, after all.  But I just can’t.  I de-bone my canned salmon first.

At this point, you could always spice up your mix with some add-ins.  Onion, garlic, chopped celery, some spices…whatever floats your boat!  We have to keep pretty simple here, though, thanks to our food issues, but frankly the plain-Jane recipe still tastes pretty good.

Batter and salmon in the bowl

Then I stirred it all up and wouldn’t you know it?  It had the exact same look and feel as my Mom’s traditional Salmon Patty recipe! 

All mixed up – looks just like Mom used to make!

I heated some oil in the pan, made a couple small patties and plopped them in to cook.  After they were nice and brown on one side, I flipped them and let the other side brown nicely.

Frying up…

Meanwhile, I made up some French Fries, and that was lunch yesterday afternoon for Mr. Charm.

Lunch is served!

He actually didn’t eat a single fry that I saw – but he scarfed down the Salmon Patties and even asked for more!

It feels good to be back in the kitchen again, actually.  Especially when I get that kind of a reaction from my son!

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SALMON PATTIES

– can of salmon (14.5 ounces)
– 1/4 cup quinoa flour
– 1/4 cup water
– salt
– pepper
– safe oil for frying (we’re still using olive oil)

1. Mix the quinoa flour, salt, pepper and water into a batter.
2. De-bone your canned salmon, if you want, then mix the salmon into the batter.
3. Heat your oil in a pan.  Shape out a patty however large or small you like, and put in the pan.
4. Let it brown on one side, then flip and brown on the other side.
5. Plate up and enjoy!  (Goes great with French Fries!)

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My dad thinks Salmon Patties are a waste of good salmon, but I love them!  What about you?  Are Salmon Patties a “go” or a “no”?  What would you add to the recipe to jazz it up?

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This post was shared with Allergy Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesdays, and Real Food Wednesdays.