To my horror, I discovered that a disgusting photo I took of salmon patties in 2009 is making the rounds on Pinterest. I have no idea why people are pinning it, but they are. For a minute I thought it might actually be on a Pinterest Fail page but alas, it is on real Pinterest.
Hoping for redemption, I rushed to the grocery store for salmon. We would have salmon patties for dinner, and I would take a Pinterest-worthy photo. Making the salmon patties was easy because they really are simple salmon patties. You could use canned salmon but I prefer fresh salmon, seared in a hot pan and cooled. The hardest part of this recipe is not eating all the salmon before you make it into patties.
I will start by first posting the hideous picture from 2009. I am only doing this for purposes of comparison. My thinking is that no matter how bad today's picture is, it will still be better. If not, I am selling my camera immediately. It would be the right thing to do.
Breathe through your nose...
Stifle your gag relax...
Open your eyes...
Simple Salmon Patties, circa 2009
And now, I present:
Simple Salmon Patties, circa 2015
Better, right? Please say yes, because I love my camera, more'n my luggage.
I tweaked the original recipe by omitting the herbs, serving the patties on crostini atop a bed of pea shoots. I garnished the patties with homemade thousand island tartar sauce. Michael ate his as an open-faced salmon patty sandwich on an English muffin with melted Havarti cheese. This recipe works well with leftover salmon from the night before. I have even made it with salmon we smoked at home.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked salmon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay or Potlatch Seasoning
- 1 small white onion (diced)
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Dash of hot sauce
Instructions
- Crumble the cooked salmon into 1/2″ pieces. Leave some nice sized chunks. Set aside.
- Heat oil in frying pan on medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until just translucent but not brown. Leave them a bit crunchy. Drain onions.
- Add the cooked onions, dry bread crumbs, herbs, egg and spices to the salmon.
- Toss just enough to incorporate ingredients.
- Add oil to frying pan or grill pan and heat on medium. Shape patties. Fry patties in hot oil until golden brown on both sides and heated through. Makes four to five patties depending on size.
- Serve immediately with a side of tartar sauce.
I hope you forgive me for the 2009 photo, and if you're a Pinterester, please pin the new one!