My mom is from Kentucky, and so I grew up eating some Southern foods, even though we lived in Maryland. One of those dishes was “salmon patties”…and to be honest, I kind of dreaded the nights that they were on the menu. The grease smell filled the air, and those patties would get all brown and oniony and well, my mom is a great cook, but those were one of my least favorite things she made (the others being a tuna casserole that will live in infamy in my sister’s and my minds I’m sure, as we tried to ruin it with milk and other things because we didn’t like it, but my mom made us eat it anyway; and stewed tomatoes with macaroni…yuck).
Anyway, recently I had a bunch of leftover salmon from a holiday party that had maybe been sitting out a little too long to eat as is, but I didn’t want to throw it out. So I thought, well, maybe I could make a better salmon patty. I had made one by Sarah Wilson’s I Quit Sugar team at one point in the past that had incorporated some white beans, and thought it added a little more interest. So I used that as a starting point and then added some of my favorite things to go with salmon, and voila! Healthier salmon patties that don’t make me feel like I’m clogging my arteries (no offense, mom).
Healthy Salmon Patties
Serves 4-6
Prep Time: 5-7 mins
Cook Time: 15-20 mins
Ingredients:
1 lb cooked salmon, or 1 can (14.75 oz) salmon
3 green onions, green parts only
1 large egg
1 cup fresh spinach
1 can cannellini beans (~ 15 oz)
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tsp olive oil (enough to coat the pan lightly for 2 rounds of cooking)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Rinse the cannellini beans thoroughly and then add them to a mixing bowl. Mash them with a fork; it’s ok if there are some pieces still in tact, because it adds to the rustic-ness of these patties. Chop the green onion and spinach into smaller pieces or ribbons. Add the egg into a small bowl and beat. Then add in the salmon, 1 tbsp olive oil, lemon juice, egg, chopped onions, and chopped spinach into the mixing bowl with the beans, and stir with the fork until it forms a smoother consistency and all items are throughout the mix.
In a large saute pan, add 1 tsp olive oil and make sure it coats the bottom of the pan. Turn heat up to medium. With your hands, form patties (hamburger like discs) with the mix. You can make smaller ones or medium sized, and should be able to fit 4-6 patties in the pan at once, depending on size. Cook patties for 4-5 mins until browned on one side, and then flip (using a couple utensils if needed to avoid them from breaking apart), and cook another 4-5 mins until browned on the other side. Remove the patties and place on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any extra olive oil. Repeat for the remaining mix (should be able to cook in two batches, total).
While I like these as is, you can also top them with diced avocado, or with a lemon or spicy aioli for a little more pizzazz.
Recent Comments