Baked Salmon Cakes

Lent is coming up which means lots of meatless or fish Fridays are around the corner. Sarah found this recipe last year and I modified it a little to fit in with what I had, and this was a hit with the family. These salmon cakes can be served as an appetizer or as a main meal.

 

1/2 pound wild Alaskan salmon filet, fresh or frozen (if frozen thaw overnight in the refrigerator)

kosher salt, to taste

olive oil cooking spray

1 tbsp olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)

1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)

1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)

1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)

1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

1 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

3 tbsp light mayonnaise

3 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 large egg, lightly beaten

 

 

1. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Heat up a saute pan, spray with oil and add salmon. Cook salmon pieces 4 to 5 minutes until lightly brown, and then turn and cook another 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

 

2. Add olive oil to the pan and add onion, celery, peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce and Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook for about 18 - 20 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Set aside to cool off.

 

3. Flake the salmon in a large bowl, add breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard and egg. Mix together and add vegetables and mix well. Cover and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

 

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking pan with foil and lightly spray. Shape salmon mixture into 15 patties (use 1/4 measurement).

 

 

 

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes on each side until bottoms are a golden brown. Serve immediately with a dressing of your choice.

 

 

Note: You can make this gluten free by replacing the breadcrumbs with crushed rice cereal. I have made this substitution many times and it works beautifully.



 



Seafood and Mushroom Crepes

When this dish appears, it means that Lent is here. I made up this recipe years ago when John described a dish he had at a restaurant called the Sea Watch in Florida, and it has remained one of our favorite dishes.

Crepes:
2 Tbsp. butter, melted & cooled
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose salt
1/2 tsp. salt

1. About 3 hours before serving or overnight: In a bowl whisk melted butter, eggs and milk. Add flour and salt and whisk until smooth. Cover; refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2. Brush 7-inch crepe pan and 10-inch skillet with butter and heat over medium heat. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into crepe pan and spread as thinly as possible. Cook until underside is lightly brown but edges are not crisp. Flip into skillet and cook for about 30 seconds and then remove to waxed paper covered plate.

3. Repeat until all batter is used up.

Seafood filling:
5 Tbsp. butter
3/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk (2 % or whole)
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups medium raw shrimp peeled, de-veined and tails removed
1 cup small scallops
chopped parsley

1. In 3-quart sauce pan over medium heat, in butter, cook mushrooms until soft. Remove to a bowl.

2. In same pan add shrimp and cook until almost done before adding scallops and cooking for another 1 - 2 minutes. Remove seafood to a clean bowl and set aside.

3. Add 3 tablespoons butter to the pan and melt. With a whisk add flour and salt and cook until brown, stirring with whisk. In a bowl, mix broth, sherry and milk; stir into flour mixture in pan; cook until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted, remove pan from heat.

4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Reserve 1/2 cup of the sauce. Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish.

5. Add the cooked seafood to the cheese sauce and all but 1/4 cup of the cooked mushrooms.

6. Start assembling crepes -- spoon 1/3 cup filling onto a crepe; roll up and place in baking dish. Repeat until all crepes are done.

7. Sir 2 tablespoons milk and mushrooms into reserved sauce; spoon over crepes. Bake 20 minutes. Top with parsley and serve hot.

Note: I make my crepes smaller and can get about 10 crepes out of the batter.

Gluten Free Crepes

1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs

2 tbsp. butter, melted

1. Preheat a  6 - 7 skillet/crepe pan over medium heat.

2. Fix flour & salt.

3. Beat milk and eggs until well combined. Whisk milk mixture into the flour mixture until smooth. Add melted butter and whisk until well combined.

4. Brush pan with butter. Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour batter into pan, swirling to form an even circle around pan. Cook until underside is very lightly golden ... loosen edges and flip over. Cook for about 30 seconds. Slide onto a platter.

5. Repeat until all batter is used up.