Thai Salmon Cakes

Last week I went salmon fishing with my grandpa and caught a few of these:

I had most of the fish smoked but saved a small coho to eat fresh.  After my boyfriend and I were both sick of eating it, I turned the leftovers into salmon cakes. 

If you know me, you know that I despise mayonnaise, which is the glue that holds most salmon cakes together.  So here is my sans-the-mayo, Asian version.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked salmon, skin removed, finely flaked and picked over for bones

juice and zest of one lime

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Sriracha or other hot sauce

1 Tbs rice wine vinegar

1 Tbs soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 egg

3/4 cup panko crumbs + 2 cups for breading

1 small red bell pepper, seeds and stem removed and coarsely chopped

2 green onions

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, loosely packed

4 Tbs oil

Instructions:

In a medium bowl mix fish, lime, pepper, salt, Sriracha, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, egg and 3/4 cup of the panko crumbs until well combined.

In a food processor, chop the bell pepper, onion, garlic and cilantro until very finely minced. Stir into the fish mixture.

Heat 2 Tbs of oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Sprinkle remaining panko crumbs into a pie plate.  Form fish mixture into 2 1/2” patties and gently press into panko crumbs to coat both sides.

Cook patties, working in two batches, until brown and crispy on the outside and heated through, about 3 minutes on each side. Add additional oil between batches.

Serve with jalapeño jelly or sweet chili sauce.

These are great for entertaining because you can make them ahead and keep them warm in the oven.  You can also substitute other fish or finely chopped shrimp for the salmon.