Sunday, November 8, 2009

Crabby Patties - and a give away, kittens!


OK, they're not really Crabby Patties, but when you live with a 10 year old you can't help but think "Crabby Patties" when you've got round, fried seafood cakes. Squidward WISHES his were this good!

The fine folks at Safcol sent me samples of their canned salmon and tuna to try. Since Safcol comes in lots of tasty flavors - Lemon Pepper, Tomato Basil, Chipoltle, Spicy Chili, Cajun - I wanted to use it for something more than a run-of-the-mill sammi filler. My mind turned to crab cakes - which I love, but never make because good crab is so spendy. Subbing tuna or salmon is a yummy and frugal alternative. Are you ready, kids? Let's make:

Salmon Cakes with Aioli

1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 minced garlic cloves
1 cup olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice

1 egg
1/4 cup aioli
1/2 cup green onions*
1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence
3 6oz. cans Safcol Lemon Pepper Salmon, drained (about 9 oz)
2 cups fresh bread crumbs (made from sturdy bread)**
1 teaspoon sea salt

Oil for frying

First, make the aioli:

Put all of the ingredients into the bottom of a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Plunge a stick blender to the bottom of the cup. Turn on the blender, leaving it on the bottom while the mayo thickens. As it thickens, move it up a bit to incorporate all of the ingredients. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.

Chick here for a video on this technique

(Don't have a stick blender? Get one! They're not expensive, will last you forever, and are indispensable in the kitchen. I'll never make mayo/aioli any other way. And they're the best for making quick & easy veggie soups)

To make the patties:

In a medium bowl, blend the egg, 1/4 cup of the aioli you just made, green onions, and herbs. Add the salmon and 1 cup of the bread crumbs. Blend until incorporated.

Using a tablespoon, form the mixture into flat patties. Chill for 1/2 and hour or overnight to make ahead.

Place the remaining 1 cup of bread crumbs on a plate and sprinkle in the sea salt. Drop a patty into the crumbs, cover with crumbs and press to coat. Place the covered patty back on the plate. Continue with the remaining patties. Chill for 1/2 an hour.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch covered skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 of the patties and cover the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn, cover and cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate covered with 2-3 layers of newspaper and 1 sheet of paper towel to drain (why? because its cheaper than 2-3 layers of paper towels!)

Serve with the rest of the aioli

Makes 18 nibbly-sized patties

The gears of my brain are turning with other ways I can season and flavor seafood patties. But yours is too. And to get you started, I've got 10 sampler packs of Safcol Tuna and Salmon to give away - just leave a comment here or on Facebook and I'll randomly select winners next weekend.

*Don't forget you can re-grow green onions

**I forgot to buy a baguette and used English Muffins. I muffin = 1 cup of crumbs

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