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21st century croquettes By Chef Kady Guyton
Everyone should eat more fish, it's low in fat, full of the good oils and proteins and also pretty tasty. However, tossing down grilled fillets all the time can get a little boring - and dry.
In the 1950s there was a movement to make more American foods sound French. A dish that had been around in various forms for years got rechristened as a "croquette". A croquette - from the French word "croquer" or "to crunch" - referred to any number of things that were rolled in breadcrumbs and fried.
Salmon cakes or patties became salmon croquettes on quite a few lunch menus. Sometime in the last 30 years they drifted back to being called salmon cakes, but the recipe is basically the same - with a few small changes.
Being Americans, there are quite a few regional variations on this dish. New Englanders tend to skip the salmon entirely and use ground ham. Cooks in southern Florida use seasoned Cuban bread as a filler, making a slightly spicy cake. People in the upper Midwest like to use oatmeal as a filler, which sounds odd but I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work.
While I would never recommend that a cook use inferior ingredients, I will venture that sometimes it matters less. Because the fish is blended with other things and fried, using canned salmon wouldn't be the end of the world. There is some very good canned salmon from Alaska that would be just fine in this dish. Smoked salmon is not recommended; the flavor would get muddied with the other ingredients. Save that for the bagels and cream cheese where it will be fully appreciated.
The recipe below is a little more traditional, but does call for the addition of Siracha or chili garlic sauce and fresh cilantro. Cilantro is a a very divisive ingredient. Some people find it overwhelmingly soapy and others can't get enough of it. If you are on the overwhelmed side of the debate, replace the cilantro with parsley.
Many recipes require mayonnaise or whole eggs as a binder. This one just wants the white of one egg, resulting in a lower-calorie cake. The trade-off is that the cakes need to sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking so the white can set. However, they cook in under 5 minutes, so use that time to make a salad or other side dish.
Cook for two minutes on each side and serve hot.
Salmon Cakes
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs Directions:
2. Add salmon and mix throughly. Divide mixture into fourths and press into 1-inch thick patties. Arrange on a baking sheet, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Serve hot.
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