Pantry Staples – Curried Salmon Cakes

Pantry staples typically (in my house) include tins of salmon or tuna. These tins seem to last forever and typically move with you from home to home. They have unusually long expiry dates – hence the movement with you. I decided to use up some tins of salmon with a 2021 expiry date on them.  Two recipes for this menu, two separate blogs.  Watch for “Sunshine Veggies” following this one.  

Most of the ingredients in this recipe you should have at home. If you don’t, no worries, I am recommending some substitutions below. But just a footnote, these are items which you should try and stock up on when we return to normal – what is that again? The nice thing about this recipe is the flexibility in ingredients. While this isn’t Michelin star dining, it is comfort food and having eaten in Michelin starred restaurants, while I appreciate that work the Chef and God have put into the “stalk of asparagus” on my plate with flavored dots of goo – ahem – my second course, it does not give me comfort.

This quantity of ingredients will make 12 fish cakes each the size of a burger. They are the perfect size to have on a bun or plain with a salad or some veggies – green beans, oven roasted carrots, pasta, rice etc. Make them as big or as small as you like, freeze what you don’t use for later – bulk cooking and pantry staple cooking in one recipe. This quantity will easily feed a family of 6 one meal.

Substitutions:
No salmon, use tuna, chicken, ham or any other canned meat/fish you have in your pantry
No potato, use canned white cannellini beans (really any type of canned bean) rinsed and mashed before combining with the salmon. Red lentils cooked until almost done also work.
No curry powder – use za ‘atar, peri peri, harissa, sumac, salt and pepper, herbes de Provence – any ready-made spice mix or create your own – this is just a guide
If there are kids (yes they will always be our kids) in the house, get them involved in making their own salmon cakes or take turns making dinner for the family
No fresh veggies – go out and buy some. Frozen veggies also work well. I love frozen kale, spinach, mixed greens, peas and butternut squash or edamame are also really good (just take a little longer to cook)

Make these anytime you want a quick easy to make meal. As always – enjoy!

See substitutions comments above (in the event you decided not to read my heartfelt comments above and just skip to this part)
3 (213g) tins sockeye salmon
3 medium potatoes, quartered and boiled
1 habanero/scotch bonnet pepper, cut in half (optional, but preferred by me)
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, grated (about 1 cup) – optional
2 tsp curry powder – I like the Dion brand
Salt and pepper
Olive oil or vegetable oil for frying
Kimchi – optional, but oh so good for on top of the salmon

Put the cut potatoes and habanero pepper in a pot, cover with water and add 1 tsp salt
Bring to a boil and cook until soft enough to mash – drain, mash (I mashed mine with the habanero) – and set aside
Open and drain 2 of the 3 tins of salmon, reserve the liquid from the 3rd can, empty into a bowl and flake with a fork
To the same pot the potatoes boiled in, add 2 tbsp. olive oil and when hot, add the onion, saute until softened and golden
Add the carrots and cook for 1 minute or so, add the curry powder and stir – take of the heat and continue to stir – don’t burn the curry powder, it will make the cakes taste bitter
Add the mashed potato and stir to mix thoroughly – taste – season with salt and pepper, taste again
Add the mashed mixture to the fish and mix thoroughly – if needed, add the liquid from the reserved can of salmon, a little at a time until the mixture isn’t dry but holds together
Scoop about 1/3 cup into the palm of your impeccably clean – just washed hands, and form into a ball first, then flatten to a patty about ½” thick – set aside on a parchment lined tray – repeat until all the mixture is finished
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer – if freezing, put the tray in the freezer and when frozen place them in a freezer bag, separated by a piece of parchment. This will make portioning easier when using. Label the bag with what’s in it – remember everything looks like chicken after a week in the freezer!
When ready to fry, in a heavy bottom skillet, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil
When hot, add the fish cakes to the oil and fry until lightly browned
Remember everything in this is cooked – we are also not using egg or breadcrumb on these cakes so you just want to warm it through – be gentle as they may crack or break up (which will be equally delicious as if they didn’t break up)
Remove to a paper towel lined plate
Serve with veggies, rice, pasta – or the vegetable-pasta dish following this blog – Sunshine Veggies