Leftover Salmon?

Whether your salmon was grilled, baked, broiled or poached, it makes great leftovers.  Buy extra and plan ahead – Friday evening’s dinner becomes a perfect light lunch for the weekend, with little preparation.

Salmon Salad

Flake leftover cooked salmon into a bowl, and add just enough mayonnaise to hold it all together; too much will overpower the flavors and make it mushy.  For an unusual twist on standard tuna salad sandwiches, try adding one or more of the following to the flaked salmon and mayonnaise combination:

• curry powder
• chopped fresh dill
• hot sauce and chopped fresh cilantro
• capers and flecks of cream cheese or chevre (goat cheese)
• soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil
• sweet pickles
• minced red onion and stoneground mustard

Salmon Cakes

These are excellent alone as appetizers, or atop a homemade caesar with crisp romaine, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and lemon wedges.

Basic ingredients:

• leftover salmon, flaked (canned works well, too)
• one egg, beaten
• a cup or more of crushed soda crackers (put them in a large ziploc bag and roll them with a rolling pin or bottle of wine)
• salt and pepper
• flour for dusting

Suggested add-ins:

• minced red bell pepper
• chopped cilantro
• minced fresh jalapenos
• fresh garlic, crushed
• cumin
• capers
• Be creative!

Combine all the ingredients (except the flour) in a large bowl and mix well with washed hands.  The mixture should be dough-like in consistency; if it’s too wet, add some flour or more cracker crumbs; if it’s too dry, add a splash of milk.  Form the cakes into inch-thick rounds, dust them with flour on a flat plate, and fry in a quarter inch of oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet until brown.  Crack the first one open to be sure they’re fully cooked – they need to be crisp on the outside, and hot all the way through.  If the oil is too hot, they may brown too much before cooking through: turn down the heat and smash the cakes a little flatter.  Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a low-temperature oven before serving.