One of my favorite possessions is a loose-leaf notebook filled with handwritten recipes given to me over the years by friends and family. Many of these recipes were handed down for generations because they are delicious and reliable. A tried and true recipe like this is definitely worth its weight in gold.
I’m always thrilled to get a new handwritten recipe to add to my collection. Recently a friend gave me her recipe for salmon patties. I looked forward to making these because I had not ever made salmon patties. When I was growing up, my father was a CPA and he had a client who had a fish cannery in Astoria, Oregon. We always had cases of canned salmon and smoked sturgeon in the pantry. My mother routinely made a salmon loaf and it was one of my favorite dinners. This recipe caused me to reminisce a little.
I used a 14.75 ounce can of wild caught Alaskan salmon. Canned salmon also comes in a six ounce size. If you use that size, just use two cans and a little bit less of the other ingredients. Dawn said that the mixture freezes well. Also it can be made into small patties and served as an appetizer.
Salmon Patties
One can salmon, cleaned and drained
¼ cup sour cream
Capers to taste
Two tablespoons chopped onion
1 tsp horseradish or Dijon mustard
One egg
Put the salmon in a strainer and thoroughly drain it. Remove the skin and small bones. Combine the remainder of the ingredients then add the salmon. If the mixture is too wet to form into a patty, add a little of the panko until you can make one that retains its shape. Coat them with the panko. I fried one batch in grapeseed oil and the other in butter. Butter has a low smoke point so the reduced heat increased the cooking time. When frying, turn them over only once; that will keep them from falling apart. I fried them about ten minutes per side until they were a dark golden brown which gave them a lovely crunchy texture. Dawn said she sometimes adds chopped vegetables, like tri-color peppers or fresh herbs. I used a shallot instead of an onion and the Daisy brand of sour cream. In my opinion, Daisy seems to have a better flavor than the other kinds.
I put the patties on toasted hamburger buns with thinly sliced red onion. My friend Heather made some tartar sauce using equal parts mayo, sour cream, and dill pickle relish. I served them with a wedge of lemon; a splash of lemon always brightens the flavor a bit. There you have it – a recipe worth its weight in gold.