Salmon Patties, Burgers, Croquettes….

Help! What do we call these?

I’ve always called them Salmon Patties but my mom calls her version Salmon Croquettes.

Put it on a bun and you’d have a good case for a Salmon Burger.

Let’s just call them delicious and EASY.

This is one of my “go to” weeknight meals. I almost always have the ingredients on hand and can whip a batch of these up in no time.

My favorite way to serve them is with creamy peas. Feels like a bit of an English twist to the old Salmon Patty but if peas aren’t your thing, they’re also delicious on a salad, as a burger (top with some arugula!), or even totally plain.

Think crab cake but not as rich or as expensive.

Here’s what you need:

For the Salmon Patties:  Salmon Packets, Mayonnaise, Egg, Celery, Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Hot Sauce, Bread Crumbs, Whole Grain Dijon Mustard, Salt & Pepper, Butter, and Olive Oil (not shown). For the Creamed Pea topping: Frozen Peas, Butter, Flour, Milk, Salt & Pepper.

Click HERE for a Salmon Patty Shopping List

I’m a pretty big fan of this salmon in the packet.

It’s skinless and boneless which saves the huge (and somewhat gross) job of having to pick through your salmon for bones. Look for it in the store near the tuna.

Time to chop. Finely chop 1/2 cup onion (about 1/4 of a large onion), 1/2 cup celery (1-2 stalks), and 1/2 cup red bell pepper (1/2 a pepper).

You’ll want all of your veggies chopped into fairly small pieces so that they are easily incorporated into the salmon and formed into patties without being too lumpy.

In a large pan, heat 1 Tablespoon of butter and 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat until melted and foamy.

Saute the veggies until they are tender but not browned — about 5 minutes.

When the vegetables are tender but still a little on the crisp side, set them off the heat to cool slightly.

Empty 2 (6 ounce) packets of Salmon into a large bowl. No need to drain, there’s hardly any liquid in the packets.

Add one egg and 1 Tablespoon of Whole Grain Dijon Mustard.

I use this Whole Grain Mustard all the time. It’s especially good in these patties because you get just a little bit of extra zip when you bite into the little mustard seeds.

Add 1 teaspoon (or more) of hot sauce such as Frank’s or Texas Pete Hot Sauce.

These brands of hot sauce add more flavor than fire so don’t worry that you’re going to light up your little salmon patties. I prefer hot sauce over Tabasco because it has more tomato rather than vinegar flavor. If Tabasco is all you have, either skip it or add only one or two drops.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. For me, that’s about 1/2 teaspoon each.

Give everything a quick stir to incorporate the egg. Then add 1/2 cup mayonnaise and the cooked veggies.

Add 1 cup of plain bread crumbs….

and stir gently to combine all the ingredients.

Form the salmon mixture into 6 patties. The mixture will be soft and somewhat mushy but should hold together fairly easily. If you’re having trouble with your patties falling apart, stir in just a bit more bread crumbs but be careful not to over-do it. If your mixture looks too dry, add a little more mayo or even just a dash of water.

Here is the trick — REFRIGERATE the salmon patties for 20 minutes before cooking to help them keep their shape.

After a nice chill, the salmon patties cook very quickly since everything in them except the egg is pre-cooked.

In your large skillet (non-stick is great for this), melt 1 Tablespoon Butter and 1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil until foamy. You will need more butter and oil if you don’t have non-stick.

Add the patties and cook over medium to medium high heat for about 4 minutes per side until golden brown on both sides and heated through.

As they cook on the second side, I carefully tip the pan to get the butter and oil evenly distributed. That way I can usually avoid adding more oil.

Now, you can stop here and eat these lovely salmon patties all on their own…but they do look kind of lonely.

OR you can make the creamed pea topping! If I’m making the peas, I start them during the 20 minutes while the salmon patties are in the refrigerator. Then you can hold the peas in the few minutes it takes to cook the patties to golden brown perfection.

The peas are just a simple white sauce. Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a medium sauce pan.

Stir in 2 Tablespoons of Flour to make a thick paste or roux.

Cook the roux for a minute over medium heat to be sure that the flour has all been absorbed into the butter. Then add 1 cup of milk and whisk to remove all the lumps.

Cook the white sauce for a few minutes over medium heat to thicken. You want this to simmer lightly but not come to a rolling boil.

Add 1 cup of frozen peas and stir them into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

At this point, the creamed peas can just hang out on very low heat while you cook the salmon patties. The cream sauce will likely thicken up as it rests so if it is too thick, just add a tiny bit of milk until you have the saucy consistency you desire.

When the patties are ready, top with the peas and dig in!

Salmon PattiesBurgersCroquettes with Peas. Something a little different but SO good.

Here’s the recipe:

Salmon Patties