It was Christmas time of last year and I needed to bring some appetizers for our 7 fish dinner. I said that I was going to bring crab cakes and thought that I would try another kind of fish cake as well. I like salmon so I searched the internet for a good salmon cake recipe. I did not want to use the typical bread crumbs because that’s what I was using in the crab cakes. I wanted them to be 2 different types of fish cakes so they would not taste the same. I came across this great recipe for Paleo Salmon Cakes on the Everyday Maven website that used sweet potatoes instead of bread crumbs. It just sounded so interesting that I had to try it. Of course, there were ingredients in her recipe that I could not have, so I pared it down to only the ingredients that I could eat and gave it a try.
1 large sweet potato (about 10-ounces), cooked and mashed
2/3 (two/thirds) cup almond meal
1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin
2 large eggs
1 pound fresh Salmon, baked
2 Tablespoons organic coconut oil or ghee for cooking (divided)
If you go the recipe on the Everyday Maven website, you will notice that she wants you to use canned salmon. I decided that if I was going to make salmon cakes, I was going to use fresh, wild salmon. I have been purchasing my fresh fish from the local fish store here in Stroudsburg, Blue Ocean. The fish is always fresh and delicious and the owner is a trip. The conversation is almost as good as the fish itself.
I baked the salmon at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Your cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fish. It is cooked when it flakes apart and the inside is not raw. I just drizzled the salmon with olive oil and sprinkled it with salt and baked it in the oven. It was hard not to eat it right then. Instead I let it cool and then mashed it with a fork.
When preparing to make the salmon cakes, I knew the sweet potatoes needed to be cooked, so I had cooked it ahead of time. You can bake it or boil it or microwave it if you use one. However you decide to prepare it, it is best cooked, cooled, and mashed with skin removed.
Now, after all of the prep work, it is easy. Just throw all the ingredients in a bowl, except for coconut oil or ghee, and mash it together.
I wanted to make the cakes small for an appetizer so I used a small ice cream scoop to form the cakes, but you can use a large spoon, a small ice cream scoop or a regular size scoop that equals about a third of a cup. Place the cakes on a parchment paper lined cookie tray and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or all day (if you made too many, you could freeze any that are not going to be cooked in the next 12 to 24 hours).
Heat a large frying pan (big enough to hold six patties) over medium high heat. I have a lovely cast iron griddle that I used and it worked great. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon coconut oil or Ghee per six patties. Let fat completely melt and get very hot. Slowly add patties and cook for 4 minutes. Gently flip and cook for an additional 4 minutes on the other side. Serve hot.
I hope that you enjoy the recipe no matter which way you try it. It has become a new staple for me. I make a batch and freeze them cooked. When I need some protein for lunch, they are already cooked and ready to eat. I actually like them cold or hot.
Happy cooking!!
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