Despite CO’s repeated attempts at a winter remix it does indeed appear to be spring. Boo ya! Although this does mean that from here on out I probably have no use for my favorite zippy hoody and long lulu pants. I love me some sunshine, but I miss layers in the summer. Layers are my jam. But anyways, with spring comes not only a change in my wardrobe but also in my cravings. I’m very much a land dweller in my eating style – hearty veggies and four-legged protein (maybe throw in two legs plus wings too…)– done. However, once it starts to warm up, my body begins to crave protein of the water dwelling variety to spice and lighten things up a bit. Upon consumption it feel less like that perfectly cozy sweater and more like that less is more sundress experience. While I raised some eyebrows at the Whole Foods checkout counter the other day for declaring that I am not a seasonal pumpkin consumer (I’m a loyal, annual supporter, and fall is just not a long enough season for everything pumpkin!) sometimes you have to hang up the meat stews and rock some fish cakes. Light, airy, and perfectly satisfying – welcome to springtime!
Ingredients: (makes 4 cakes – good for two people)
- 7.5 – 8 oz fresh salmon (if the fish guy is nice, ask him to remove the skin!)
- 1 lime
- fresh italian parsley (flat leaves – but don’t stress if there is only the curly kind…)
- 2-3 cloves shallots
- 2 eggs
- spices: salt, pepper, chipotle, sunny paris (the bomb spice blend from Penzey’s – don’t have it, just rock some onion powder and a spice combo you like – maybe a little dill…)
How it’s Done:
Remove the skin from your salmon if it’s still on your fish. Doesn’t have to be the prettiest job ever, so don’t stress too much – just get it apart one way or another (I cut my fish into smaller fillets and with sharp, short strokes slowly removed the meat from the skin – there was also some general yanking involved – no, it was not my most precise work by any means, and no, I’m not proud of it…) Once you’ve removed the skin, chop the salmon up into small, about ¼ inch pieces and place into a medium sized bowl.
Coarsely chop parsley – think midway between finely chopped and just pulling those leaves off the stem. Throw chopped parsley into bowl.
Finely chop shallots and add to bowl.
Zest your entire lime and add zest to bowl. Save your lime for later to squeeze over your finished cakes.
In a separate bowl, scramble eggs and then add to salmon mixture.
Finally add your spices. Truth – I did not prescribe amounts. I put about equal amounts in of all my spices, which was between several and many hearty shakes. More if wine consumption began during and not after the cooking process. Get a little crazy with those spice shakers. Let loose a little bit.
Mix everything together.
Two eggs should be fine, but take a gander at your mixture. Your salmon shouldn’t be floating willy nilly in your egg mixture, but there should be a good amount of egg “batter” to work with – if it’s looking super dry, just add in another egg.
Heat up a frying pan (cast iron is the bomb here) to medium – maybe flirting with medium high – heat. Throw a hearty spoonful of fat into said pan – both coconut oil and olive oil work great, but if you want to mix it up, get crazy with that fat!
Spoon about a ½ cup of “batter” into the per cake, and cook each cake for 3 minutes on each side.
Consume right away with a slice of lime. Why wait?!
These taste awesome with a simple salad. My sister whipped up a delish counterpart in an arugula salad with roasted walnuts (roast them – they taste 800x yummier in salad!) shaved fennel, and avo.
These can also kick butt for brunch. Or maybe made mini for some Paleo style appetizers. Enjoy!
