Salmon Patties

My family loves salmon, but have you noticed the prices lately?  Fresh and even frozen salmon fillets are quite expensive to eat on a regular basis, as least for our current family budget.  In order to enjoy salmon and also it's health benefits, I make a gluten-free, egg-free version of the "old fashioned" New England favorite using canned alaskan salmon.  The "old fashioned" version I grew up eating was bound together with crushed saltine crackers, eggs, and milk.  It was delicious, but not a good option when dealing with food allergies.  So I have developed this recipe that uses no gluten or eggs.  I do use milk, but any milk substitute that you like will work well (substituted in equal amounts) with this recipe.

When purchasing canned salmon I always make sure that it specifies on the can that it is a product of the US, specifically wild Alaskan salmon, for best quality for the price.  Red Sockeye or Pink will both work well.  About the only difference is the Red Sockeye salmon will be a brighter pink color, but when used in this capacity, it renders the same result as the Pink, except the end result with be more pink in color.  Pictured above is Salmon Patties made with the Pink salmon.  I usually get pink for this on an everyday basis because the price is cheaper. If I was going to make these for a special occasion, like an appetizer for a holiday gathering for example, I might pay a little more for the brighter color.

(2) 14.75 oz. cans of Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon
1/4 c. Coconut Flour
1 Lime, juiced and zested
1 Tbs.  milled Flaxseed
2 Tbs. Buckwheat Flour
1/2  Medium sized Sweet Onion, finely diced, caramelized
1/3 c. milk (or favorite milk substitute)
Salt & Pepper to Taste

After opening the cans of salmon, hold lid in place and pour out the liquid that the salmon is packed in.  Then, gently turn salmon out of cans onto a plate and scrape away and discard any skin that is present and also remove and discard the back bones.  Any other small bones found in it will easily break up into the mixture when stirring and is good to leave in for extra calcium (no, they don't crunch when you eat them, you will never know they are there..).  Place salmon into a mixing bowl and add to it the coconut flour, lime juice and 1/2 the zest (save the rest for another use, flaxseed, buckwheat flour, caramelized onions, milk, salt and pepper.  Mix together well with fork or fingers.  You will know that you have the right amount of moisture and dry ingredients (the binders) when you can squeeze some of the salmon mixture lightly in your hand and it holds together, without liquid squeezing through your fingers (which means you need a little more buckwheat flour...) or having to pack it like a snowball (which would mean you need a little more milk or milk substitute).  Form mixture into patties, cook on a medium low greased skillet until golden brown, then turn over and cook until golden brown on the second side.  Serve immediately with ketchup, tartar sauce, remoulade sauce, or other favorite condiment (tartar sauce and remoulade sauce are not usually egg-free, so please be careful if allergic to eggs!).  If you have any leftovers, they are great the following day as a sandwich, either hot or cold. Wow... there's a fond childhood memory coming back of salmon sandwiches in my school lunch!  With ketchup of course!

Serving suggestion:  We like to eat them with rice and fresh pineapple or mango.  A nice fruit salsa would be great with these too.  Below, is a salmon patty pictured with rice, pineapple and a chili lime remoulade sauce made out of a combination of things I had in the fridge:  mayo, thousand island dressing, hot sauce, chili powder, lime juice/zest, salt, pepper... I didn't measure just mixed until it tasted good.  ;o)  Have fun eating your weekly dietary seafood allowance!

Salmon patty with rice, fresh pineapple, and chili lime remoulade sauce