All of us here at Four Chickens are big seafood fans. Even Girlfriend has been eating fish since she started eating solids as a baby. Our favorites are the deep sea fish like salmon and halibut. I mean, how can you not eat these fish while living the Pacific Northwest? So good and so healthy.
But, again, I am a Southern girl at heart. So, the day after we have one of these kinds of fish (usually baked with herbs and olive oil, en papillote, where you seal the fish in a pouch and bake it– essentially steaming the food in its own juices), we use the leftovers for Salmon (or Halibut) Croquettes (or Patties). I always make more than enough so we have leftovers. Because I am Southern. Of course. I think that the original inspiration for these were cooks trying to make a little bit of protein (fish) go a longer way by extending it with additives like bread and eggs. You can use canned salmon in these–which is probably a bit more authentic, but I don’t really like the canned stuff (it’s got bones and things).
Making Salmon Croquettes is fairly simple. You just mix the leftover flaked fish with bread crumbs, eggs, onion, and seasonings. You form it into patties, coat with seasoned flour, and pan-fry. Voila–you have dinner. We serve these with a Spicy Remoulade Sauce (recipe below).
The Salmon Croquette recipe I use is from one of my favorite cookbooks is Soul and Spice: African Cooking in the Americas by Heidi Haughy Cusick. This, I think, is one of the most overlooked gems in the cookbook world. I’ve had it for about 15 years now, and it lives on my “most used cookbooks” shelf. This book explores the fascinating food link between Africa and the United States. And a good portion of the foods represented fall into the category of “traditional Southern cooking.” Because that’s what a lot of Southern cooking is–derivations of African cooking. Anyway, this book is so good that it is one of the books I would take if ever stranded on a desert island. Um, that is, a desert island with a full kitchen at my convenience (heh).
Salmon (or Halibut) Croquettes
-adapted from Soul and Spice
Ingredients
For Croquettes
1 lb cooked salmon (or halibut), picked over for bones and flaked
1/2 medium onion, minced
1/2 cup dried gf breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tablespoons dried)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper
1/4 cup Seasoned Flour (recipe below) or cornmeal (for frying)
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
For Seasoned Flour
1/4 cup Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
You can also mix in any of the following seasonings, if you so desire:
lemon pepper
cayenne pepper
dry mustard
paprika
dried herbs/spices such as basil, oregano, thyme, sage, allspice, coriander, cumin, ginger
In a bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper (and any seasonings you want).
For the breadcrumbs:
I make breadcrumbs out of my Multi-Grain Sandwich Bread. To make breadcrumbs, I take a few slices and toast them in the toaster. I then let them cool and I grind them into crumbs in a food processor. If you don’t want to go through this process, you can also use commercially-bought gluten-free bread crumbs.
For Spicy Remoulade Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sweet relish
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried
1 clove shallot, minced
2 slices jarred pickled jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, minced
1-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or fresh lemon juice)–I use 1 tablespoon usually
1 tablespoon brown mustard
1 tsp dried tarragon
ground pepper
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Let sit at room temperature for an hour to meld the flavors before serving. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for about 1 week. Use as a sauce for the Salmon Croquettes
To make the Croquettes:
-in a large bowl, mix together all of the Croquette ingredients except for the Seasoned Flour
-form this mixture into hamburger-sized patties
-coat all sides of the patties with the Seasoned Flour
-heat oil in a pan
-fry the Croquettes for a few minutes on each side, letting each side brown a bit
-serve hot with the Spicy Remoulade as an accompaniment.
To round out this meal, I usually make some brown rice and a side salad. It’s perfect for a winter or a summer dinner. And the remoulade goes nicely with the rice, too.
Enjoy!
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