Goodies from the Garden: Salmon Herb and Veggie Cakes

Welcome to the second edition of “Goodies from the Garden”– meals I make using fresh herbs and veggies from my parents’ sprawling Brooklyn garden! Sit down, relax, stay awhile…

I thought these Salmon Herb and Veggie Cakes would be a perfect addition to this series. I made them one night on a whim, knowing I had a pepper and some shallots high on the “use me now before I go bad list”. To add to those ingredients, I got some fresh kale and parsley leaves from the garden and cans of salmon from the pantry, thinking it had been quite some time since I had had fish as a main course for dinner (sushi doesn’t count here, though I eat it more frequently than I’d like to admit.)

Seafood/fish are my favorite sources of protein. I don’t know about everyone else but if I could eat fish and only fish as my protein for the rest of my days, I’d be an extremely happy girl. I really enjoyed making (and eating) these salmon cakes because they didn’t require a whole lot of effort and were delicious and light. I especially love the addition of lemon juice, which works very nicely with the fish and the other vegetables.

This is a perfect summer meal that could definitely stand on its own or pair nicely with a side salad or small bowl of corn kernels. Feel free to swap out the kale for spinach if you prefer or use another variety of pepper if you like things extra spicy. Enjoy!

Salmon Herb and Veggie Cakes

by Emily of (Mainly) Gluten Free in NYC

Serves 3

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 small orange pepper, finely chopped
¼ cup kale, washed and finely chopped
2 shallots, minced
3 cans salmon, drained well
3 eggs, beaten
½ tsp Worchestire Sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 cup parsley leaves, washed and chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup gluten free bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small skillet, using very little olive oil, sauté the pepper, kale and shallots until soft, about three or four minutes. While this is cooking, mash the drained salmon in a bowl with a fork. Add the vegetables and mix well. Coat the mixture with the beaten eggs and add the worchestire sauce, garlic powder, parsley, lemon juice, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. Mix until thoroughly combined. Pour the remaining bread crumbs into a wide bowl. Set aside.

Line a large cookie tray with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray. Using your hands or a small ice cream scoop, spoon the salmon mixture into small balls and roll in the bread crumbs. Place each on the cookie tray and flatten into a patty with your palm. Before putting the tray in the oven, spray the cakes with cooking spray. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Top with fresh cut parsley and serve warm.