Salmon Patties - ISO Tried and True recipes

Hi all, not sure where to ask this, so mods move to another thread if wrong place.
A friend is trying to make salmon patties and is failing. I can't help, as I don't remember my mom every making them, and I wouldn't eat them anyway if she did. Here is what she asked me:

Don’t remember exactly how my mom made hers but every recipe I try is not right! Mom used crushed saltines for the filler, onion, egg, s & p and, of course, canned salmon. I either get too many saltines or not enough. Fall apart a little either way. And I think mom must have used more oil to fry them in. Maybe used Crisco? I don’t know.
The flavor just isn’t right either.

Any good recipes out there, so she has a successfully way to start? She is a recipe follower and not much for freestylin' cookin'. She is in her mid 60s, so this would have been 40-50 years ago when her mother was making them. Thanks for any help you folks can provide.

Xexo wrote:Hi all, not sure where to ask this, so mods move to another thread if wrong place.
A friend is trying to make salmon patties and is failing. I can't help, as I don't remember my mom every making them, and I wouldn't eat them anyway if she did. Here is what she asked me:

Don’t remember exactly how my mom made hers but every recipe I try is not right! Mom used crushed saltines for the filler, onion, egg, s & p and, of course, canned salmon. I either get too many saltines or not enough. Fall apart a little either way. And I think mom must have used more oil to fry them in. Maybe used Crisco? I don’t know.
The flavor just isn’t right either.

Any good recipes out there, so she has a successfully way to start? She is a recipe follower and not much for freestylin' cookin'. She is in her mid 60s, so this would have been 40-50 years ago when her mother was making them. Thanks for any help you folks can provide.

I’m a huge fan of Bittman’s salmon burger recipe = https://recipes.oregonlive.com/recipes/ ... rk-bittman

Xexo wrote:Hi all, not sure where to ask this, so mods move to another thread if wrong place.
A friend is trying to make salmon patties and is failing. I can't help, as I don't remember my mom every making them, and I wouldn't eat them anyway if she did. Here is what she asked me:

Don’t remember exactly how my mom made hers but every recipe I try is not right! Mom used crushed saltines for the filler, onion, egg, s & p and, of course, canned salmon. I either get too many saltines or not enough. Fall apart a little either way. And I think mom must have used more oil to fry them in. Maybe used Crisco? I don’t know.
The flavor just isn’t right either.

Any good recipes out there, so she has a successfully way to start? She is a recipe follower and not much for freestylin' cookin'. She is in her mid 60s, so this would have been 40-50 years ago when her mother was making them. Thanks for any help you folks can provide.

I’d probably start a new thread for this.

boudreaulicious wrote:I’d probably start a new thread for this.

And here we are . . .

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

Thank you moderators! Most kind of you.

My father is allergic to tuna, or simply did not like canned tuna, hard to tell. Either way tuna, canned in particular was a banned item in our household. Thus we ate quite a bit of canned salmon, mainly salmon patties. I'm pretty sure my mom used matzo meal, not saltines, and they were tasty.

Specific to topic. I would suggest the patties get either a short stint in the freezer or refrigerate for a few hours. Then, importantly, once they are in the pan Do Not Touch, Futz or Fidget for three or four minutes, burner on med-high half inch of oil in the pan. When flipping use two spatulas or a spatula and a spoon to gently turn them over.

For filler use bread soaked in milk and gently work it into the salmon with the other ingredients. Don't shy with the eggs, herbs, spices. Once formed dip the patties in egg wash, then onto a plate with crumbled saltines.

Add butter to the oil for flavor is you wish, and remember to strongly state to your friend Do Not Futz with the patties once they are in the pan, this is a sure road to disaster.

Thank you Mr. Wiv. I'll pass the info along to her.

An aside, I had to be very careful to not write "Mr. Wiz."

G Wiv wrote:My father is allergic to tuna, or simply did not like canned tuna, hard to tell. Either way tuna, canned in particular was a banned item in our household. Thus we ate quite a bit of canned salmon, mainly salmon patties. I'm pretty sure my mom used matzo meal, not saltines, and they were tasty.

Specific to topic. I would suggest the patties get either a short stint in the freezer or refrigerate for a few hours. Then, importantly, once they are in the pan Do Not Touch, Futz or Fidget for three or four minutes, burner on med-high half inch of oil in the pan. When flipping use two spatulas or a spatula and a spoon to gently turn them over.

For filler use bread soaked in milk and gently work it into the salmon with the other ingredients. Don't shy with the eggs, herbs, spices. Once formed dip the patties in egg wash, then onto a plate with crumbled saltines.

Add butter to the oil for flavor is you wish, and remember to strongly state to your friend Do Not Futz with the patties once they are in the pan, this is a sure road to disaster.

Here's how my mom made them. I have replicated this recipe many times, most recently with canned tuna (although I prefer salmon). These were a weekly staple of my childhood.

1 14.75 oz can pink salmon, deboned
1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed into fine crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 glug of milk
Black pepper and salt to taste

Flake the salmon into a large mixing bowl. Add the saltine crumbs and mix together thoroughly. Add the beaten egg, the milk, and salt and pepper, and mix until thoroughly moistened. Form the mixture into patties about the size of your palm. Fry in half an inch of hot vegetable oil, 3-4 minutes per side (until a pleasingly crunchy and brown crust forms). Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess grease. Serve with Tas-Tee salad dressing, a side of canned peas, and a Knorr rice packet.

I've made them for many years from the old Silver Palate "The New Basics" cookbook, and they are a family favorite. The recipe includes some mayo along with breadcrumbs, egg, chopped onion and yellow bell pepper, and seasonings added to a can of pink salmon. Shallow fry them in neutral oil such as canola. The original recipe calls for sorrel mayo on the side, but I mix up a quick sauce of mayo, sour cream, and chili sauce.

Thank you Ms EvA. I'm looking for a used copy of this cookbook locally to give to my friend.

And a big thank you to everyone else who have posted tips. I've passed them on. I'll post back her progress when she makes them again.

EvA wrote:I've made them for many years from the old Silver Palate "The New Basics" cookbook, and they are a family favorite. The recipe includes some mayo along with breadcrumbs, egg, chopped onion and yellow bell pepper, and seasonings added to a can of pink salmon. Shallow fry them in neutral oil such as canola. The original recipe calls for sorrel mayo on the side, but I mix up a quick sauce of mayo, sour cream, and chili sauce.

I have seen this more with crab patties where people refuse to add an egg or breadcrumbs as a filler. They seem to want a crab cake that is 100% back fin meat. The problem is that the cake falls apart.

I use Italian breadcrumbs and one egg per can of salmon.

Thanks!

jlawrence01 wrote:I have seen this more with crab patties where people refuse to add an egg or breadcrumbs as a filler. They seem to want a crab cake that is 100% back fin meat. The problem is that the cake falls apart.

I use Italian breadcrumbs and one egg per can of salmon.

One more thing. I would probably make the patty and then bread the salmon patty in panko bread crumbs. Then I would either oven fry on a sheet pan with a lot of vegetable oil OR more likely, air fry it.