Lemon Sauced Salmon Patties

Friday 17 May 2019


My sister and I were talking earlier today.  She was telling me that she had had to throw away a dozen cans of out of date Salmon from my mother's larder. 
 
There were still about half a dozen that were still in date but that she was taking to the food bank.  She wouldn't have dared throw it away while mum was alive, but now mum is gone, there is no point keeping it.



Mum did love a bargain, and tended to hoard things like tinned salmon, toilet paper and shampoo.  I don't think my sister will have to buy toilet paper for years, (LOL). 
 
The local charity shop has been gifted with a nice box of shampoos and creams for their employees to share. The things that get left behind when someone passes. It is food for thought for sure.



  My sister and I were remembering how in the summer when it was hot sometimes my mom would open a tin of salmon for our supper.  We would each get a spoonful on our plate along with some potato salad, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, etc. and that would be supper.  
 
We both hated it . . .with the bones in it, the skin, etc. Just the thought of it makes me cringe.


I am still not fond of it served that way, and I confess when I buy tinned salmon, I always buy the one without any skin or bones. I don't care how much more it costs.  

I am not fond of tinned salmon just sitting on my plate, on its own. I like it in a sandwich, or as a loaf, patties, etc. Not on its own.



On its own I would much rather have a nicely cooked fillet of salmon or salmon steak.  Those can be very nice if cooked properly.
 
 I do love tinned salmon in a casserole, loaf or pie. My mother made the nicest salmon pies.


It would be a shame to use a nice fillet of salmon in this way. One feels no compunction or guilt about using a nice tin of salmon for dishes such as this. 

Or even if you had leftover cooked salmon. It would be nice done this way.


Simple salmon patties. Flaked and mashed tinned salmon, mixed with some breadcrumbs, milk, egg, parsley, grated onion (I use my micro plane grater) and seasoning, mixed together and spooned into well buttered muffin cups.
 
Make sure the muffin cups are well buttered. That way they don't stick. There is nothing more annoying than stuff stuck on muffin tins.


These are baked until set and golden brown. They have a nice crisp and buttery crust, which I love.
 
You could add some finely minced green pepper if you wanted to, which would be nice or even some finely chopped green olives.


I try not to pack them into the muffin cups.  I want them to be light and fluffy.  Compacting them would result in something heavy and leaden I fear.
 
 I really do love the little crispy bits that you get from the uneven texture on the tops of them. My favourite bits. I love crunchy things in case you hadn't guessed.



I always like to make a sauce to serve with them. There is a nice lemon butter sauce that I make sometimes. It is a bit on the sweetish side.
 
Sometimes I will use creamed peas, which is very old fashioned. Old fashioned and quite delicious!


Today I made a creamy lemon sauce, which is different than my usual Lemon Butter Sauce. It is rich and creamy.
 
It is not translucent, but rather opague. I really liked it.


Its like a basic bechamel sauce but with the addition of lemon juice and cayenne pepper. You cannot beat a good bechamel sauce.
 
People think that they can't make one, but if you have made macaroni and cheese, you have made  basic bechamel with cheese added.


The sauce  gets spooned over the baked patties. I love that they are not fried. This can cut back on the fat.
 
If you are cutting back on the fat by not frying you don't mind being a bit indulgent with the sauce.


Such a simple dish, but so flavourful.  I served them with some scalloped potatoes and steamed baby peas. 

Peas and salmon. They are perfect partners in my opinion!

Lemon Sauced Salmon Patties


Yield: 4
Author:
Simple and delicious.  This is a store cupboard family favourite.

ingredients:

  • 1 tall can of pink salmon, drained well, skin and bones removed & discarded and flaked
  • 180ml milk (3/4 cup)
  • 2 sliced white bread, made into soft crumbs
  • 1 large free range egg, beaten 1 TBS minced fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp grated onion
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and black pepper to taste
Lemon sauce:
  • 2 TBS butter
  • 1 TBS plain flour
  • 180ml milk
  • 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
  • pinch salt
  • 1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

instructions:

How to cook Lemon Sauced Salmon Patties

  1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter 8 non-stick muffin cups really well.  Set aside.
  2. Mash the salmon in a bowl really well, then add the breadcrumbs. Season lightly.  Beat together the egg, milk, grated onion, parsley and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the salmon and bread crumb mixture. Mix all together well.  Spoon into the muffin cups.  (I tend not to pack them down. I like them a bit fluffy. You get more crispy bits that way.)
  3. Place into the pre-heated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until set and golden brown.
  4. While the patties are baking, make the sauce.  Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Whisk in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring to make a smooth paste.  Slowly whisk in the flour, whisking constantly.  Bring to the boil, and then cook for several minutes over low heat, stirring continuously until nicely thickened and smooth.  Remove from the heat.  Whisk in the lemon juice and cayenne pepper. 
  5. Serve the patties hot, with the lemon sauce spooned over top.
Created using The Recipes Generator




I think today we can be a bit snobbish when it comes to things like this . . . thinking that tinned fish and corned beef are beneath us . . .  but really these were mainstays in the kitchens of our mothers and grandmothers.  
 
They were affordable ways to get some protein into our families and provide a bit of variety. There is a time for a whole piece of salmon  . . .  and there is a time for things like this.  Simple and yet very, very tasty.



13 comments

  1. These remind me of my grandmothers salmon cakes- though hers were fried. She made a delicious parsley sauce to accompany them- I've never managed to make them as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love parsley sauce. We serve it with gammon sometimes. Goes down a real treat. Funny how we can never quite replicate taste memories in quite the same way as we remember them. They are never as tasty! xoxo

      Delete
  2. We ate this a lot growing up, with creamed peas and to this very day creamed peas on toast and salmon patties is meal that always brings me right back home, your scallop potatoes look amazing as well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Laurie! It was a little taste of home for me! xoxo

      Delete
  3. My mom made these..but w/ mashed potatoes..the lemon sauce must be good on them..My parents hoarded noting..there were never doubles of anything in their home..here on the other hand..it's a different story.I am grateful but have too many watercolors..some mascaras in advance..Jacques ..likes to have more paper goods on hand..we are what we are right? Very kind to donate and very kind of her to have waited:)I am 100% positive..lol I have expired spices and things in my pantry.
    And BBQ sauces and things in the fridge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I go through my refrigerator once a month and get rid of things Monique. I am probably too pedantic about it! None of us wanted to hurt my mom's feelings. She was very set in her ways. I do have a large store cupboard of goods, but I try to use them regularly and rotate. I bet they were good made with mashed potatoes! Aren't these family recipes the best! xoxo

      Delete
  4. Oh, yum! I love Salmon in all its guises and I particularly like the bones in the tinned ones, the texture is so good to me.

    I hope that you have a recipe here for Scalloped Potatoes because I now have a hankering for some since you mentioned them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do have a recipe for scalloped potatos Toffeeapple! Here is the link: https://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/potato-scallop.html

      Hope you like them! xoxo

      Delete
  5. Oh, yum! I love Salmon in all its guises and I particularly enjoy the texture of the steamed bones from the tins. Scalloped potatoes would be just perfect with the patties too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you Marie!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Marie,

    Well, you hit another Home Run! What a brilliant recipe! Salmon patties baked in a muffin tin, instead of fried in a skillet. A virtually no-mess way to prepare a great meal! I served this last night along with your Dauphinoise Potatoes and some petite pois. My wife loved it, however she insisted on using malt vinegar instead of the lemon sauce, which I opted for. Her dad was a fighter pilot in the 8th USAAC during WWII, stationed outside Bury St. Edmunds, and he fell in love with fish & chips with malt vinegar. He brought the habit back to the states, and his family soon adopted it. Otherwise, malt vinegar isn't very popular over here.

    I followed your recipe almost to the letter; except I substituted panko breadcrumbs for your two slices of bread crumbed. I had it on hand and it was just easier. Everything turned out GREAT and I have again donated to your butter, sugar, and travel fund. The recipes, pictures, and antidotes are worth every penny (and pound) and I urge others to do the same.

    It may be a week or two until you hear from me again as my wife is flying to Arkansas with our daughter and her sister to visit a cousin and I'll be grilling my dinner every night. Until then, Thank You!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much William! I loved reading about your wife's father. I miss malt vinegar also. There is nothing like it on a paper full of fresh hot chips from the chippy with lots of salt. So tasty. Well, a slice of buttered white bread to fold around the chips is also very nice with the Malt vinegar and salt. I am pleased you enjoyed these salmon patties. I have not made them in a while. I might do so this next week. I have some salmon in the larder which needs using up. I hope your wife, her sister and her daughter have a lovely visit to Arkansas. Happy journeys and safe landings! And once again many thanks! xo

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you so do not be shy!


BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT OR RATING, ASK YOURSELF:
Did you make the recipe as directed? Recipe results are not guaranteed when changes have been made.

Is this comment helpful to other readers? Rude or hateful comments will not be approved. Remember that this website is run by a real person.

Are you here to complain about ads? Please keep in mind that I develop these recipes and provide them to you for free. Advertising helps to defray my cost of doing so, and allows me to continue to post regular fresh content.

Thanks so much for your understanding! I appreciate you!