grain-free salmon cakes or salmon nuggets

A lot of things change when you go from having one to two kids.  When #2 arrives, you wonder why you ever thought you were so busy with one child.  Your days get a little more hectic, your house gets a little messier.  And your recipes get a little simpler.

This is the second salmon cake recipe I’ve posted on my blog.  The first one (you can check it out here) I posted in January 2011, almost a full year before Luke was born.  It’s a good recipe, don’t get me wrong.  It’s just a little too complicated for me these days.

To make my salmon cakes recipe even quicker and easier, I eliminated a few steps.  One bowl.  No fuss.

Another important thing I changed with this salmon cakes recipe was to eliminate the grains.  Instead of using bread crumbs, I used almond meal.  We are fine with gluten and grains over here, but I have tried to cut down on our overuse of wheat products.  The almond meal worked perfectly.  Almond meal/flour is easy to find in most grocery stores these days, but if you can’t find it or don’t care to, simply use bread crumbs or even some ground oats instead.

I used two big cans of wild-caught salmon for this recipe, so it makes a lot.  I freeze half so I have a ready-made meal for another night.  I like how the cakes turn out when I cook them before freezing, but you can do it either way.  Or, if you prefer, halve the recipe.

You can use either skinless, boneless canned salmon, or the kind that comes with the skin and bones.  I have done both, but prefer to use the skin and bones because they add valuable nutrition.  If you use the kind with skin and bones, just make sure you mash up the skin and bones very well with a fork before mixing in the rest of the ingredients.  I agree:  it’s kind of gross. But once they are mashed up you can hardly tell they are there.

Another great thing about this recipe?  You can totally make the mixture into kid-friendly nuggets.  I think it’s a proven fact that kids like everything better in nugget form.  Perfect for little hands and great for dipping.

These salmon cakes are made with simple ingredients, so they pair well with a number of different sauces.  I’ve eaten them with a homemade tarter sauce, because I love tarter sauce.  They work well with mustard sauces, balsamic sauces, Asian sauces–the list goes on.

When I’m crunched for time, they get a splash of hot sauce and the kids get ketchup and we’re good to go.  Does salmon go with hot sauce and ketchup?  Works for us.

grain-free salmon cakes or salmon nuggets

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• Author: Healthy Happy Mama
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x

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Description

Easy grain-free salmon cakes recipe. One bowl, no fuss. Great weeknight dinner.

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Ingredients

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• 2 (14.75 ounce) cans wild-caught Alaskan salmon
• 1 cup almond meal/flour (or substitute bread crumbs)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1–2 teaspoons lemon zest
• oil for pan-frying (I usually use coconut oil)

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Instructions

1. If you are using salmon with the skin and bones, mash them together well with a fork in a large bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients (except the oil) and mix it together well.
2. Cover a large skillet with a thin layer of oil and heat it over medium heat.  To make patties, use about 1/4-1/3 cup of the salmon mixture and form it into a patty shape.  To make nuggets, use about 1 tablespoon.  Cook the cakes/nuggets in the oil, about 5 minutes per side for the cakes, a little less for the nuggets, until they are golden brown.  Serve and enjoy!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: main meal
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cake
• Calories: 282
• Sugar: 0.5g
• Sodium: 385.4mg
• Fat: 17.5g
• Carbohydrates: 3.25g
• Protein: 30.8g