Salmon Patties

I totally had something else planned to make today but this was a spur of the moment project with Meag. It's also part of another odyssey of mine: to rid my cupboard of cans of salmon. Somehow, I'd accumulated 15 cans of salmon (I swear I don't know how it happened, I don't actually remember buying even 1 can!) so I'm always on the lookout for things using cans of salmon. This recipe used 2 (whoo-hoo)!

650 g floury potatoes, chopped
425 g can red salmon, drained
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
2 t grated lemon rind
1 egg
5 slices bread, crusts removed
40 g butter
1/4 c olive oil
lemon wedges, to serve
1. Cook the potato in boiling water until very tender. Drain well and mash until smooth.
2. Place the salmon in a large bowl and break up the flesh with a fork, removing any bones and skin. Add the spring onion, parsley, lemon rind, egg and mashed potato Season with salt and pepper and stir well. Shape into rough patties, using about a third of a cup for each patty (Shamefaced Confession: I missed that line when we did this recipe. I looked at the yield for 4 and made 4 monster sized patties. The shamefaced part is that I was actually going to bitch about this in the post. I stand corrected).
3. Chop the bread in a food processor until it forms fine crumbs. Gently roll the patties in the breadcrumbs and neaten the shape. Press the breadcrumbs firmly onto the patties with your fingertips to coat well.
4. Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan. When the butter is foaming, add the patties and cook each side for 3-5 minutes, or until golden and browned. Drain on paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges.

The outside was really nice and crispy and gives me a lot of hope for this recipe if followed correctly. Even huge they weren't that bad, the inside was warm squishy potato and the outside was crispy so life was still pretty good even if I had just blown the fuses on my stove in a bright, blue flash. Life was still pretty good.

These ribs were better

I don't have a barbecue. This is one of the great sadnesses in my life right now. I believe that summer heat is made tolerable only by the ability to cook outdoors and not pollute the inside of your house with all of that excess thermal energy from the oven. I've been tolerating the heat smog in my apartment and actually running the oven because I can make things like these ribs. And that potato salad. I can take or leave the cucumber slices.

Put the ribs in a foil lined roaster (I don't think that the foil actually contributes to the cooking but, boy, does it make the cleanup a lot easier). Cover with more foil and roast at 350F for about an hour. Take the foil off, smear with some form of barbecue sauce or glaze and throw them back in the oven uncovered. Baste a couple of times over the next hour and then they're done. Yummy. Nice caramelization, not too tough or dry. I was thinking that they would be really good glazed with the Epicure sauce that we tried at Erin's party, the one with the ginger in it. Maybe a little onion and orange marmalade to thicken and sweeten it. Yummy again.

Served with potato salad. 6 cooked potatoes and 2 hard boiled eggs cut into chunks or slices or whatever floats your boat. Add enough mayonnaise to make it as mayo-y as you like. I added a tablespoon each of Bacon, Cheese & Chive Dip mix, 3-Onion Dip mix, and Lemon Dilly Dip mix (if the combo sounds familiar, it's the magic three from the Extraordinary Cheese Dip). It was a great meal and I have to say that the Ice Capp was the perfect way to end the meal. Thanks Erin! Okay, now I'm not posting anything else until someone else does, it's starting to feel a little too much like The Me Show (starring Me! It's Me! (you'll have to mentally supply the catchy theme music yourself)).

VE odds and ends

No 'recipe' this time out - just a few things I have used my epicure spices in and worked!

egg salad - lousianna hot and spicy dip with 3 onion dip mix - tasty!

roasted chicken - butter mixed with Tyee fish rub and tapinade spices about 3 to 1 tyee to tapinade. rub the mixture over the chicken and throw some inside the cavity too. Way good!!

Potato wedges done in the oven with - the Tyee rub - also very good
another time I used tziki sauce dip mix with the 3 onion - rockin!