Wild Salmon Cakes with Fresh Ginger

Life is a funny thing. Out of the blue, a person will enter your life and make changes that you could not expect. Out of the goodness of their heart and NOT because you promised an evening of fun and wine in exchange, they do something so kind and helpful that you are amazed. Witness the new look to Feeding Groom. Thanks goes to my new best friend.
So in the midst of change, which is a wonderful thing, Groom had planned to do dinner tonight. Crab cakes were on the menu…and let me tell you, he has command of that recipe. But, alas, the crabmeat had decided to take a turn that would have had us on the ten o’clock news, so we readjusted our thinking.

I had some wild salmon in the freezer for just such an emergency as this. Springing in to action, we did a great take on a salmon cake. This one is chocked full of fresh ginger, shallots, a bit of garlic and crushed red pepper and egg. Pass a lovely mayo based sauce lightened with a bit of Greek yogurt and flavored with toasted sesame oil, orange zest, chopped green onions and lemon and you have dinner. Fast, excellent and celebratory all in one.

Wild Salmon Cakes with Fresh Ginger

2 good sized (for lack of a better description because I forgot to weigh them) wild sockeye salmon fillets, skinned and coarsely chopped by hand
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 small shallot, minced
1 fat garlic clove, minced
1 small knob of fresh ginger..peeled and grated (I keep my fresh ginger in the freezer..it never turns blue and green, always fresh ..cut off a knob, peel and grate.)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine above ingredients in a bowl and make four good sized salmon cakes.
Put on a plate and place in freezer for 20 minutes. Put a large nonstick skillet on medium high heat and swirl a bit of extra virgin olive oil in. When skillet is hot, add the salmon cakes and cook about three minutes per side.

Plate with a good sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro.

Pass this sauce…

¼ cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
¼ cup Greek yogurt
2 thinly sliced green onions, green part only
1 tbsp fresh orange juice
Grated zest of one orange
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1-½ tsp toasted sesame oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine and let sit til time to serve.

Serves 2.

Wild Salmon Cakes with Fresh Ginger