But last week, we tried something new (gasp!) with it. And holy COW was I both impressed and ticked because I didn't try it sooner. And I must give credit to my 5yo because she's the one who found this recipe. She loves (loves loves loves) to watch The Food Network. It was this affection for the channel that had us watching Damaris Phillips' show, Southern at Heart, which is where we saw this...and wanted to eat the TV!
I've made salmon cakes before, but I cannot (cannot cannot cannot) stand the bones in the canned stuff. Seriously. I get shivers even thinking about it and typing it. Dis-gust-ing. Anyway....I've avoided salmon cakes for a lonnnnnnnnnnng time for this reason. But no more. With Damaris' version, life is good and these bad boys are once again on the menu!
We did not go through all the rigamarole of smoking the salmon blah blah blah. Mark tossed it on the grill with a little salt and pepper. No fuss, no muss. I think it's on the grill for about 15-20 minutes. Toss it on a piece of aluminum foil, skin-side down and when it's done, it's super easy to flake it all off into a bowl.
Oh, and that urfa pepper nonsense? Yeah--plain ole cracked black pepper worked just fine for us. Urfa pepper? For real? Annnnnnnnnnnnnd, I found steam-in-the-bag quinoa in my grocery store freezer section. I may have broken into a happy dance right there in the freezer aisle. It's not as if cooking quinoa is all that complicated; it isn't. But this find made me super happy. It did. (more on whether or not that's sad in another post)
Alright, I think that's plenty of set up for ya. Here's the recipe. I promise, these were easy to put together and really yummy. The extra shot of protein from the quinoa is such a great bonus, too. Alongside some veggies...mmm, perfect! Even my hubby (who doesn't like quinoa) granted this dinner a spot in the Make Again pile---I added it to the Make Again SOON pile.
What You'll Need1 1/2 pounds center-cut salmon filet, skin-on
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup chopped green onion, green part only
2 tablespoons flour
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon urfa pepper, plus more for garnish (see Cook's Note)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Lemon wedges, for serving
What You'll Do
Special equipment: 1 cup applewood chips, soaked for 30 minutes
Drain the applewood chips and scatter them in the bottom of a foil-lined roasting pan.
Heat the pan over medium-low heat until the wood chips smoke, about 10 minutes. Place the salmon skin-side down on a wire rack and carefully set the rack over the wood chips.
Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil and cook over medium-low heat until the salmon is just cooked through, about 12 minutes. Remove the salmon from the smoker and let it to cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove and discard the salmon skin, then flake the salmon into a large bowl. Add the quinoa, egg, green onion, flour, lemon zest, urfa pepper and salt. Mix until well combined.
Form the mixture into six straight-sided patties about 1 inch tall and 2 1/2 inches wide.
Heat the coconut oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Sear the patties on both sides until crispy and deep golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
Transfer the patties to a rack set over a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.
Sprinkle the croquettes with a little more urfa pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.
Cook's Note: Urfa pepper is a roasted Turkish pepper flake that provides smoky flavor and a subtle kick of heat along with crunchy texture. If you can't find urfa, just use freshly ground black pepper.
Drain the applewood chips and scatter them in the bottom of a foil-lined roasting pan.
Heat the pan over medium-low heat until the wood chips smoke, about 10 minutes. Place the salmon skin-side down on a wire rack and carefully set the rack over the wood chips.
Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil and cook over medium-low heat until the salmon is just cooked through, about 12 minutes. Remove the salmon from the smoker and let it to cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove and discard the salmon skin, then flake the salmon into a large bowl. Add the quinoa, egg, green onion, flour, lemon zest, urfa pepper and salt. Mix until well combined.
Form the mixture into six straight-sided patties about 1 inch tall and 2 1/2 inches wide.
Heat the coconut oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Sear the patties on both sides until crispy and deep golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
Transfer the patties to a rack set over a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.
Sprinkle the croquettes with a little more urfa pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.
Cook's Note: Urfa pepper is a roasted Turkish pepper flake that provides smoky flavor and a subtle kick of heat along with crunchy texture. If you can't find urfa, just use freshly ground black pepper.
Recipe courtesy of Damaris Phillips
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