I love salmon cakes. I always use wild salmon, never farmed, because it is far less fatty, and it just tastes better. This recipe for salmon-dill cakes is particularly toothsome, especially when it is served with a cucumber sauce. For details on the best times to buy wild salmon, click here.
Preparing a Court Bouillon
Select a nonreactive kettle that will hold 2 pounds of salmon comfortably. Fill it with enough water to cover the salmon. Add a thinly sliced onion, a slice of lemon, a bay leaf, 5 or more sprigs of thyme, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 6 peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes.
The court bouillon.
Place the salmon in the simmering liquid, and poach until the salmon is cooked and will flake easily.
Poaching the salmon.
Remove the fish from the court bouillon. Peel off the skin and remove any bones. Flake the fish, and place it in a large bowl.
Salmon, cooked and flaked.
Admittedly, you can just poach the salmon in salt water and avoid the extra trouble of making the court bouillon. However, I find the taste is very much improved if you make the little effort required to prepare the court bouillon.
Making the Salmon Cakes
Mince the shallots and gently cook in 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan until tender, but not browned.
Minced shallots.
Sautéeing the shallots.
Cook enough potatoes to make 4 cups when mashed. I prefer making mashed potatoes by forcing them through a ricer.
Ricing the potatoes.
While still warm, add 2 tablespoons of butter to the mashed potatoes and the cooked shallots. Then beat in mustard, mayonnaise.
Adding butter, mayonnaise, and Dijon to the mashed potatoes.
Ass 2 beaten room-temperature eggs. Combine with the flaked salmon. Add in the dill and the parsley, fresh-grated nutmeg, salt, black and white pepper to taste. Mix gently but thoroughly.
Adding eggs and seasoning to the salmon.
Form the mixture into 2 1⁄2-inch cakes. Dredge the salmon-dill cakes in breadcrumbs, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Forming the salmon cakes.
Preparing the Cucumber Sauce
In the meantime, prepare the cucumber sauce. Peel the cucumbers, cut them in half, remove the seeds with a spoon, and sprinkle both sides lightly with salt. Place the cucumber halves, seeded side down, on paper towels, and allow them to rest for 30 minutes.The reason for this step is to extract as much water from the cucumbers as possible.
Marinating cucumbers in salt.
Rinse the salt off the cucumbers, and chop into very small cubes. Dry the cubes on paper towels.
Dicing the cucumbers.
With a whisk, beat together the yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, cayenne, and salt and pepper until well combined. Stir in the the cucumber, the snipped dill and the optional mint. Refrigerate until serving time.
Cooking and Serving
In a large sauté pan, melt 2-3 tablespoon of butter with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. When hot, add the salmon cakes a few at a time, and fry gently on both sides until golden brown and crisp.
Frying the salmon cakes.
Serve the salmon-dill cakes with the cucumber sauce.
Leftovers can be refrigerated and gently reheated in butter.
