Boring salmon cakes needs a kick in flavor!

[Easton]

I've been making salmon cakes for the past three years which has been a great meal option for my weightlifting diet. I love to eat them with loads of Tabasco sauce on the side because I'm such a hothead. But lately I've been wondering if there's any way I could add more flavor to my salmon cakes because without the Tabasco sauce they tend to be quite bland. Even my mother, who's sampled them before, thought they were a little boring. She did attempt to make her own version of salmon cakes complete with green peppers, onions, and paprika but they still seemed to fall flat.

I'm not necessarily looking to add more hot spices (e.g. red pepper flakes, chili peppers) even though I love spicy food, but instead I'm looking to add some more depth in flavor via onions, garlic, mustard, or whatever you guys can think of. I'm still a young cook and I'm lacking in the creativity department so I'm hoping the DC community can help me in that area.

Here's the current recipe that I use:
1 can of salmon
Bread crumbs
Juice from half a lemon
1 egg
Chopped capers
Salt and pepper

Oh, and one more thing to note. I'm semi-lactose intolerant so if your suggestions could exclude all dairy products like cheese that would be even better.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would experiment with curry powder and also maybe horseradish. Also your basic recipe looks great so I would try some sauces. One great one is Tzatziki.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Sauteed Onion...Green Onion too?
Old Bay seasoning.....
Crushed Saltines and/or Ritz Crackers in place of bread crumbs....
Horseradish....
Garlic........
Black pepper.....
Onion, Celery, Bell Pepper
Thyme....
anchovies.....
lemon and/or lime juice
dill.....
mayonnaise...
parsley.....
Worcestershire....
etc. etc. etc.

 

[kadesma]

you can try some Worstershire sauce, extra fine chopped and sauteed green onions both green and white , a small amount of sauteed garlic, mustard mixed with chopped olives (three kinds) or some type of a cucumber sauce to cover it.Make you salmon cakes and cover with a salsa of strawberries, cherries or mangoes an asian sauce with brown sugar, red chili flakes,fresh ginger, lime juice garlic, green onion wite and green sliced thin. add some pesto. Hope this gives you some ideas
kadesma

 

[Robo410]

soak the bread crumbs in the juice form the salmon. add tablespoon each of parsley dill and chives

 

[merstar]

Add some Dijon mustard, Cajun/Creole seasoning, garlic powder, onion flakes or onion powder, and lime juice.

 

[pacanis]

I like that anchovy suggestion, UB. I'm going to try that next time I make salmon patties.

 

[Easton]

Why did I even bother to ask? Thanks for all the great suggestions!

 

[Bigjim68]

To your recipe I would add:

Dash of worchestershire
Dijon Mustard,
A small amount of onion
Possibly a pinch of dried dill, or a similar amount of fresh if available.

Any or all of the above

 

[dcSaute]

and don't forget leeks - an interest twist to the onion family.

 

[Janet H]

Live dangerously and consider adding some pickle relish (sweet) along with the capers.

 

[Caslon]

Also, don't forget to consider as a topping before serving...warmed cheddar cheese! You don't have to melt real cheese. Campbels makes a cheddar cheese in soup type cans. It's a must topping for me.

btw, is a salmon cake pretty much the same as a salmon loaf?

 

[CraigC]

Sub some fresh dill for the capers and add a little Dijon to the mix. Also, we have a mustard sauce recipe that we use for stone crab which should be great with fish cakes. Although it uses mayo.

Craig

 

[ChefJune]

seasonings in my salmon patties include grated onion, finely chopped garlic, Dijon mustard, and of course, sea salt and white pepper and a "touch" of Louisiana Hot Sauce. I use matzo meal rather than bread crumbs.

 

[babetoo]

just changed my dinner plan. gonna make these instead of a fillet of fish

 

[Kayelle]

I like the sounds of most of the ingredients already mentioned. My single suggestion would be lemon zest, and lots of it, in addition to the lemon juice.

 

[Zereh]

Buy a salmon fillet and bake it with lemons on top. When cool use your fingers to break the fish into little pieces while removing any bones.

Chop onion, red pepper and yellow pepper into a fine dice. Saute in a small amount of butter until softened.

Add egg & bread crumbs to the fish and veggies. Add a generous dash or two of cajun spices, worchestershire, garlic powder, salt & pepper.

Form into patties and get a nice crust on the outside in a hot skillet with a thin film of oil on the bottom.

 

[Constance]

I use Miracle Whip and an egg for binding, Ritz crackers for filler, and mustard, Old Bay, squeeze of fresh lemon, and a little horseradish for seasoning. Don't forget salt and pepper. I did last time, and it doesn't matter what else you use, it just isn't quite right without S&P.