Sometimes tuna just doesn’t cut it.  I mean, sure… it was great when your mom made you a tuna salad sandwich on white toast when you were home {faking being} sick and were cuddled up on the couch drinking tea and watching Phil Donohue.

What?  You didn’t fake being sick?  I had a cot with my name on it in the nurse’s office at school.  Gym class was to be avoided at all costs.

That one episode of Little House on the Prairie when Walnut Grove had an outbreak of typhoid?  I started checking my temperature hourly.   And when Mary Ingalls went blind?  You don’t even want to know….

But we grow out of things like that.  We mature.

And so do our taste buds!  That tuna salad sandwich would be quite tasty in a nostalgic sort of way, but sometimes I want something more flavor-packed.  A little more sophisticated.  Plus, I never know what to do with that leftover piece of salmon that I bring home from a restaurant.

My friend Kristin of KCSaling.com  is guest-blogging here today, and she’s offering up her quick and easy recipe for Salmon Patties.  I think they would be absolutely adorable for a fancy dinner appetizer.  Make them into 1-inch discs, fry them, then line them up on a pretty plate with a dipping sauce nearby.  I am a heat freak these days, so anything spicy would work here: sriracha mayo, Thai coconut curry sauce, horseradish-sour cream.  Less spicy alternatives would be a thinned tarragon mayo, make-your-own curry mayo, or a soy sauce-sesame oil-scallion blend.

Isn’t it great that we’ve matured and are open to new flavors and new textures?  Otherwise we’d be dipping these delightful patties in ketchup.  They’re much too good for that… no offense, Heinz.

Visit Kristin’s Blog for more recipes (like tiramisu cheesecake cups) and a lesson or two in appreciation.  That’s another thing we learn as we age: the small things may not seem like a lot in the moment, but they sure add up.  They truly are the building blocks of a happy self.  Thanks, Kristin, for raising our awareness!

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I don’t know what there is about the smell of fresh salmon, but it’s capable of summoning up a cat from the farthest, darkest corners of our house. It’s eerie, as if they can tell when the fridge is opening, that it’s opening specifically for salmon. The same way they can tell that the garage door is opening specifically to get their kennels out for a vet visit, except then they vanish like furry little ninjas.

It’s okay, because I agree with them that salmon is a miraculous sort of food. Forget all the health benefits and the calorie-friendliness of it, it’s incredibly versatile. Spice it up in a Thai salad, marinate it in teriyaki and serve it over pasta, smoke it and serve it on a bagel with cream cheese, and it’s delicious. I always have some on hand, and I’m always looking for new ways to use it.

Anyway, the miraculous ability to draw cats out of hiding is one of the many reasons I also look for fast dishes to make with my salmon, and one of my favorite quick dishes is this little recipe for salmon patties. All in all, it takes less than fifteen minutes, and then you’ve got a tasty appetizer for a dinner party, a main meal for two, or set them on toasted sesame buns and you’ve got a quick (and surprisingly calorie friendly) lunch.

Kristin’s Salmon Patties

What you’ll need:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup light mayo
2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
1 can salmon (cooked)
1/2 – 2/3 cup panko
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
Fresh black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 egg
1 tsp lemon juice

How to make it:
1. Pour a little bit of olive oil in a skillet and saute the onions lightly until they’re translucent. The more opaque they are, the stronger the taste will be.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the onions, egg, mayo, mustard, sugar, and lemon juice. In a separate bowl, pull the salmon with two forks until it is flaked apart, and then mix it in.
3. Add the panko gradually while mixing. It will help the mixture to stick together. You want the mixture to still be sticky and not dry.
4. Form into four patties, and coat lightly with the Parmesan. Sprinkle a little black pepper over the top.

5. Saute the patties in a little bit more olive oil, about 3-4 minutes per side or until they are slightly browned.
6. Serve either as appetizers (as shown), as a main course (we love it with mango rice), or on toasted sesame seed buns!

Hope you enjoy!
KCS