Animal, Nature, and Travel: Taste-bud Journey: Salmon Croquettes

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adjusted recipe for Salmon Croquettes that originated from a recipe I collected many years back. I don't recall the source. Just for fun, I grilled these in my miniature Egg Bites Maker created by DASH.

I bought my DASH Egg Bites Maker from Target for $19.99 (January 2021). Other companies sell it, as well. The prices currently range from $19.99 to $29.99:

My Target Egg Bites Maker came with the 4 miniature egg bites rings, a recipe book, and the maker itself.

Amazon is currently selling theirs for $10 more. That one comes with one large ring plus the four miniature rings.

Although I was disappointed to not get the large ring, I wasn't willing to pay an additional $10 just to acquire it.
The Egg Bites Maker makes it possible to create Egg Bites similar to those that sell at Starbucks. Although I have never tried those, I really loved the taste of the ones I made at home. I will write a separate blog post to describe that experience sometime soon.

Recipe for the Salmon Croquettes - It makes 7 patties

2.5 oz. packet of Pink Salmon (skinless & boneless)
1/8 cup of Egg Beaters or half of a beaten egg
1/8 cup of flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum (a binding agent)
1 tbsp Buttermilk Powder
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup of mayonnaise (optional)
1 tbsp of Sweet Pickle Relish (optional)

Please note: I made the first batch of four patties minus the mayonnaise and pickle relish. After tasting the Salmon Croquette, I found it to be very bland-tasting. Therefore, I made my own tartar sauce by mixing together mayo and pickle relish to spice it up. To my taste buds, that made all the difference.

Please also note: As an experiment with the remaining batter, I decided to stir in the mayo and pickle relish so that the homemade tartar sauce was incorporated into the patty. I found that to be very tasty. I intend to do that from now on - whenever I make this recipe.

Procedure

Step 1: In a measuring cup or small bowl, mix together 1/8 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of buttermilk powder. Naturally, if you actually have buttermilk in your refrigerator already, then use 1/8 cup of that.

Step 2: Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum. They both act as a binding agent for the Salmon patties.

Step 3: In a large measuring cup of medium-size bowl, add the entire contents of a 2.5 packet of Pink Salmon, 1/8 cup of Egg Beaters, and 1/8 cup of flour.

Step 4: Then, pour in the buttermilk mixture into that and stir it together until well-mixed.

Step 5: If you are a person who enjoys tartar sauce, stir in 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of sweet pickle relish. Naturally, you can do more or less of this mixture depending on how sweet you wish to make this recipe.

Step 6: You can certainly make these in a greased frying pan. In my case, I used my DASH Egg Bites Maker grill minus the miniature egg cups. I sprayed the upper and lower plates with cooking oil. I plugged in the grill and cooked them 8 minutes on one side, flipped the croquettes and cooked them an additional 6 minutes on the other side.

Please note: In the Egg Bites Maker, I could only make four patties at a time. Naturally, in a frying pan, you could make all seven croquettes at once. You will then have to judge the cooking time accordingly until they are golden brown on each side.

Please also note: I found these to cook up very nicely as leftovers using my microwave. I microwaved them for 30 seconds. To my taste buds, they tasted just as good as leftovers as they did freshly made.

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.