Salmon Cakes with Aioli dip

We recently went to the REI members event where they had a few finger foods and one of them were these yummy looking tiny crab cakes that were out of the world..So I came back home totally wanting to make something similar..I dint have crab at home but had some left over salmon from making fish puttu the other day. So I decided to make salmon cakes instead..
This is a healthy and utterly delicious recipe that just will make your taste buds very happy!!

Ingredients:
Salmon, cooked, shredded - 1 lb
Onion, large, finely chopped - 1/2 no
Bell Pepper, finely chopped - 1/2 no
Eggs, slightly beaten - 2
Garlic powder - 1tsp
Worcestershire sauce - 1Tbsp
Hot sauce - 1/2 Tbsp (or to taste)
Old bay seasoning - 1/2 Tbsp
All purpose seasoning - 2 tsp (opt)
Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup
Pepper - 2-3tsp
Mayo - 2 Tbsp
Butter - 1/2 Tbsp
Olive oil -
Salt, to taste

For Garlic Lemon Aioli Dip:
Garlic pods, crushed - 2
Mayo - 1/2 cup
Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp
Salt - 1 pinch
Pepper - 1 pinch
Capers - 1 Tbsp (optional)

 

Method:

1. Roast salmon in very little oil in a flat pan until completely cooked and slightly golden on both sides. Remove from pan, cool and shred into small pieces once cooled.
2. In the same pan, add butter, 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and add the onions and bell peppers, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder and all the seasonings, salt, pepper and let it cook until soft and slightly golden. Once done, remove from heat and let cool.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix together salmon, onion mixture, beaten eggs, bread crumbs and Mayo. Adjust seasonings per taste if need be. 
4. Heat in low flame about a tbsp of olive oil in a flat pan or griddle.
5. Take equal amounts of the mixture (I used an ice cream scoop for this) and make them into balls and then flatten them out a little like biscuits about 3-4 inches in diameter and place them in the oil one by one. 
6. Slowly brown both sides of the cake until completely firm and well done. 
7. Remove from heat and serve hot with garlic lemon aioli dip or tartar sauce. 
8. For the dip, mix all the ingredients together and adjust seasoning.

P.S : I used leftover salmon in this case. You can precook and refrigerate the fish for more than a week and use it when you need it. You can prepare the mixture and store it for a few days ahead before making the cakes as well.
Breadcrumbs substitute:  If you dont have breadcrumbs, you can use ritz crackers or any salt crackers or toasted bread to bind the ingredients together.

Curried Egg puffs

Puffs are my favorite snack of all times..You can make them in so many varieties..And thanks to the ready to cook puff pastry shells..the job's even easier!! I dont know what sort of curry they usually add to egg  puffs in India..But I've seen some with green chutneys as base too..but I tried my simple version of onion masala curry with boiled eggs and it turned out really good...

P.S: Dont forget to learn the chinese alphabet on the last pic :)

Ingredients:
Puff Pastry Sheets - 2, thawed
Eggs - 4, boiled and cut in half
Onion - 3 Large, cut thin long
Olive Oil to stir fry
Chilli powder, to taste
Coriander powder - 1tsp
Curry powder - 2tsp
Garam Masala - 1tsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1tsp
Salt, to taste

For Egg Wash:
Egg - 1, slightly beaten with 2 tsp of water

  

Method:

1. Cut each pastry sheet into four squares and let it thaw at room temperature at least for 30mins to an hour until flexible.
2. Boil the eggs, cut them in half and keep aside. 
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. In a small pan, add olive oil and add the onions, ginger garlic paste and all the masalas and stir fry until the onions are caramelized and keep aside.
5. Take each square sheet, apply a spoonful of the onion curry paste on the bottom and place an egg half cut side facing down.
6. Wrap the four corners of the sheet and seal. Stuff and seal all the sheets similarly.
7. Apply the egg wash on each puff to get a golden brown color.
8. Spray some Pam on a baking sheet and place the puffs with atleast an inch of space between them. 
9. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Serve with ketchup or hot sauce.

 

P.S : That was my attempt of a smiley face with ketchup :)