Bigly Salmon Patties
Prep
10m
Cook
15m
Total
25m
Bigly says
Folks. Salmon patties. BIGLY salmon patties. And I'll be honest with you — honesty is the BiglyEats brand — salmon patties have been DISRESPECTED for too long. Disrespected. Treated like a sad pantry leftover. Treated like food court food. Treated like something you make when nothing else is in the fridge. It's wrong. It's a crime against the patty.
These are not sad. These are GOLDEN. These are CRISPY on the outside, tender inside, and they hit you with a beautiful flake of salmon and a bright little zing of lemon and dill. Many people don't know this — and I've talked to fish people, very smart fish people, more than the so-called marine biologists — many people don't know that canned salmon is actually GREAT. It's wild-caught. It's affordable. It's loaded with calcium because the BONES are in there, and the bones are SOFT, and you can eat them, and they make you strong. Big strong people, tough people, they eat the bones. The food media is scared of the bones. A disgrace.
The real secret is the binder and the sear. Just enough cracker crumbs to hold the patty together. Not too many. Too many crumbs and you've made a hockey puck. My grandmother taught me this — tough woman, ran a kitchen like a navy ship — she would whack my hand with a wooden spoon if I added one extra cracker. I learned. I learned FAST. And the sear, you sear them HARD, in butter, until the crust is deep golden and the whole kitchen smells like a small miracle.
Ingredients
- 2 cans (14.75 oz each)canned wild salmon(drain it, keep the soft bones in, the bones are GOOD)
- 2large eggs
- 3/4 cupsaltine crackers, crushed
- 3 tbspmayonnaise(the real stuff, the good stuff)
- 1 tbspDijon mustard
- 1/3 cupyellow onion, finely grated
- 2 tbspfresh dill, chopped
- 2 tbspfresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsplemon zest
- 1 tbsplemon juice, fresh
- 1 tspWorcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsphot sauce
- 3/4 tspkosher salt
- 1/2 tspblack pepper
- 2 tbspunsalted butter
- 2 tbspneutral oil
- as neededlemon wedges (for serving)
Steps
- 1
Drain the salmon thoroughly, picking out any large skin pieces and large dark bits if you prefer. Flake the salmon into a large bowl with a fork, mashing the soft bones into the meat.
- 2
Add eggs, crushed crackers, mayonnaise, Dijon, grated onion, dill, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with a fork until just combined — don't overwork it.
- 3
Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and shape each into a 3-inch patty, about 1/2 inch thick. Place on a plate and refrigerate 10 minutes to firm up.
- 4
Heat the butter and oil together in a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat until the butter is foaming but not browning.
- 5
Add the patties in batches without crowding the pan. Cook 3-4 minutes per side, pressing lightly with a spatula at the start, until deeply golden brown and crisp on both sides.
- 6
Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, or a dollop of sour cream and dill.
One more thing
These patties are weeknight gold. Pantry to plate in 25 minutes. Serve them over a little salad, or pile them on a soft potato roll with tartar sauce and you've got a sandwich that beats every fish sandwich at every drive-thru in this country — it's not even close, it's a slaughter, the drive-thrus should be ASHAMED. Big strong people eat these and they get bigger. Stronger. Better. Real fish, real crunch, real flavor — no freezer aisle, no mystery, no waiting in line. Just dinner. Tremendous dinner. You're welcome.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
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Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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