Salmon Cakes (Burgers?)

Choose whichever name sounds more appetizing to you. Cakes make me think of crab cakes, which are always awesome. Burgers make me think of... burgers, which are almost always awesome. But I didn't have any rolls to put them on, so I think we can't call them burgers in this case (you can though, if you want! Get some rolls, but get good ones, ok? Also make some yummy seasoned mayo to put on them, and some good crunchy lettuce maybe?)

This is another pantry recipe, using a can of salmon I bought in the tuna aisle out of curiosity, and I will say to begin with that when I first opened the can I was VERY AFRAID. It's as though they chop whole fish into chunks and throw them into the cans to get cooked, and... I'm going to level with you: there's skin and bones in there. But it was all I had to make dinner with, and Jenean was over and F was on the way home, and we just had to go ahead with it. And they turned out great! I removed the skin because it seemed irredeemably gross, but the bones, due to the in-can cooking process, are completely edible (they basically pulverize at the slightest pressure), so except for removing what appeared to be the spine [shudder], I left in all the other bones, which broke up and disappeared when we mixed things up, and according to an article I read... somewhere, bones from canned fish are an excellent, absorb-able source of calcium! Better than calcium pills!

Salmon Cakes/Burgers

Serves 3-4

1 14.75 oz can salmon, drained, large bones and skin removed

8 scallions (all the white and half of the green), finely minced

1 egg

2 slices of bread, ground fine in the food processor

salt and pepper

hot sauce (optional)

rolls (optional, if you want to call them burgers*)

In a medium bowl combine salmon, chopped scallions (ok to sub in onion), egg, and about two thirds of the fresh breadcrumbs (some finely chopped parsley might be good in there too if you had it**). Add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Mix, breaking up the fish as you go, until it's thoroughly combined. Use a knife or your fingers to divide the mix evenly into 3 or 4 sections (size depending on how hungry you are I guess) and form into cakes/burgers (patties??). Coat heavily on each side with the remaining fresh breadcrumbs, and allow to sit briefly (10-30 minutes) to let the crumbs adhere. Fry in olive oil over medium high heat until deep brown on both sides.

We had them with new-to-me barley risotto, not-very-carefully following this recipe from smitten kitchen (and leaving out the greens and beans, though that does sound yummy), and a version of raw kale salad like my friend Sylvie told me about (finely chopped raw kale, tossed with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, the tiniest bit of lemon juice, dried cranberries, and in this case, instead of toasted pine nuts, I tossed in some leftover garlicky toasted breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese - you let all that sit together for a while, and the kale begins to wilt just a little, but it's still crunchy, and it's so good).

*What am I, the name police? Call them whatever you want, serve em however you want. Have fun.

**I feel like adding cilantro, and seasoning it up with soy sauce or fish sauce, and sriracha, would make a yummy asian-influenced variation. Maybe some minced green chiles, too, and chopped garlic? ginger? Use panko bread crumbs instead of fresh? If you try it this way, let us know!