If you're stumped on a weeknight dinner idea that's easy to assemble but still seems a little gourmet, salmon patties are a perfect fit. All you need is a decent can of salmonor some leftover cooked filets, breadcrumbs or crushed-up crackers, an egg or two, and you've got the base recipe ready to go. Since salmon is so adaptable to different flavors, you can choose from all kinds of herbs and spices to make them unique (although lemon and dill are pretty classic). Just be sure to always get the ratio of your main ingredients nailed down first because salmon patties and cakes are notorious for falling apart
The key to making salmon patties with staying power has a lot to do with the ingredients you use to bind the mixture, the moisture balance, and the temperature. Patties without enough sticky stuff to hold them together will be frustrating to work with. Ditto for salmon cakes that are too wet or too dry. It's also helpful to refrigerate both the entire mixture, and then your patties before cooking them.
Every salmon patty or cake recipe calls for some combination of binding ingredients. These usually include eggs, flour, breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs, ground flaxseed, and so on. Without these binders, the salmon has nothing to stick to, so you can't form patties. However, you can go overboard with the binders. If you add too much egg, for instance, or the canned fish isn't properly drained, the mixture will be too wet and the cakes will fall apart. Too many breadcrumbs, on the other hand, will make your cakes dry and crumbly. Try to always follow your recipe carefully, but if you're going without a recipe the goal is to make a mixture that will stick together when you pinch it between your thumb and index finger.
It's a good idea to make a test patty once you've mixed all the ingredients and let it sit for about 10 minutes so that the dry ingredients can absorb moisture. A test cake will give you an idea of how well your cakes will stay together in the pan before you go to the trouble of forming the whole batch. If they seem too wet or too dry during the test, go back and add an extra egg or some more breadcrumbs to the mix, let it sit for a few more minutes, and repeat the process until the cakes stay together.
Refrigerate The Mix, Use A Sheet Pan
Once you have the right moisture balance in your salmon patty mix, a helpful step is to refrigerate everything before you form the cakes. This will make the mixture easier to work with. Then you can scoop the cakes and put them on a sheet pan to cool down in the fridge once again. The cooler temperature of the mix will help everything stick together better when the patties are pan-fried, crisping them up nicely.
If you have a lot of salmon patties to make, you can even forgo the pan altogether and bake them on a sheet tray in the oven. This way, even if your patties are a little too wet or dry you can still get a decent shape; less flipping means less chance of the patties falling apart. All you have to do is scoop them (make sure they're the same size), flatten them, then set a timer and turn the cakes over halfway through the bake. Make sure to grease the pan or use a sheet of parchment paper to prevent the patties from sticking, and you'll have perfect-looking salmon patties every time.
Every salmon patty or cake recipe calls for some combination of binding ingredients. These usually include eggs, flour, breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs, ground flaxseed, and so on. Without these binders, the salmon has nothing to stick to, so you can't form patties.
Grill salmon flesh side down FIRST, then flip over once.
Place the salmon fillets on the grill flesh side down first (so the skin is facing you). Raw salmon is relatively firm, so starting it off with the flesh facing down is a great way to get some nice grill marks on the salmon without it falling apart.
Salmon that's gone bad will often feel almost like it's about to fall apart, or sometimes mushy. Other things to watch for when examining your fish by touch are slimy or sticky residues, both indicators of spoilage.
Overmixing can break down the structure. Allowing the salmon mixture to rest before shaping the patties is crucial. Cooking the salmon patties at too high a temperature or for too short a time can result in a mushy interior.
1) Use the right amount of binding agent: Too few eggs or breadcrumbs can cause the patties to fall apart, while too much can make them dense and heavy. Use just enough to where the salmon will hold together once squeezed in your hands.
If you add too much egg, for instance, or the canned fish isn't properly drained, the mixture will be too wet and the cakes will fall apart. Too many breadcrumbs, on the other hand, will make your cakes dry and crumbly.
Then you can scoop the cakes and put them on a sheet pan to cool down in the fridge once again. The cooler temperature of the mix will help everything stick together better when the patties are pan-fried, crisping them up nicely.
The best way to prevent fish cakes from falling apart is by using a binder. This salmon fish cake recipe calls for an egg. It's important to ensure the fish cakes are not too wet or dry, as that will also cause them to fall apart.
If you feel that your recipe needs more of a binder, Melanie Cooks suggests adding a bit of flour into the mix to help hold the ingredients together more. Most crab or tuna cakes don't include flour because it's finicky. Too much flour can make them tough, but if you add just a sprinkle in, it will do wonders.
Keeping the skin on salmon makes it easier to flip, as the salmon is less likely to fall apart (also recommended for Instant Pot Salmon). Making pan seared salmon with skin insulates it and makes it more difficult to overcook.
When the salmon burger reaches 145 degrees F, it is done. – If you don't have a thermometer, check that your burger is lightly crisp on the outside and that the meat inside is pink and flaky. It should not still look raw.
Croquettes may fall apart during frying if the mixture is too wet. As the croquettes get hot, moisture turns to steam, causing them to get soggy and lose their shape. Adding more of a binding agent (beaten egg and/or flour) should help the mixture stay together.
If you add too much egg, for instance, or the canned fish isn't properly drained, the mixture will be too wet and the cakes will fall apart. Too many breadcrumbs, on the other hand, will make your cakes dry and crumbly.
It is important to have a binder and an extender to keep the patties from falling apart. In this recipe, the egg acts as the binder and the breadcrumbs or saltines act as the extender.
Your recipe is out of balance. Too much sugar, fat or liquid or not enough flour. Or you could be opening your oven before the cake is set and the cake is falling at that point.
Add 1 egg yolk per pound of hamburger. It won't add appreciably to the fat content and will bind the meat beautifully. The other thing you can do is add canned, drained, crushed black beans or chickpeas to the hamburger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add an interesting taste.
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