Salmon Croquettes

I came to eating in diners in adulthood, and to my surprise, one of the items of diner food I found delicious was salmon croquettes. There are no diners nearby, and sometimes I get a hankering for salmon croquettes.

This week's were the best. The one pound can of salmon came from Ocean State Job Lot, and it cost around $3.55. I found an old powdered Hollandaise sauce in the spice drawer and made it. Didn't exactly taste like fresh-made Hollandaise, but it tasted o.k.

Here is the recipe. Best I've ever eaten. Note: I used more salmon than the recipe called for.


Salmon Croquettes
Yields 12 Servings 8 oz Canned Salmon
1 small Onion, Chopped Fine
1 1/2 Cups Cooked Potato, Mashed
- Salt
- Pepper
1 tsp Curry Powder
1 Whole Egg, For Glazing
2 Tbls Parsley, Chopped
1 Egg Yolk, Lightly Beaten
1 Tbls Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Milk
- Dry Bread Crumbs

Drain the salmon.
Remove the bones.
Flake the salmon into a bowl.
Add the chopped onion, mashed potato, curry powder, parsley, lemon juice,
lightly beaten egg yolk, salt and pepper.
Mix thoroughly.
Refrigerate until firm.
Mold the salmon mixture into croquette shaped (1" x 2") ovals.
Combine the whole egg with the milk.
Dip the croquettes into the mixture.
Dip the coated croquettes into the bread crumbs, press on firmly.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oil in the deep fryer.
Deep fry until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels.
Serve hot.


This recipe is from New Zealand. The web site is: http://www.binary.co.nz/salmon.html#1

Mega yum. The curry adds a je ne sais pas. I use a hot curry powder, so I only added 1/2 teaspoon. It was perfect. I also used part panko, part regular bread crumbs. The only down side of the recipe is that the house reeks from the cooking oil. Tonight I opened the kitchen window, so maybe tomorrow will be better. I used Instant Mashed potatoes made with butter and low-fat milk. The potato gives them a lightness not ordinarily associated with croquettes.

Serve with Hollandaise or a white sauce. A bit of bechamel would be nice.

Way to go, New Zealand! Serves 4 people with leftovers or 4 very hungry people.

The Cheeseparer

Frugality Fatigue and some recipes

Today, a Boston Globe writer discussed something called "Frugality Fatigue" and how it seems to be creeping up on a lot of us. Tired of cheese paring? Me, too. However, we have been coping quite well with our little strategems, and I would hate for them to fall by the wayside and for DEBT to read it's ugly head.

Have you noticed that people who sell goods and services are nice these days? Isn't that nice?

I have devised a way to get a free meal. We are now buying chicken breasts with the skin and bone on them. I poach them with aromatic vegetables (onion, celery, carrots) and fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme!!!) When the breast is cooked, I remove it, let it cool and return the skin, fat and bones to the cookpot. I cook the broth down somewhat to let a flavor develop. When I remove the bones again, there's always a bit of meat here and there. I save these bits. Sometimes it's almost a cup. Strain the broth. By now, it's lovely. Now you have the makings of chicken soup. Saute an onion, some chopped carrots, more celery and herbs and add your chicken broth. Voila! This week I had some mushrooms and spinach to toss in. It's kind of a clean-the-veggies-out-of-the-fridge before they become past prime. A sun dried (not in oil) tomato enriches the broth. At the end, I cook some small pasta, ditalini or orzo will do. We usually get dinner and a lunch. Costs practically nothing. Nourishing, tasty.

Yum!