Big Batch Make Ahead Salmon Patties

Whoa little did I know when the freezer went down last week that it would result in the making of the best salmon patties I have ever had eaten or made. That's really saying something because I tell you, as a kid growing up in Alaska, I have eaten my fair share of salmon patties, and then some. I had two whole fillets to cook and use up quickly, I got them cooked and then had a wee tad of trouble. I texted my good friend Stephanie after the fire and she came to help me finish out. There wasn't a LOT to do but the companionship was awesome. She also made sure the salmon was completely deboned and then we got to concocting these killer make ahead crunchy salmon patties. They're also gluten free which is nice and because you make the salmon mixture up without the eggs you can freeze them for a super fast supper in the future. Silver linings people, silver linings.

Big Batch Make Ahead Salmon Patties
2 whole red salmon fillets, cooked, broken up, deboned
2 cups gluten free rolled oats
1/4 fresh dill springs, more or less depending on your taste
3 garlic cloves, peeled
6 dill pickles
1/4 cup pickle juice-if needed

in a large mixing bowl break up the salmon into little pieces, really go through it and make sure there are no bones left
add the oats to the bowl of a food processor process until well chopped
pour them in on the salmon
add the dill, the peeled garlic and the pickles to the food processor bowl, pulse until finely chopped
pour that onto the salmon and oats
make sure your hands are clean and start mixing
if the mixture seems dry add up to a quarter cup of pickle juice, you don't want the mixture soggy or very wet but you do want it to hold together, don't worry you'll add eggs when you get ready to fry them
at this point you can divide the mix and freeze it, we divided it into two bags because we have voracious boys, for smaller families divide into 4 bags and freeze

To cook, remove the frozen mix and let it thaw in the fridge all day
then to each 1/4 of the recipe add one egg and mix well
heat 1/4 inch of cooking oil in a wide deep skillet over medium high heat
then turn your oven on to 350˚ to keep the patties hot while cook the rest
while the oil is heating form the salmon into patties, how many depends on you, my kids like them roughly the size of a ritz cracker
when the oil nice and hot (but NOT on fire) add the salmon patties, don't crowd the pan, add as many as you can easily cook and turn over at one time, watch the spatter
the trick to getting them super crsipy is to cook them in very hot oil and don't try to move them right away, you'll risk crumbling them in the pan
cook until nicely browned then turn and cook the other side
cook in batches, keeping the cooked patties in a pan in the oven to keep warm

I made some pan gravy to go with these and I wasn't TOO impressed with the gravy, but I'll try again.  I liked them better plain or with green tomato relish, which we are still chugging through months later. These are truly the best salmon patties I've ever tasted, crunchy crispy on the outside and mellow tender on the inside.


Peace and Love--