Extra Crispy Asian Salmon Cakes

These extra crispy Asian salmon cakes may have been born from desperation but they’ve become a new favorite around here. I’m sure it has everything to do with the coating of panko bread crumbs that fry up to be extra crispy.

However, before I share the story of how this recipe unfolded, let me explain the next paragraph. I was having a hard time writing this blog post and my daughter offered to write the first draft for me (since she was avoiding her own work). It was too good an offer to pass up so I accepted. Her draft was actually pretty good and quite amusing. I made a few edits and the following paragraph is the result.

I made some miso roasted salmon last week that wasn’t very good a winner with the family. This resulted in some leftovers that lingered in the fridge for a few days, unwanted by anyone. I knew I had to come up with a way to transform the salmon rather than let it go to waste (because I am a good resourceful asian) so I made salmon cakes. They were really good but because I didn’t want to make you cook some mediocre salmon first before transforming it into something amazing, I had to recreate the flavor of the miso roasted salmon cakes starting from raw salmon and using the same seasoning base. This lead to a series of experiments resulting in the recipe I have here which contains the same flavor elements as the mediocre miso roasted salmon transformed into amazing extra crispy Asian salmon cakes but in a quick and easy format.

Thanks Sarah for helping with this post. You’re hired.

Extra Crispy Asian Salmon Cakes

• Author: Taming of the Spoon
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds salmon fillet, skin removed
• 4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon white miso paste
• 2 teaspoons mirin
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Japanese-style panko breadcrumbs, divided
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 tablespoons canola or olive oil, divided
• chopped cilantro and scallions for garnish, optional

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Instructions

1. Cut the salmon into 1-inch chunks. Place the salmon pieces in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 5-8 times until the salmon is coarsely chopped but not pasty. Transfer the salmon to a bowl. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sweet chili sauce, miso paste, mirin, and soy sauce until smooth and the miso paste is dissolved.
3. Add the sweet chili sauce mixture to the chopped salmon and stir until evenly mixed in. Add the  scallions and 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs. Stir to combine. Add the beaten egg and stir just until the egg is evenly mixed in. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to let mixture firm up before forming the salmon cakes.
4. Pour remaining 1 cup panko bread crumbs onto a plate. Remove the salmon from the fridge. Divide the salmon mixture into 8-10 even mounds. With slightly wet hands, and working with one mound at a time, gently form the mixture into 1/4 inch thick patties. Coat the patties with the panko bread crumbs.  
5. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the patties and cook about 4 minutes per side until salmon is cooked through. Repeat with remaining oil and patties. Sprinkle salmon cakes with chopped cilantro and scallions. Serve with extra sweet chili sauce, if desired.

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