Dick's Hideaway

Dick MacKenzie - www.dickshideaway.com

Salmon cakes or peanut butter cookies?

Here are some little salmon cakes I’m making for supper tonight. I was going to describe them as similar to crab cakes, but they are not the least bit similar to crab cakes when I think about it (except they are both smallish and kind of round).
I have been trying not to post as many food pictures as I used to - but these are such tasty and pretty little gremlins that I just felt the urge to sneak them in.
Do you remember Clippy, the little paper clip with big eyes that used to dance onto your computer screen like a Vaudeville performer whenever you started to type a Word document? With the first keystroke he’d blow a big conversation balloon out of his face asking, “Do you want to type a letter?”
I have one of those guardian characters, shaped like a measuring spoon, living in my head. Whenever I start to mix ingredients for something she jumps onto my shoulder and whispers, seductively, “Want to add some spice to this?”
It’s then that my recipe goes all to hell.
I can cook for you but I can’t give you a recipe the same way twice.
Here’s a scenario of my little salmon cakes, guided by the rules that they must taste good (or at least interesting), and be as close to zero calories, carbohydrates, and sugar as possible.
I started this batch with mashed cauliflower (softened by boiling), shredded cheddar cheese, Panko bread crumbs, an egg, one or two cans of salmon, then added worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, dry mustard, some salt, pepper, onion powder, and Old Bay seasoning.
After mixing everything up I put a heaping tablespoonful for each cake onto a very lightly oiled cast iron griddle pan, formed them into cookie shapes using a spatula, then baked at 450 for a few minutes (12 minutes seemed about right), took the pan out of the oven and gently flipped the patties and put them back in the oven for another three or four minutes.
Another rule: If any break during the transfer from pan to dish the cook gets to eat them so as not to ruin the picture he’s about to take.
These make nice appetizers. I freeze leftovers for future use, including eating cold during coffee break, during which time my friends think I’m having peanut butter cookies (so nobody knows I’m on a sissy diet).
Last evening when Mary saw this batch she commented that they looked like little pancakes. Immediately my sweet little measuring spoon siren jumped onto my shoulder and cooed, “Sunday morning at camp. Surprise her!”