Hong Kong Salmon Cakes with Baby Bok Choy

These also make great burgers!

Course: Main Course, Seafood

Keyword: burgers, salmon

Servings:

Author: Tyler Florence

Ingredients

Salmon Cakes:
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1 shallot minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 to 2 red or green chiles minced
1 1/2 lbs. skinless boneless salmon fillets cut in small cubes
1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 lemon juiced
1 large egg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons peanut oils
Bok Choy:
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2- inch piece fresh ginger
2 heads baby bok choy halved lengthwise
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/2 lemon juiced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Toasted sesame seeds chopped cilantro leaves, and sliced green onion, for garnish

Instructions

To make the salmon cakes: Heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot, ginger, and chiles; saute for a few minutes to release the flavor. Remove from heat to cool slightly.
In a mixing bowl, combine the salmon, cracker crumbs, cilantro, mayonnaise, lemon juice and egg. Scrape the garlic/ginger oil into the salmon mixture; season with salt and pepper. Fold the ingredients together gently but thoroughly. Using your hands, form the mixture into 4-8 salmon cakes (depending on desired size).
Coat a non-stick skillet with the 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and bring it to a slight smoke over medium heat. Fry the salmon cakes until brown, about 4 minutes on each side, turning carefully with a spatula. Keep warm on a plate lined with paper towels.
To make the bok choy: Return the skillet to the heat and coat with the 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and heat until almost smoking. Split the piece of ginger open with a knife then whack it with the flat side of the knife. Lay the ginger pieces in the oil, cut-side down to let it start to perfume. Pan-fry the bok choy, cut-side down, for a couple of minutes to give it some color. Add the water and cook another minute to steam the bok choy; carefully remove it to a plate. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Cook and stir for 3 minutes until the sauce is the consistency of syrup.
Serve the salmon cakes with the bok choy, and drizzle the brown sauce over the whole thing. Garnish the dish with the toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, and green onion.

Notes

I find that the cakes hold together better if you use a food processor for the chopping & freeze them ahead of time. Using the knife blade in the food processor, pulse garlic, shallot, & chiles until finely chopped and saute with grated ginger. Cut the COLD salmon into 2" chunks and pulse until coarsely chopped. Some of the salmon will be chopped finer but this makes the cakes will hold together better. Mix all ingredients together and drop mixture onto cookie sheet into patties or burgers. Use a spatula to shape size & thickness and put in freezer for about 20 minutes. Remove from pan and freeze in a ziplock bag. Thaw before cooking.

Serve burgers on toasted sesame seed buns with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles & tartar sauce. Good with sweet potato fries and cole slaw.

Hong Kong Salmon Cakes with Baby Bok Choy