Gluten-free salmon cake recipe

When I was growing up, salmon croquettes were a special weeknight dinner. I'm not sure what was in them, except salmon and breadcrumbs, but they were pretty tasty!  Once I was eating gluten-free, I used crushed gluten-free crackers in place of bread crumbs to make salmon cakes.  The main difference between those and croquettes is typically how much oil is used to cook them.  

Last week, I created an interesting version of salmon cakes with no carb filler what-so-ever.  I'm not going to win any cooking or recipe contests, but this experiment turned out surprisingly well, if I do say so myself ;)  

Gluten-free salmon cakes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can salmon
• 1/4 small white onion, finely chopped 
• 1/4 c. mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 tbp. Dijon mustard (or brown mustard)
• 1/4 to 1/2 c. rough chopped coconut chips (unsweetened)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• black pepper, to taste
• several dashes of coconut aminos
• fresh lemon juice, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. Saute onions and mushrooms in coconut oil until tender 
2. Mash up salmon in mixing bowl with sturdy spoon (I remove the larger bones, but it's not necessary) 
3. Add all ingredients, including cooked veggies, and mix well with hands (I wear food safe gloves for this part)
4. Form 6-7 medium size patties and place on wax paper-lined baking pan
5. Place pan in freezer for at least one hour so cakes can get firm
6. Saute salmon cakes in coconut oil over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side (flip carefully as cakes are delicate)
7. Serve with fresh lemon wedges (or sauce of your choice)  

There is no coconut taste to these salmon cakes.  The oil doesn't flavor them in the pan and the chips take on the flavor of whatever they're mixed up with. My husband could not figure out what filler I used which totally tickled me. He offered up several guesses, but coconut wasn't one of them.  

   

Enjoy!