Salmon Cake Sliders

Savory with the delicate flavor of cucumber coming through to balance it out, these Salmon Cake Sliders are a delicious yet different way to gear up for burger season.

In the days before our little family had expanded with parental units getting remarried, seafood was an ingredient that rarely entered my first childhood house, nestled amid the fields and beside a dairy farm, just a short jaunt away through the seemingly overly expansive stretches of swaying hay. Tuna fish from those squat, cylinder-shaped cans was primarily the extent of our exotic fare from the sea in that little kitchen. The major exception to canned tuna in our lives with consistency was the holiday Clam Chowder that made  an appearance at my Babcia’s table, rounding out the majority of my childhood experiences with seafood.  Very occasionally, I recall a bit of shrimp, perhaps in a stir fry, but for the most part, seafood was a very special occasion food.  This made the experiences in childhood particularly memorable when we were able to indulge in such an extravagant item.  I was taught to overly appreciate the texture and tastes of these smashingly special items more than the routinely everyday food items.

As an adult, one of my favorite incarnations of Salmon is in an unbelievably tasty version of salmon cakes.  This is a type of food that can be served in two extremes - very highbrow, refined, and delicate in some restaurants, or in a backyard as an accompaniment to a seafood boil, with flip flops and baseball caps in the dead of summer.  There are a myriad of ways you can choose to season them, from an Asian influence flavored with Red Curry paste to an incredibly delightful traditional version.  I recently found out my Babcia had a very simply seasoned version of salmon cakes/salmon loaf  she made.  It is funny how things can come full circle, as a friend of mine inspired me a while ago to re-visit my older, restaurant version and update it to my own tastes, and then my Aunt contacted me when I had posted a photo on my Facebook page and gifted me with my Babcia’s recipe, which included a delicious Cucumber Dill Sauce to serve with it.

Creamy Cucumber Dill Sauce from my Grandmother's recipe archive tops an incredible take of a Classic Salmon Cake. 

The classic Salmon Cakes recipe I have come up with is something that is incredibly versatile, and you can plate it up in a fancy faced style, over asparagus and with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce for a delicate brunch, with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes for dinner, cor by themselves old or hot, depending on your own personal preference.  My preferred version of this deliciousness, however, is served as these Salmon Cake Sliders, and I use my Babcia’s Cucumber Dill Sauce with it to create an incredibly delicious meal.  

Using frozen Salmon Filets give a lighter texture to the finished Salmon Cake.  Roast for only 12 minutes at 425 F, simply seasoned with some salt, pepper, and olive oil.  

First things first, since I live in the desert, at home for everyday cooking I am completely fine with frozen salmon filets.  Obviously fresh is going to be best in terms of texture and flavor, but I tend to save the big, beautiful fresh, sides of salmon for the special occasion dinners where I am not manipulating the salmon into a different form.  I also prefer the frozen salmon filets baked then flaked in this style of recipe over canned salmon, as I do feel there is a difference in both texture and taste in the finished salmon cake.  This is my own personal preference, and you do whatever is economically and practicality best suited for you.  Food tastes, preferences, and budgets are personal, and one of the things I love about a single ingredient is how many different directions you can transform it into. 

Secondly, my Babcia’s Cucumber Dill Sauce comes to you as she made it, no alterations needed. It is thick, light, creamy, and fresh, the perfect silky sauce to balance the very savory little Salmon Cakes I have come up with.  My Babcia was not a huge salt seasoner, and this recipe calls for none, but I actually do not think it is necessary because the flavors of the mayo, sour cream, onion, and cucumber mix and meld so perfectly with the dill.  Typically, salt is used to brighten/intensify the other ingredients, but this sauce is perfectly balanced.  I do want to note I use full fat dairy/mayo/etc so there is a TON of natural flavor in those products - if you choose to swap out low-fat versions you may need to taste and adjust with a tiny bit of salt.  This Cucumber Dill Sauce is a perfect complement to the Salmon Cake Sliders, but I also thought it would be a great base for a chip and veggie dip as well. 

All the ingredients, sans eggs, ready to get mixed and formed into those delicious little Salmon Cakes!

Once you get everything prepped, these two different components come together incredibly quickly.  I like to chop and mince all my vegetables I need for both the sauce and the Salmon Cakes right off the bat, which streamlines the process of mixing everything together and forming the patties, making the pan searing process as painless as possible.  I make the Cucumber Dill Sauce first, which allows the flavors to come together while you get the rest of the Salmon Cakes prepped.  I have found through trial and error, that you do have to form the salmon patties pretty tightly and compact to have them stay together while they are pan searing, and once they are down, they should be left alone until you flip them over.  This allows the crust to get nice and golden brown, and allows flipping them over to be a very smooth process with minimal crumbling.

The resulting Salmon Cake Sliders are incredible.  Whatever bun you choose to use, toast the cut sides of the bun for crunch and texture.  Then, atop a little bed of mixed greens lays your perfectly savory, golden brown Salmon Cake.  It is richly spiced, with peeps of the mustard and Old Bay Seasoning bursting through to mingle with the distinct, delicate flavor of salmon.  Every now and then a bit of sweetly soft onion and bursts of red pepper come through to round off the savory harmony of the flavors.  Crispy, golden brown crusted with a terrific crunch as you bite in, the salmon cake itself is tender and soft in a marked contrast to the outside.  Topping this little delicious nugget of savory spices, is my Babcia’s thick, refreshingly light Cucumber Dill Sauce.  You can add fresh sliced vegetables like cucumber and red pepper, as I did, and rev up all of your senses as you savor these incredible little Salmon Cake Sliders.  By utilizing the frozen little salmon filets (we get ours, skin on, from Costco) it ends up being an economically delicious way to make an everyday meal sparkle like those special occasion dinners.

These Salmon Cake Sliders have it all - crunch, depth of flavor, silky, cool sauce, and a soft, pillowy slider bun that makes it irresistible to sink your teeth into!

Salmon Cake Sliders with Babcia’s Cucumber Dill Sauce

Author:  Iris Anna Gohn

Servings: 8 Sliders

These sliders are very simple to throw together, but I do recommend chopping and mincing EVERYTHING you will need ahead of time as it makes it very difficult to stop midway through the process if you’ve forgotten to chop the parsley or something because your hands will be covered in raw egg and salmon once you start shaping the patties.  

When starting to pan sear the salmon cakes, start off by making sure the pan is hot, and be prepared to adjust the heat down if needed as to not burn the cake.  The goal is to create a lovely golden brown crust on each side, which helps the cakes keep their shape when you plate them, but you also want them to cook long enough to ensure the egg is cooked through.  

You can top these with whatever strikes your personal preference - the thinly sliced cucumbers, red peppers, and mixed greens are just a jumping off point.  Sliced tomatoes, onions, pickles, etc might be more your style.  Get creative!

Ingredients

For the Salmon Cakes:

• 2 Cups Baked Salmon, flaked (Three 6 to 8 ounce Salmon Filets.  I use the Costco Salmon Filets with the skin on)
• 3/4 Cup Minced Red Bell Pepper (3/4 Red Bell Pepper
• 1/2 Cup Minced Onion (1/2 Onion)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Mayo
• 1 Tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard
• 1 1/2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tsp Hot Sauce (I have used both Chalula and Tapatio before with great results, though I do prefer the Tapatio)
• 1/2 Tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
• 1/4 Tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper + more to taste
• 1 Cup Italian Flavored Panko Bread Crumbs
• 1/3 Cup Chopped fine Parsley
• 2 Eggs
• Olive Oil, for pan searing

For Babcia’s Cucumber Dill Sauce:

• 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise (full fat)
• 1/2 Cup Daisy Sour Cream (full fat)
• 1/2 Cup Finely minced Cucumber
• 2 Tbsp Finely minced Onion
• 1/2 Tsp Dried Dill Weed

For the Salmon Slider Assembly:

• 8 Slider Buns
• 8 Salmon Cakes
• Babcia’s Cucumber Dill Sauce
• Mixed Greens
• Sliced Cucumber
• Sliced Red Pepper

Directions

For the Salmon Cakes:

1. Preheat Oven to 425 F.  Line a baking pan with aluminum foil.  Pat Salmon Filets dry, drizzle a Tbsp of olive oil over the fish, and rub gently in to moisten it.  Wash hands, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 12 minutes, then place on top of stove to cool.  
2. While the Salmon is baking, in a medium Sauce pan over medium high heat, use 1 Tsp of olive oil to sauté the onions and red pepper with a touch of salt for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions have started wilting and become translucent. 
3. In a large bowl, add the red pepper, onion, mayo, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, Panko bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper together.
4. Take the cooled salmon and flake the fish into small pieces, and add to the bread crumb mixture.  Add the whisked egg and gently combine all the ingredients until all the vegetables, salmon, and bread crumbs are thoroughly incorporated.  
5. Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat with 1 Tbsp olive oil.  
6. Using a 1/3 Cup measuring cup, gently but firmly form 8 Salmon Cakes and set them on parchment paper or a big plate to make for easy transfer when you are cooking them.  
7. Place 3 to 4 Salmon Cakes into the pan (depending on how big the pan is, you do not want to overcrowd the pan) and saute on medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until a golden brown crust has formed and the salmon cake has cooked through.  If you find the pan is too hot, adjust the heat down just a touch.  Transfer cooked Salmon Cakes to a plate and loosely cover with aluminum foil while you finish cooking the rest of the batch in another 1 Tbsp of olive oil.

For Babcia’s Cucumber Dill Sauce:

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the mayo, sour cream, cucumber, onions, and dill weed.  Taste, add salt if needed, then cover and store in fridge till ready to use.

For the Salmon Cake Slider Assembly:

1. In a large skillet, melt 1 tbsp butter and toast the cut sides of the Slider buns until crisp and golden brown.  Replenish butter as needed for new batches as it absorbs quickly into the bread.
2. Take a Slider Bun, and layer a bit of mixed greens on the bottom.  Place a Salmon Cake on the greens, then scoop a bit of Babcia’s Cucumber Dill Sauce on top.  Finish off the Salmon Cake Sliders with thinly sliced cucumber and red pepper.