Asian style salmon cakes with wasabi mayonnaise

From My Carolina Kitchen

½ pound cooked wild salmon, skin removed (see recipe below)

1 tablespoon minced yellow onion

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon good quality mayonnaise or homemade

All purpose flour

1 egg, beaten to blend with a dash of Tabasco or other hot sauce

Grapeseed oil, or any transfat-free neutral tasting oil

Baby lettuce mix

Wasabi mayonnaise:

1/3 cup good quality mayonnaise, either homemade or Hellmans

1 teaspoon wasabi paste (the tube variety)

½ teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Place the cooked salmon in a large bowl and flake with a fork. Add the onion, ½ cup of Panko bread crumbs, a little kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and about a tablespoon of mayonnaise and mix gently until it comes together. Add more mayonnaise if needed to bind the cakes. Now remember that I don’t recommending using a food processor, because the mixture will turn to mush.

Using your hands form into six equal cakes. Place on a plate, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the cakes to become firm. It’s important to chill the cakes or they will fall apart when you sauté them.

In the meantime, whish together the ingredients for the wasabi mayonnaise and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve the cakes.

When the cakes have chilled sufficiently, remove them from the refrigerator. Place the flour, beaten egg and remaining Panko crumbs in three separate bowls. One at a time dip the cakes in the flour, then the egg mixture and finally the crumbs, shaking off any excess in each step.

Heat two to three tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a 14” non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Carefully add the cakes to the skillet and shallow fry until golden brown on the first side, then turn and brown the other side, taking care not to let them burn. It should take about four to five minutes total cooking time. Remove cakes to a plate.

To serve, arrange a handful of baby lettuce on each plate and top with a crab cake. Dribble each cake with some of the wasabi mayonnaise and serve right away.

Cook's notes: If you find you need more mayonnaise to bind the ingredients together, please add accordingly. Also be sure to refrigerate the cakes prior to cooking to help them stay together when you sauté them.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma New Flavors for Appetizers

Makes 6 cakes – 3 to 6 servings