# Canned salmon cakes on a George Foreman? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 27, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812 "2011-02-27T17:25:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/1 "2011-02-27T17:25:28Z")
Hello all smart cooking-type people. My husband has expressed a wild-ass desire for salmon patties/cakes, but he doesn’t want fried-in-the-frying-pan ones. Until Google this morning, I had no idea that NOT frying them was an option. I’ve never made any type of salmon cake thingie before, but I do firmly remember breadcrumbs being a large part of the process when my mother made them when I was a child. So here’s the question(s) - 1. Are the breadcrumbs necessary if the cakes are destined to be grilled on a George Foreman-type grill? (ie - as structural support rather than a coating to be fried) 2. Does anyone happen to have a nice simple grilled salmon patty recipe that they’re dying to pass on to someone clueless? Or, please rate the one that I found online this morning and offer suggestions as to seasonings and prep advice. (please make them easy ones - I do not usually cook.) 3. How on earth do we know when the cakes have been on the grill long enough to be cooked through? Or am I monumentally stupid and canned salmon is pre-cooked? Here is the recipe I found online which seems simple enough and easy to make - 16 oz canned salmon 1/2 cup crushed crackers, panko, or breadcrumbs 1 egg 1 Tbsp milk seasonings to taste (suggestions: salt/pepper, lemon and parsley, dill, or curry 😕 ) Mash everything all together, form into flattened patties, and grill until brown on the outside. (that last bit isn’t very helpful… how thick are the patties? how brown? what about the inside?) Any problems people see with that recipe? Suggestions? Important earth-shattering information about salmon in general? Many many thanks!! ---
**Author:** ![cgg419](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cgg419/32/2847_2.png) [@cgg419](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgg419)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/2 "2011-02-27T20:41:24Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > 1. How on earth do we know when the cakes have been on the grill long enough to be cooked through? Or am I monumentally stupid and canned salmon is pre-cooked? I won’t assume you’re monumentally stupid, but canned salmon is cooked 😃 > [@Lasciel](#): > > Here is the recipe I found online which seems simple enough and easy to make - > > 16 oz canned salmon > 1/2 cup crushed crackers, panko, or breadcrumbs > 1 egg > 1 Tbsp milk > seasonings to taste (suggestions: salt/pepper, lemon and parsley, dill, or curry 😕 ) > > Mash everything all together, form into flattened patties, and grill until brown on the outside. > (that last bit isn’t very helpful… how thick are the patties? how brown? what about the inside?) > > Any problems people see with that recipe? Suggestions? Important earth-shattering information about salmon in general? > > Many many thanks!! I’ve never made them, but that sounds like a good starting point to me, I might just have to try it one of these days. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/3 "2011-02-28T17:55:12Z")
> [@cgg419](#): > > I won’t assume you’re monumentally stupid, but canned salmon is cooked 😃 Thank you for the answer - we’re trying them tonight and seeing how it goes. So here’s my next question - I swear I looked everywhere on that damn can and didn’t find anything about whether it was cooked or not. Is that just information people are supposed to glean by osmosis from parents or other adults who cook? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/4 "2011-02-28T18:04:59Z")
Well, _anything_ canned has been [cooked](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canning). You cannot have, for example, canned raw sushi. I’ve made salmon patties a time or three - I often use mashed potatoes as a binder. Thickness and browning is a matter of personal preference more than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/5 "2011-02-28T18:44:49Z")
For me, your recipe doesn’t have nearly enough bread crumbs. When I make salmon patties I use an entire sleeve of saltine crackers, crushed into a fine powder with most mixed well with the other ingredients and the rest reserved to coat the formed patties before they go into the pan. I also like a little fine diced onion and celery in my salmon patties. YMMV This actually works quite well when baked in the oven. Form the patties to about half an inch thick and coat well with the reserved cracker crumbs. Place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Serve with cole slaw. ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/6 "2011-02-28T19:36:18Z")
I just made salmon patties last week on an electric griddle pan. Just popped in to say - make sure you crush up those bones better than I did. By all means, leave them in for the calcium, but smash 'em up really good or they’ll be unpleasantly crunchy/gritty. I guess I need a better work light over my counter. Your recipe sounds fine. I added minced and softened onion and green pepper. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/7 "2011-02-28T21:03:01Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I’ve made salmon patties a time or three - I often use mashed potatoes as a binder. That sounds nice - do you use real mashed potatoes, or those dried potato flakes from boxes? > [@](#): > > Your recipe sounds fine. I added minced and softened onion and green pepper. > [@](#): > > I also like a little fine diced onion and celery in my salmon patties. YMMV And it’s sounding like onions are a clear front-runner here… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/8 "2011-02-28T21:27:56Z")
You know, my mom used to make salmon patties for me all the time when I was a kid. Haven’t thought about them in years. Are there bones in the can? ---
**Author:** ![Postariti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/9 "2011-02-28T21:35:08Z")
Generally, the big cans have bones, the small tuna-sized cans don’t. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/10 "2011-02-28T21:53:45Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > That sounds nice - do you use real mashed potatoes, or those dried potato flakes from boxes? … 😃 Either way works fine. Good way to use up leftovers if you’ve got 'em on hand, but you can whip up a little bit of the boxed stuff for this application - the slight fakeness of the flavor/texture is overshadowed by all the other stuff. And I say that as someone who enjoys the occasional boxed mashed potatoes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/11 "2011-02-28T22:15:15Z")
I would use your broiler for this - no or little added fat and good overall browning. Little else to add to the excellent suggestions above. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/12 "2011-02-28T22:30:06Z")
Salmon patties. Lent must be here. My mother would pick out the bones/cartiliginous pieces. StG ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/13 "2011-02-28T23:25:57Z")
My recipe goes thus: 1 x can pink or red salmon. 1 x onion, finely chopped 3 x medium sized potatoes, boiled and mashed. 1 x egg 1/4 - 1/2 cup of dried breadcrumbs or cornflakes. Herbs of choice: chopped parsley, dill etc Grated rind of 1 x lemon. Salt and pepper. Mix ingredients, form into patties, (if too moist, you can add extra crumbs) and REFRIGERATE for at _least_ an hour. This helps them stay together better in the pan/grill. If frying them, I dust with a little bit of plain flour to give a light ‘crust’ to the patty, but if doing them on a grill I’d omit the flour. Happy munching 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/14 "2011-02-28T23:33:09Z")
I make salmon patties with egg/breadcrumbs etc and usually fry them. One time I was trying to be particularly healthy and put them in the oven. They don’t come out as crisp and they’re not quite as tasty (the lack of oil, I guess) but they were fine. The mashed potato is cooked already. The salmon is also already cooked, so it’s just a matter of getting them hot. The oven was fine, so I guess a Foreman grill would work as well. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-salmon-cakes-on-a-george-foreman/572812/15 "2011-02-28T23:59:12Z")
Oooooh, **kambuckta** is right. Giving them time to chill in the fridge is key to making sure they hold together.