Salmon patties with kale… who would have thought this would have ended up one of our favorite recipes? Plus, it's made in a cast iron skillet, not much else makes this homesteading Mama happier than that.
Any of you planning on eating healthier this new year? It's on my list, too. So is enlarging the garden and trying our hand at a homemade greenhouse. (It's been on my bucket list for years and you can bet there will be some tutorials.)
Last spring, my husband and I went on a paleo (paleo is eating like they did during the Paleolithic era, aka caveman era, before domestic farming). You eat vegetables, fruits, meats, and eggs. Essentially, no dairy or wheat. We followed it strictly for 24 days and then slowly introduced dairy and wheat (ground at home) back into our diet.
We both lost weight (my husband totally beat me, but we're not doing it to be competitive, right?). We function at our best when we have some wheat in our diet, but regardless of where you fall on the gluten train, we can all benefit from learning to add more veggies into our diet. I love vegetable rich meals because we have the most ease growing vegetables at our home. I can't produce enough wheat to sustain my family for the year, but I can with vegetables and fruit, for the most part.
Kale is one of our new favorites. After discovering my kids ate kale chips without even knowing they were a vegetable, I kind of fell in love with this veggie. Plus, it's cold hardy, meaning I can grow it much longer and earlier in the growing season than most plants. Our growing season is five short months, on a good year, so I'm learning to embrace hardy veggies.
So imagine my squeal of delight (I gave the pigs a run for their money) when I saw this cookbook from our affiliate partner Amazon Crazy for Kale: Glow from the Inside Out with 40 Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes. Did you know kale could be introduced into over 40 different recipes, all gluten and dairy free, including a Chocolate Milkshake? Me, either, but ya can!
I couldn't wait to try the recipe for Kale and Salmon Cakes. I whipped up and promptly ate over half of them, just so I could share the recipe with ya. I'm awful nice that way… 🙂
The original recipe calls for a sauce and is baked in the oven, but I like the crispiness provided by frying the cakes in a cast iron skillet, and they were so good by themselves, I didn't feel they needed any sauce. Plus, it gave me an excuse to cook with my new favorite kitchen staple, home rendered lard. Which is Paleo and completely healthy for you, despite what you may have thought for years.
Kale and Salmon Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely chopped kale
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 pint canned salmon or 2 six ounce drained canned salmon from the store
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 egg farm fresh if best
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Put kale and water in a small pot. Bring water to boil over medium heat. Boil for 2 minutes then drain.
- Put a small amount of lard, butter, or coconut oil in a cast iron skillet over low medium heat.
- Mix the kale with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. With your hands, form 6 patties. Fry for about 3 minutes on each side. Place on plate and enjoy!
Is your mouth watering?
What are your plans for the new year?
Do you think I could bake these instead? I’m going for a mass recipe for freezing. Baking is so much easier in bulk!
Hmm, I don’t think they’ll crisp up on the outside, which helps them hold together better. But you could try it, if you do, let me know how they do for you
I’m making these tomorrow. They look great and sound like such a better option than the other recipes for salmon cakes. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Lyn,
Let me know how you like them!
Delicious!!! Just made them tonight, served with white rice. I never knew what to make with canned salmon.
Thank you.
i chose your site because you put Jesus first. I also am. Jesus Lover and I let Him in my life. I am going on a pesco-vegetarian diet. So I am interested in your page. Again thank you…jackie
I found that following the recipe turned a very eggy mixture, making it impossible to form into patties. I did use cooked fresh salmon, so I wonder if that was the issue? I ended up adding some panko crumbs and it turned out okay! The flavor was great!
Laura,
Thanks for sharing. That might have been it as cooked fresh salmon would be more moist. The bread crumbs would make it super yummy.
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These look amazing! I eat kale by the bunch, so putting it in anything automatically makes it better : ) I’ve been looking for a salmon cake recipe for awhile, and this one looks by far the best I’ve seen. Would this work with a fresh cooked salmon filet instead of canned salmon?
It would work fine with freshly cooked salmon as well. Enjoy!
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