Today we get to make Salmon Croquettes as an easy freezer meal. This is one of my favorites as they are very easy to make. These croquettes are lightly seasoned, have a delicate texture with a beautiful flavor.
When we make this dish we generally make over 200 croquettes and we often pair it with a lemon zest rice pilaf. The combination of the two are perfect for a nice dinner that’s delicious and filling.
The secret to this recipe is to cook as much of the moisture out as you can from the celery and onions. We don’t want our sauteed vegetables to make our croquettes soggy. I kept the vegetable profile fairly simple (onions, celery, roasted red bell peppers, and capers) but you can get totally crazy if you want as there is room for creative cooking.
Having a Cast Iron Skillet is a must for any kitchen. It’s the original non-stick cooking pan. Not only is it super versatile but it’s cooks food so evenly. We use ours to braise, sautee, bake, fry, roast, and I could go on and on. In today’s freezer meal we will be using our Lodge cast iron skillet to sautee the vegetables then after a quick wash we will be pan frying the croquettes to golden crispy completion.
There are 2 ways that you can prepare this freezer meal. We’ve prepared it both ways with great results.
The first way is to follow the directions in the recipe below till it comes time to fry. This first method does not involve cooking the patties. All you do is form your salmon croquettes, add the bread crumb coating and place them in your freezer to freeze. Once they are frozen, wrap them tightly in some foil or cling film and store them in a freezer friendly zip lock bag, or you can vac seal them for a longer shelf life. To prepare the salmon croquettes, let them thaw and pan fry them in a little oil for about 2 minutes on each side. This will crisp up the breading and warm the croquette throughout.
The second way you can prepare this freezer meal is to do as I did in the video where you pan fry it first. Then you can freeze the already cooked croquette. I personally like this method better as I like the way it sets the croquette up. The reheat can be baked at 350f for 20 minutes or pan fried to crisp it up a little bit. Enjoy the video and I hope you get a chance to make this delicious freezer meal.
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Salmon Croquettes
Ingredients
- 20 oz Alaskan red salmon you can use pink salmon for a milder flavor or you can use canned
- 1 large red bell pepper roasted and diced
- 1 large celery stick finely diced
- 5 oz onions diced finely
- 4 tbsp capers minced
- 1 tbsp dried parsley dried
- 1.25 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1.25 tsp dried dill
- .75 tsp garlic salt
- .5 tsp black pepper
- 2 Large eggs or 3 small ones
- 2/3 cup mayo
- 1.25 cups panko bread crumbs plus a little extra for the coating the salmon croquettes
Instructions
- Finely chop your salmon. If you are using the canned salmon open the cans of salmon, take the salmon and place it in a sieve to drain. Squeeze as much liquid out of the salmon as you can.
- Next, roast the red bell pepper on an open fire till it's completely charred. Place the charred bell pepper in a container and cover. Let it rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove all the charred skin and rinse well. Finely dice the bell pepper, place in a sieve to drain, and set to the side
- In a cast Iron skillet with a little olive oil begin to sautee the finely diced onions and the finely diced celery. Cook till the onions become soft and translucent. Add any juice from the red bell peppers that are draining. Cook till there is no more liquid in your skillet.
- Remove from heat and add the roasted red bell peppers and the minced capers. Allow this mixture to cool.
- Once the vegetable mix has cooled add the salmon, all the seasonings, the eggs, panko bread crumbs, and mayo. Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients. The salmon mixture will see a little wet. That's OK. Place this mix in the fridge for 30 minutes-1 hour.
- To form the salmon croquettes take 1/3 cup of salmon mix and form a patty. Coat the patty in unseasoned panko bread crumbs. Once coated place on a tray.
- You have 2 choices here:You can pan fry the patties in a little oil till they are golden brown and enjoy them for dinner and freeze the left oversorYou can freeze the salmon croquettes uncooked and when you are ready to eat you can take them out. allow them to thaw, and pan fry them till they are golden brown.
- If you want to reheat the cooked croquettes simply place in a 350F oven for 15 minutes till they are warmed through.
Nutrition
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