Easy Salmon Croquettes - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep salmon croquettes from falling apart? ›

Try using other binders

Breadcrumbs combined with an egg, some mayonnaise, and a few other flavorful additions are commonly used to help keep the flakey fish within the patty so it won't fall apart. Mashed potatoes work beautifully in the same way.

No breadcrumbs are needed: Instead, I use a small amount of almond flour. It adds a lovely nuttiness, and doesn't overpower the salmon flavor the way breadcrumbs can often do. If I'm making salmon patties, I surely want them to taste like salmon and not bread!

If you add too much egg, for instance, or the canned fish isn't properly drained, the mixture will be too wet and the cakes will fall apart. Too many breadcrumbs, on the other hand, will make your cakes dry and crumbly.

If they fall apart, they're not of the right consistency. Being either too dry or too wet will cause it. If they are too dry, adding a touch of water will help and if they are too wet, dredge them in flour or add a little flour to the mix.

To prevent this, only fry the croquettes for three to four minutes — just enough time for the outside to crisp and the filling to heat through. Heat your oil to exactly 350°F. Any hotter can cause them to expand too rapidly and burst open.

A perfectly cooked salmon patty should be moist and tender inside with a slightly crispy exterior. If your salmon patty has a grey or mushy texture on the inside, the color may come from the skin side of the flesh, but if it's mushy, it may be undercooked.

One sleeve of Ritz crackers is about one cup when crushed up, so it's a simple one-to-one substitution for breadcrumbs in any meatloaf recipe. The result is a moist and buttery delicious meatloaf that everybody will rave about.

You can also lessen salmon's strong flavor by soaking it in a milk bath for 20 minutes and then draining it and patting it dry before cooking. The casein in milk binds to the TMA, and when drained away, it takes the culprit that causes fishy odor with it.

Note: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have a certain medical condition. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for cooked fish.

What is the white stuff when frying salmon? ›

The white stuff that oozes out of salmon is called albumin, a type of protein in the fish (other foods with albumin include eggs, beef and milk). You can't see albumin when the fish is raw—it only appears when the salmon is exposed to heat. As salmon cooks, the albumin turns from its liquid state into a semi-solid one.

That white gunk seeping from your salmon is called albumin. It's a protein—not fat—that pushes to the surface of the fish when you heat it. "Once this protein reaches temperatures between 140 and 150 degrees, its moisture is squeezed out, and it congeals and turns white," according to America's Test Kitchen.

Canned salmon is already cooked - just drain the liquid and it's ready to eat or add to your favourite dish. You can remove the skin if you like. Don't throw out the soft, calcium-rich bones! Mash them with a fork and you won't even notice them.

The most commonly used binding agent for hamburger patties is eggs. They work well with ground meat and are easy to incorporate into the rest of your ingredients.

Add the flour, mix to combine with the butter and cook for 3-5 minutes. Turn up the heat slightly and start to gradually add the milk a little at a time whisking to prevent any lumps. Once it starts to thicken up add more milk and continue whisking, repeat this till you've used up all the milk.

Test for Flakiness

Flakiness is another sign of doneness. Use a salad fork or the tip of a paring knife to test whether the top of the fish flakes apart easily. It's done cooking if it's flakey. If salmon is hard to the touch and doesn't flake when testing it with a utensil or finger, it needs to cook a little longer.

You can thicken mashed potatoes for croquettes simply by adding in in flour or cornstarch. Add 1 tablespoon at a time until mashed potatoes are thickened to your liking.