Salmon Cakes

1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 eggs
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. Old Bay
2 Tbsp. dehydrated onions
1 1/4 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1 can (14 oz.) Salmon drained and mashed

1/2 cup oil

Mix mayonnaise, eggs, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard Old Bay and onions until well blended.  Add bread crumbs and salmon.  Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.  Heat oil on medium high in a large frying pan until hot enough to barely sizzle.  Scoop up mix, roll into a ball about golf ball size, flatten and add to hot oil.  Fry on each side about 3-4 minutes.  Place on paper towels to drain.  Makes about 12. 

Comment:  This was a recipe for crab cakes that I made a few changes to.  The original called for egg yolks only, I used the whole egg.  It called for blackening seasoning, I used Old Bay.  It called for red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup of chopped parsley, I eliminated both and added the onions.  I also changed from regular bread crumbs to seasoned.  And of course I used a can of salmon instead of the 1 lb. of crabmeat.  These came out delicious!  You can get a hint of the lemon, a slight taste of the Worcestershire and the seasoned (Italian) bread crumbs adds yet another taste.  Combine them all together and these are some of the best salmon cakes I've ever made.   And did I tell you they are moist!

Baked Scallop Scampi

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1 lb. sea scallops
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 cup Panko bread crumbs



Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place 2 Tbsp. of butter in a 9 x 9 baking dish.  Place in oven until melted.  In a bowl season scallops with salt and place in buttered dish.  Squeeze lemon juice over scallops.  In a small frying pan melt the other 3 Tbsp. of butter.  Add garlic and cook over med. high heat 2-3 minutes stirring constantly to prevent burning.  Add Panko and zest.  Stir and cook another 1 - 2 minutes or until butter is absorbed and bread is slightly toasted.  Sprinkle Panko mixture over scallops.  Bake 12-15 minutes or until scallops are opaque and firm and bread crumb mixture has browned.



Comment:  I found this recipe at Publix.  I love scallops and usually order them, rarely cooking them myself.  This recipe was so simple that I had to give it a try.  Now for my changes.  The original recipe called for 4 cloves garlic, chopped - I used 1 Tbsp. minced.  I also, due to the price of scallops, cut mine down to 1/2 lb. and added 2 thin slices of cod, treating it just as I did the scallops.  This gave me a meal for just over half the cost and 2 sea products instead of one very expensive.  I do suggest that whatever fish you use make sure it's about 1/2 to 3/4 the thickness of the scallops.  Since the fish is larger than a scallop, this gives them equal cooking.  This dish is simply delicious!

Chip Crusted Cod

Fish fillets
1 egg white for every 2 fillets
crushed salt and vinegar chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place a rack sprayed with non-stick spray on top of a baking pan.  This keeps the fish from sitting in it's drippings and have a crisp crust all around.  Lightly whisk the egg whites.  Dip each fillet in the egg white and then into the crushed chips.  Place on rack and bake 15-20 minutes depending upon it's thickness. 

Comments:  I have a friend who knows how much I love fish.  One of my favorite is a nice thick piece of Cod.  You can cook 1 - 2 pieces in a toaster oven or more by cooking it in a regular oven making this perfect when cooking for 1 or 2 or for a larger family.  No matter which oven you use, make sure you place your fish on a rack with another pan under it to catch the drippings and give you a good crust.  If you like fish, this is one you must try!