Salmon Croquettes

I bought canned salmon for the first time a few weeks ago because it was on sale (which, judging by past posts, is clearly a habit of mine.) I'd never had canned salmon before, and I mistakenly assumed it'd be something like canned tuna, only to open the can to find an intact midsection of salmon, spine, bones, skin, and all. Now, I routinely eat fish whole, so it's not the bones or skin that bothered me, but once I tried to separate the fish from the bones, things got messy. The bones in the salmon would break into three pieces at the merest touch, drawing out the whole process.

Eventually, I did manage to get (almost?) all the bones and skin out. I poked around the internet for recipes that involved canned salmon, and decided on this one called William Faulkner's Salmon Croquettes - probably because, 1. I had almost all the ingredients already, and 2. it sounded far classier than anything else.

Salmon Croquettes 

1 16-ounce can pink salmon, drained and picked clean of stray bones and skin 

2 large eggs 

1 teaspoon lemon pepper 

Dash garlic salt 

2 tablespoons minced onion

1 teaspoon dill pickle relish

10-12 saltine crackers, crumbled 

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the flour and vegetable oil. Shape into 6 to 8 cakes about 1/2 inch thick. Refrigerate for an hour.

2. Heat a large skillet to medium-high. Sprinkle the croquettes with flour. Add the oil and cook the croquettes for 6 to 8 minutes, or until brown, turning them halfway through. Drain on paper towels.

I made a few adjustments:

- I had no onion on hand, so I used two stalks of green onion. I also omitted the relish.
- I also lacked saltines or crackers of any sort, so after digging in my kitchen for a while, I decided to use a bagel. I tore it into pieces, baked it at a low temperature until it was rock hard, and then blended it in a high power blender (though a food processor would have been preferred, if I had one.)

Overall, these are not difficult to make, despite the tedious process of separating the bones from the salmon! (I do hear there are some brands of canned salmon that come without bones.) I did have a little difficulty getting the patties/cakes to stay together while cooking them, but I think because of the alterations I made, mine had less moisture than they should have had. Anyway, I'd definitely recommend this recipe - it dresses up a can of salmon nicely!