Baked Salmon Cakes (gluten-free, egg-free)

In the summer months, Matt and I love eating fresh wild salmon that he grills on the barbecue and brushes with a maple glaze -- it's one of our favourite warm weather dinners. It will still be a couple of months before the fresh salmon is available at our local fish counter, so right now I'm still thinking of appealing ways to use canned wild salmon, which is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, in some of our meals.

Today I tried making fish cakes by combining salmon with mashed potatoes, green onions, fresh herbs, and lemon and baking them in the oven. Served over pea shoot greens, these salmon cakes made a tasty and satisfying lunch that was simple to put together, too!

Baked Salmon Cakes

2 medium sized yukon gold potatoes (enough to make 2 cups of mashed potatoes)
2 105g cans of boneless, skinless wild salmon, drained
2 tbsp thinly sliced green onion
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsely
1 tsp Dijon mustard
the zest of one small lemon
sea salt and pepper, to taste

Peel the potatoes, cut them into chunks, and boil them in a pot of water over high heat on the stove for approximately 20 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain the water from the potatoes and mash them thoroughly. Spread the mashed potatoes out over the bottom of a mixing bowl and set them in the fridge to cool for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Once the potatoes have cooled, flake the salmon into the bowl and add the green onion, parsley, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, sea salt and pepper. Stir to combine all ingredients.

Divide the salmon and potato mixture into six equal parts, and form each part into a patty with your hands. Place the patties on a baking sheet. Bake the salmon cakes for 8 minutes, then gently flip them with a spatula and bake them for another 8 minutes.

Serve the salmon cakes warm, on a bed of pea shoots or other greens drizzled with a simple dressing made from olive oil, fresh lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. Enjoy!