Name: Salmon Cakes with Sauce Gribiche
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 lb salmon (skin and bones removed, pat dry); ¼ cup red onion (diced (about ½ a small onion)); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 2 Tbsp dijon mustard; 2 Tbsp fresh tarragon (chopped); 2 Tbsp parsley; 1 Tbsp dill; Juice of one lemon and its zest; ¼ tsp salt; Large pinch ground black pepper; ½ cup breadcrumbs; 1 egg (raw); ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil; 4 eggs; 1 to 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 3 Tbsp pickles (chopped); 1 Tbsp dijon mustard; 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon; 1 Tbsp dill; 1 Tbsp capers; 1 Tbsp chives (chopped); Juice of one lemon and its zest; Salt and pepper to taste; Microgreens and tomato medley to serve (optional)

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These flavorful salmon cakes are topped with sauce gribiche and can be served as an appetizer or main dish! This delicious meal, low-carb and high in protein, also comes together in less than an hour. As a bonus, you can also easily make these gluten-free!

Sauce gribiche, as you may have guessed by its name, is one of the staple sauces used in French cuisine. It originated from Normandy; it’s as if the tartar and hollandaise sauce had a baby. Sauce gribiche has the creaminess of the hollandaise, but the sweet and tanginess of the tartar sauce. It is made by mixing hard boiled eggs with oil, dijon mustard and herbs. Herbs and aromatics can include shallots, tarragon, parsley and chervil. Moreover, to create that tangy and sweet taste, vinegar, lemon, capers and pickles can be added.

What’s fun about making gribiche is that you can really personalize it. The version in this recipe pairs wonderfully with the salmon cakes by using the herbs used for the cakes. I personally find gribiche is one of the easiest French sauces to make. It doesn’t require any double boiler and/or continuous whisking. Furthermore, this sauce pairs really great with any fish, roasted vegetables (my favorites are with potatoes and asparagus!) or as a dip.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

Salmon: Since I live closer to the Pacific coast, we get amazing fresh sockeye salmon and this is what I am using to make these cakes. It also gives these patties great color. If you don’t have fresh sockeye, you can easily find it in the frozen section of your grocery store. Always wild caught, not only it has that beautiful natural red color, but this fish also has a rich flavor in addition to higher protein per serving ratio than other types of salmon. However, you can use any type of salmon in this recipe, fresh or frozen! If you are using frozen salmon, make sure it is completely thawed.

Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs add a slight crispiness to the salmon cakes. In this recipe, I am using panko breadcrumbs, but any breadcrumbs will do. This is the only ingredient that is not gluten-free. If you wish to have a gluten-free alternative, you can substitute the breadcrumbs with almond flour paste or gluten-free breadcrumbs.

Gluten-free alternative with almond flour: Add ½ cup of almond flour mixed with 2 Tablespoons of water to create a paste. Let it rest for 20 minutes so that the almond flour absorbs the water before adding it to your salmon mixture.

Tarragon: Tarragon is a deeply aromatic herb that has liquorice notes. It is often used in French cuisine sauces and adds wonderful contrasting flavors to fish and chicken.

TIPS FOR MAKING SALMON CAKES WITH SAUCE GRIBICHE

Making gribiche:

The beauty of the gribiche sauce lies within its versatility on how you make it and which ingredients you decide to include in it. Therefore, the final consistency will be as per your personal preference. If like me, you like your gribiche to be on the creamier side, I recommend using a food processor to pulverize all the ingredients. Additionally, I boil my eggs for 8 minutes for a soft yolk. If you prefer the chunkier version of the sauce, you can manually chopped everything and bring the ingredients to a mixing bowl to mix it until they are combined. You can also boil your eggs for 10 minutes. This recipe yields about 1 cup of gribiche.

Food processor method: Bring all the sauce gribiche ingredients together except olive oil. Pulse by slowly drizzling olive oil and until desired consistency is obtained.

Manual method: Finely chop eggs, pickles, tarragon, capers and chives. Add them to a mixing bowl and bring all the remaining ingredients together. Mix until all is combined.

To be more efficient when I am in a crunch for time, I make gribiche while my salmon cakes are resting in the refrigerator.

Making salmon cakes:

Make sure you removed all skin and bones of the salmon and pat dry with a paper towel before cutting it into cubes. Using a food processor, bring all the ingredients together, except breadcrumbs, egg and olive oil. Pulse slowly until a paste consistency is obtained.

Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add breadcrumbs and egg. With clean hands, form patties of about 3 to 4 inch wide and ½ inch thick. Let them rest covered and refrigerated for 30 minutes so they can firm up.

Tip to adjust your seasonings: Before forming your salmon mixture into patties, taste your mixture before hand to see if it needs seasonings adjustments. You can take a small spoonful of your mixture and cook it.

On a skillet on medium-high heat, heat olive oil and cook salmon patties by placing them at least 1 inch apart. Cook until they turn golden brown and flip only once. This will take about 3 minutes per side. If you are using a thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 145°F.

Serving and plating:

The salmon cakes are served hot while the gribiche that you pour over can either be at room temperature or cold. Additionally, you can serve it with microgreens and I add medley tomatoes for some colors. The last step is totally optional and you can serve these salmon cakes with sauce gribiche with whatever your heart desires!