Salmon Croquettes, Rice with Lemon Zest, Butter Beans, Corn Creamed with Tomatoes.

I grew up in Southwest Alabama. Every day "dinnah" (noon) at our house
was wonderful. One of those wonderful meals included salmon croquettes.
Love them as much today as I did back in the 1940's when I had them for the first time.

Of course, we had no fresh salmon, and the closest we came to it was the canned salmon at the country store or the canned salmon at the Piggly Wiggly store in the county seat, Linden, where my mother bought her groceries.

I still use canned salmon to this very day to make my salmon croquettes. My mother and Sarah, put crackers in a lot of the food that was cooked. They were not trying to get volume, but the crackers offer flavor and texture. So, you will find it in the croquettes, which makes them very good.

Instead of the corn relish that I usually make with this recipe, I decided to make a creamed corn with tomatoes, and when the cream cooked into the tomato mixture it made such a good flavor. I think you'll really like it. The recipe for the corn is below the salmon recipe.

Salmon Croquettes

 

1 (14.5 ounce) can good quality red or pink salmon

1 cup crushed Club Crackers

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup finely chopped green, red or orange pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion

1/4 cup finely chopped bread and butter pickles

freshly ground cracked pepper to taste

 

Remove any skin and bones from the salmon and discard. Drain half the liquid into a bowl, add the salmon and the remaining 6 ingredients. Mix well. Refrigerate until the mixture has chilled, at least an hour.

Use a cast iron skillet if available. Preheat the skillet and add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet.

Using a regular size ice cream scoop or 1/3 cup measuring cup, make 6 patties. Add the patties to the sizzling oil. Reduce the heat to medium. Brown the patties on both sides and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. Serve your favorite sauce on the side, or mix mayonnaise with lemon juice and fresh dill.

 

 

Creamed Corn Medley in Tomato Shell

 

olive oil

3 large, ripe tomatoes

3 cups fresh corn cut off the cob, or frozen corn kernels

1/4 cup finely chopped orange or red bell pepper

2 green onions, finely chopped

3 (3-inch) sprigs of fresh thyme

1 teaspoon sugar

tomatoes from the shells (see in recipe below)

1/3 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare tomatoes by cutting each tomato in half. Clean the tomato by removing the pulp including seeds. Chop the pulp, place in a bowl and set aside.

Place the tomato halves in an oven proof baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. This helps bring out the flavor. Set aside until ready to use.

Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to a heavy skillet set over medium high heat. Add the corn, bell pepper, and onion. Sauté the corn until very tender. If it gets too dry during cooking, add water, a little at a time and just continue to cook until the corn is done. Just before you are ready to remove the corn, add the sugar and the tomato pulp. Sauté for a 2 minutes more. Add the heavy cream and cook until cream is bubbling, and corn mixture is thick. Remove from heat and add to the tomato shells. Serve hot. Garnish with the finely cut stems of green onion.

 

I served the salmon patty on a bed of rice. This was cooked jasmine rice and I added lemon zest and butter. When ready to serve, spray a cup with non-stick cooking spray. Add the amount of rice you'd like to serve and pack it down with a spoon. Turn out onto the plate. Add your salmon to the top. Garnish with fresh lemon twist or zest.