Salmon fishcakes with avocado and tomato salsa

Photographer: Adam
4 large servings

Salmon is a lovely strong-flavoured and tender fish, which can be eaten in many delicious ways, and (thankfully) this is one food which is ridiculously good for you. Its health benefits are numerous – including containing some of the highest levels of Omega-3 fatty acids of all cold-water fish (these fatty acids are essential for our bodies and vital for normal metabolism, but we can’t produce them ourselves).

This little recipe is my own; and something I have been developing for a few months, so I really hope you enjoy it. I hadn’t tried making it with flaxseed flour before today but I think it worked out well, as did the delicious little avocado and tomato salsa I served on the side. Bon appetite!

INGREDIENTS

Fishcakes
750g (3-4 large) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
450g salmon steaks
1 small clove of garlic
250g Baby spinach
Small handful of flat leaf parsley
1 Spring onion
Salt and pepper
½ – 1 cup Soy milk
2-3 large eggs
2-3 cups flaxseed flour to coat

Salsa
2 avocado
8 vine tomatoes
2 spring onions
Generous handful of walnuts
2 tsp soya oil
Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Fishcakes
1.Boil sweet potatoes in salted water for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat and place to one side (keep the potatoes in the hot water). You should be able to push a knife into a potato cube without it falling to pieces.
2. Meanwhile, half-fill a shallow frying pan with water and poach salmon for 6 -8 minutes over a gentle heat until cooked, turning once. (Do not allow the water to boil.)
3. Flake salmon into a large bowl, being careful to remove all bones.
4. Chop the baby spinach, parsley and spring onion, mince the garlic and add to the flaked salmon, along with a pinch of salt and a generous helping of pepper. Mix thoroughly and leave to one side.
5. In a separate bowl, strain and mash the sweet potatoes with ½ cup soy milk and a little salt to taste.
6. Mix potato mixture thoroughly into the salmon mix, along with 1 egg.
7. Line a baking tray with foil or parchment, and a large plate with a cup of flaxseed flour. Whisk the last egg in a shallow bowl.
8. Gently form a ball of the salmon/sweet potato mixture and shape into a small, deep pattie, approximately 3cm deep and 7cm wide*. Brush with some egg and gently pat into the flaxseed flour on all sides. Place onto the lined baking tray. Keep topping up the flour mixture as you get low; same goes for the egg.
9. Continue the above step until all the salmon mixture has gone.
10. Chill the patties in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the flour to stick. This is a great time to make the salsa. Finely chop all salsa ingredients and mix thoroughly with your hands. Toss through the soya oil and season to taste.
11. Before the cakes come out of the fridge, start heating a non-stick pan over a medium heat.
12. Once heated, gently place a few of the cakes in the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes per side; this gives the cakes a nice crust, and helps keep them in shape.

Salsa
Dice all ingredients into small, 1cm cubes and place in to bowl, and combine with your hands until thoroughly mixed
Once cooked place onto a separate plate, top with salsa and consume!

Tip
*Be careful not to add more flaxseed flour to the plate unnecessarily; it gets very wet and preferably needs to be dry and ‘floury’ to coat the cakes well. If the patties seem too wet to form, add some additional flaxseed flour into the salmon mixture to help firm it up. If you have the opposite problem and they feel too dry, you could add up to ½ cup more soy milk.