Mustard & Fennel Alaska Keta Salmon Cakes

(Alaska keta salmon provided by Alaska Seafood. Salmon Cakes with Fennel and Mustard inspired by Barton Seaver For Cod and Country.)

When you marry a great product like Alaska keta salmon with inspiration by sustainable seafood dude Barton Seaver, it’s a recipe made to last.

You won’t have leftovers. I promise.

I slow roasted a small side of keta salmon today (a recipe for the ebook). The beauty of slow roasting salmon (medium-ish) gives the meaty flesh a tender, yet flakey texture. Perfect for salmon cakes.

I can’t mention much more about the slow-roasted Alaska keta salmon recipe, but I can share the Mustard & Fennel Salmon Cakes recipe I created from some of the slow-roasted keta salmon fillet.

The thing I love most about salmon cakes is you can use cooked salmon (as long as you don’t overcook it), jarred salmon in oil, salmon in a pouch, or super-fresh raw Alaska king, or sockeye salmon.

Alaska keta salmon is a firm flakey, mild-tasting salmon. It’s not hard on the pocket-book either. It’s the perfect salmon, smallish in size, has a mild flavor, cooks within minutes, and pairs well with everyday pantry ingredients.

One of those everyone-has-some-in-their-pantry items is mustard. I’m obsessed with mustard these days. Powder form, Creamy Dijon, Raspberry-Dijon, and Country-Style. I really like the vinegar-based County-Style-mustard. You know the kind with the little mustard seeds that pop in your mouth?

Yes, that’s what got me started. But first I wanted to see if Barton Seaver’s For Cod and Country cookbook had a salmon cake recipe. And it did.

I really like Seaver’s style (simple and sustainable) and I respect his work. Plus I like his salmon cakes cooking method: skillet-to-oven. With butter.

What’s not to like about that?

Skillet-to-oven is one of my favorite methods for cooking seafood.

I got the Country-Style mustard from the fridge and went to work.

For my Mustard & Fennel Salmon Cakes, I minced a tablespoon of fennel, a teaspoon of shallot, added ½ teaspoon of country mustard (plus a little more to coat the top of the cakes), 2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise (to hold it together), 2 tablespoons of panko breadcrumbs and about eight ounces of flaked slow-roasted Alaska keta salmon. You don’t need salt and pepper ‘cause the salmon is already seasoned from the slow roast. If you use jarred, canned, or raw, go ahead and season with kosher salt and black pepper.

Stir gently, (you want to keep the salmon flakes, don’t mush it all together) and form into cakes. I made three, but could have easily made four smaller cakes as an appetizer, or two large cakes for a meal. Place a dab of country mustard on the tops of the salmon cakes and smear it in. Sear in butter over medium heat in an oven-proof skillet for about two minutes. Turn and transfer the skillet to a 400-degree oven to finish cooking, about four to five minutes.

Squirt some lemon juice over the top. Chop some fennel fronds and sprinkle over like pixie dust if you like. I do.

Serve immediately. Appetite required.