Orange-Chipotle Salmon Patties

We are completing our fifth sunny day in a row. Life is good! I heard on the news last week sometime that this area had 2 sunny days in February (along with 22 days of snowfall) so, really, I feel like I’m livin’ in the tropics! Well, except for the 6” of snow still on the patio. But the rain which is expected over the next few days should certainly take care of that. Yay.

I’ve been exchanging the winter decorations in the house for spring ones, and the newer atmosphere has considerably lightened our moods. It has been a difficult winter and we look forward to longer days, more sun, and finally being able to go outside without having to shovel snow or strap on the snowshoes!

I have been really enjoying my new publication from the publishers of Cuisine at Home called CuisineLite. There are several recipes which I have made that I will be writing about in the next few days, but today I will write about a meal that I made recently that inspired by CL.

A favorite “comfort food” which my Mom made as we were growing up was salmon patties. Canned red salmon mixed with an egg, crushed saltines, minced onion, and seasonings (I think black pepper, celery salt, and maybe garlic salt). Served with corn (Green Giant niblets, of course) and mashed potatoes, it was one of our favorite meals. And the tradition continues as my Mom makes this for her grandchildren (she asked my 11-year old nieces last week what they would like for dinner, spaghetti or salmon patties, and the resounding answer was for the salmon. Go figure!).

I introduced this culinary delight to Jack after we were married and he mentioned that although his mother made something similar from canned tuna, he preferred the salmon. I made the switch from canned red salmon to the less inexpensive pink variety because of cost, and other than the color I cannot tell a big difference between the two. I also began to add Old Bay seasoning which I thought spiced it up nicely, and lemon juice. And this is how I made salmon patties for the past 25+ years. Until yesterday.

In the CuisineLite book I saw an interesting recipe for Zesty Salmon Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise. Orange juice and zest, scallions, and s&p were processed with fresh salmon fillet, then made into burgers, broiled, and served with a mayo-chipotle pepper-cilantro as a sandwich. Hmmm. I had never thought of using orange juice, and chipotle pepper would add some wonderful heat and smokey flavor to my ol’ salmon patties. Plus, with the wild salmon that I buy running around $10/pound, I would prefer to use the canned salmon for something like this.

And so I did. Because I would not be serving the salmon patties as sandwiches, I added the chipotle and cilantro into the fish mixture along with an egg white to help hold it together. This was incredible. Jack has requested that I never make them “the old way” again (thanks, dear!). Orange, chipotle, and salmon are great together, as my recipe for Orange-Bourbon Glazed Salmon (with chipotle) attests, but the addition of these ingredients just kicks up the comfort-food salmon patty to new heights. There is a definite orange punch, and the smoke/spice from the chipotle is pretty darn tasty.

And then I figured that, if I’m changing the salmon patty ingredients, I might as well play with the other standard menu items as well. I mashed the potatoes with orange juice, sour cream, and minced green onions; and instead of plain ol’ corn I made a mixture of edamame, corn, and red bell pepper. Awesome meal! Comfort food of my youth bumped up a few notches. ;)

* Exported from MasterCook *

Orange-Chipotle Salmon Patties

Recipe By : Vicci
Servings: 3

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 large egg white
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon orange zest
3/4 teaspoon minced chipotle in adobo
1 teaspoon minced cilantro
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
14 ounces canned pink salmon


Beat egg white in a medium bowl until foamy. Add the next 7 ingredients (through black pepper) and blend.


Drain liquid from salmon, break into chunks (removing any silvery or dark skin). Any of the soft bones can be crushed and added to the salmon to be used in the recipe (it is a great source of calcium). Add to the bowl and mix with hands. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.


On a waxed paper lined baking sheet, divide mixture into 6 balls, then flatten to make patties.

Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. This will make the patties easier to work with when transferring to the pan and turning, but it is not essential to the recipe (realizing, of course, that you will have to be extra careful in handling the patties while cooking).


Preheat the broiler and line a broiler pan with foil. Spray with cooking spray and transfer the patties to the pan. Broil about 6" from the heating element for 4 minutes, or until they brown lightly. Turn and continue to broil until the other side is lightly browned. Serve.


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Per serving: 203 Calories (kcal); 10g Total Fat; (44% calories from fat); 26g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 83mg Cholesterol; 578mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 10 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

Orange-Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

Peel 3 medium white potatoes and boil in a covered saucepan containing about 3” of water until tender. Drain cooking water into a measuring cup.

To the potatoes, add ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, 2 tablespoons light sour cream, and a few grinds of black pepper.

Mash, adding additional cooking as needed for the desired consistency.

Fold in 2 tablespoons chopped scallions (white and light green parts).

Serve.