Turn left-over cooked salmon into elegant crispy salmon cakes with lemon zest, capers and light tartar sauce made with Greek yogurt. They’re ready in less than a half hour!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by the Dairy Farm Families of New England. I was compensated for my time. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Now that we’re into the second month of the year, I am really hitting my stride planning ahead with protein for the week. As you know, I have been working on getting more protein into my diet at every meal– not just at dinner time.

I’ve gotten in the habit of buying a little more than I need for dinner, so I can end up with left-overs for my lunch or to pack for Jase. This keeps him away from take-out (and those over-sized cookies or bags of chips) and he’s already down 10 pounds!

I have over-done it a couple times, and ended up with more left-overs than I really wanted. But it is a work in progress.

Speaking of left-overs. These salmon cakes are made with left-overs. Left-over salmon that is. Salmon is a family favorite source of protein around here, and it’s also an easy way to get essential Omega 3 fatty acids in our diet. Plus these cakes also have Greek yogurt in them, which is another convenient source of protein and a refrigerator staple in our family. We enjoy Greek yogurt for snacks, breakfasts, in smoothies and I love to use as an ingredient to make recipes seem creamy and comforting.

I’m not sure that these salmon cakes qualify as part of the comfort-food make-over series I have been doing lately. Not because they aren’t a healthier make-over but because I am not sure salmon cakes really are considered comfort-food. What do you think? Leave me a comment below.

Either way- they are healthier- thanks to a few swaps I’ve made- and trust me, nobody will know the difference, taste-wise. But as far as the nutrients go- these are way better.

How to Make Healthier Salmon Cakes

1. Swap in Greek Yogurt instead of Mayo: Usually salmon cakes are made with mayonnaise mixed with salmon and dried bread crumbs. I used Greek Yogurt instead of mayonnaise- for a fraction of the calories. This swap alone saved 258 calories (64 cal per serving.) Plus using Greek yogurt in the cakes (and tartar sauce) gives me an extra 4 grams of protein per serving.
2. Use Fresh Breadcrumbs: Standard salmon cakes call for dry breadcrumbs. This only causes the cakes to dry out- thus requiring more mayonnaise. Instead I used 2 slices of fresh sourdough bread that I processed in my food processor to make fresh bread crumbs. They add body to the cakes- so they hold together well- and the taste of the sourdough is very nice with the salmon.
3. Add low-cal Flavor: I added lemon zest, capers, shallot and celery seed to the salmon mixture to boost the flavor- all for very little additional calories.
4. Bake instead of Frying: To cook the salmon cakes, I formed the salmon mixture into patties, then I cooked them in a non-stick skillet over medium heat in only 1 tablespoon oil. As you can see in the photos, they still get a great browned exterior- without a lot of frying oil. Just cook the cakes 4 at a time, and then allow them to finish cooking through, all together on a sheet pan in a hot oven.
5. Lighten Up Tartar with Greek Yogurt: Another big calorie saving comes in the tartar sauce. I swapped 1/3 cup mayo for the Greek yogurt and I added in extra flavor from whole-grain mustard and fresh dill in addition to the requisite relish. It’s tangy and the perfect foil for the richness of the cakes.

Questions:

Do you intentionally make left-overs for lunches?

Would you consider Salmon Cakes a comfort food?

For information about the dairy farm families of New England, school nutrition, and health and wellness topics, please visit New England Dairy & Food Council and Must Be the Milk.

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