Classic Salmon Cakes

I hated fish when I was a kid. I won’t go into the details – I have in other posts here – but, aside from highly processed fish sticks slathered in ketchup, there wasn’t anything resembling fresh fish passing my lips until I was well into college. But lo-and-behold, I eventually came to discover that not all fish tastes, well, fishy. In fact, fresh fish tastes clean, with maybe a hint of ocean, depending on the type of fish. And salmon has become one of my favorites.

While I enjoy different kinds of white fish, I really like salmon because it’s really satisfying. Sometimes when I eat lighter kinds of fish, I find I’m hungry again not long after. But salmon has the rich, almost steak-like feel to it. It’s a real meal.

I also really love the flavors in this particular recipe for salmon cakes. I like things spicy, so anything with hot peppers gets a thumbs up from me. But, if you’re not as fond of spice, you can put in less red chili (or even none at all if you’re really sensitive), or put in more if you’re a fire devil!

While I’m certainly happy to dine solo on these salmon cakes, they are one of my favorite dishes for dinner with friends because no one would peg them as a “Paleo diet food.” The only big difference between these salmon cakes and traditional fish cakes is that we use coconut flour instead of wheat flour as a binder.

And none of your guests will taste even a hint of difference. While any coconut flavor that did come through would actually go really well with the salmon, ginger, chili, and spring onion flavors, those flavors and the Dijon mustard are strong enough to overpower the slight flavor of the coconut flour.

And there you have it – a dish made Paleo friendly with just a small tweak to the ingredients, that won’t make a bit of difference in the end result. That’s what I love about eating Paleo: it’s not at all restrictive. In fact, it’s really helped me broaden my palate and try new proteins and vegetables and even new flavor combinations. And because it’s not restrictive, I’ve been able to make it a permanent part of my life and permanently change my health for the better. No “diet” I had ever been on before was like that and, no surprise, I couldn’t sustain them.

So I hope this is yet another exciting, flavorful, and protein-packed recipe you can add to your recipe book (do people have recipe books anymore? We should!) and use again and again. And you never know – this may just be the dish that converts one of your non-Paleo friends to the Paleo lifestyle because it’s just that good!