Double Salmon Cakes, Creamed Spinach, Poached Eggs
Brunch • Egg, Fish, Vegetable
Source: Chef Mike Weller
Serving size: 2
Ingredients
- SALMON CAKES
- 2 ounces hot-smoked salmon
- 8 ounces raw salmon fillet, skinless
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons dried dill (or 4 teaspoons minced fresh dill)
- Green part of 4 green onions, minced
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- Whites of 4 green onions, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- ½ - 1 red Fresno chili
- 1 stalk of celery, minced
- 1 Tablespoon capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2-4 Tablespoons panko bread crumbs
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- Juice of 1 zested lemon
- CREAMED SPINACH
- 2 ounces butter
- 2 shallots, minced
- Salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons AP flour
- ¾ Cup whole milk
- 12 gratings whole nutmeg, or ¼ teaspoon ground
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅔ Cup grated Gruyere cheese – about 3 ounces
- 12 ounces clean, dry baby spinach
- POACHED EGGS
- As many as you want to eat
Directions
- -----------------SALMON CAKES------------------
- 1. Use your fingers to break up the hot smoked salmon into pieces and chunks.
- Lay out the salmon fillet and chop it into a roughly 1/4 “dice. Put the salmons into a bowl, and then add in the sugar, salt, zest, dill, and green onion greens and mix together lightly in a bowl.
- 2. Add the vegetable oil to a hot sauté pan. When the oil is hot, add the green onion whites, the garlic, the shallots, chili and celery. Cook until softened and aromatic. Add in the capers and cook for a minute. Turn off the heat and allow the contents to cool.
- 3. Fold the sauteed aromatics into the salmon. Add the mayo and mix gently.
- Add the bread crumbs a bit at a time, until the salmon holds together in a cohesive ball. Form two large and two small sized balls, and flatten into cakes.
- 4. Heat the sauté pan again over medium heat. Add the 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil, and when it gets hot, add in the salmon cakes. Cook until golden brown on the first side. Turn the cakes over gently, and cook until browned on the second side and cooked through. Just before removing from the pan, add the juice of the lemon to the pan, over and around the cakes, and cook until the lemon juice is evaporated and gone. Serve the salmon cakes hot and fresh from the pan.
- ----------------CREAMED SPINACH-------------
- 1. Melt the butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and sweat (cook without coloring) for 2-3 minutes. Add the
- garlic and cook until you can smell the garlic aromas. Add the flour and stir to combine well. Cook for a minute or two more.
- 2. Add the cold milk with a whisk. Add a little of the milk at a time, whisking and allowing the milk to thicken between additions. Switch back to a wooden spoon or a spatula once the milk gets thick, then add in the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Add the cheese and stir to melt. You should have a very thick creamy cheesy paste.
- 3. Add the spinach all at once. This is why we needed a large pot! Keep stirring the spinach until it all wilts and combines with the creamy paste. You should end up with a fragrant and delicious creamed spinach.
- -------------------POACHED EGGS----------------
- 1. Bring a saucepot – the taller the better, certainly nothing flat like a saucepan - of water to a heavy simmer. If you wish to be exact, bring the water up to 190°F….crack your first egg into a ramekin or small bowl. If you have one, transfer the perfect egg to a fine-meshed strainer and allow the very loose egg whites to drain through. Take a large slotted spoon and make a whirlpool in the simmering water by stirring the saucepot in a circular motion. Get your little nephew to show you how if you are having a tough time with this. Pour the cold egg out of the strainer into the center of the water, letting the swirling currents keep the white of the egg wrapped around the yolk. Add in up to three more eggs the same way, if you are feeling cocky. Cook for 2-4 minutes. The white should be cooked, but the yolks should still be very runny. As the eggs finish cooking, use the slotted spoon to lift them out of the simmering water and place them in a bowl of ice water. Repeat this until you have as many poached eggs as you need. If Martha Stewart is coming over for your dish, use a paring knife to trim the cold eggs until they are perfect. This step can (and probably should) be done a day ahead. Whenever you actually
- need to serve the eggs, reheat in gently simmering water until heated through.
Notes
- Optional additions are the German Apple Pancake and Gordon's Breakfast Cocktail to make a complete Sunday Brunch experience.