Fried Foods | Irish American Mom

Budget Friendly Salmon Fish Cakes

July 22, 2017 by Irish American Mom 12 Comments

When quick and easy is the order of the day, then salmon fish cakes are perfect for your dinner menu. I’m not talking about complicated cook-from-scratch fish cakes made by first poaching fresh salmon. I’m talking about budget-friendly, tasty fish cakes made with canned or tinned salmon.

Have you ever looked at the clock and realized it’s nearly 6 o’clock and you haven’t even started making dinner? I mean you haven’t even contemplated what on God’s good earth you’re going to toss together to feed all the hungry mouths in your family.

You stare into the refrigerator, praying for inspiration. I know I should plan our weekly dinner menu in advance, but I’m afraid I’m not always so organized. I try, but many an evening I open the fridge door hoping dinner will just jump out and cook itself.

But never fear this recipe saves the day, when fridge supplies run low, and your budget needs an inexpensive dinner solution. These are easy peasy salmon fish cakes. They’re great in summer with a side salad or in winter served with fried potatoes and veg.

My quick dinner solution can be found sitting in my pantry because I always make sure there are a few cans of salmon waiting for me on the shelves.

Leftover mashed potatoes are also usually sitting in my fridge, and if not, it’s easy to boil a few for this recipe.

And so here it is, my budget friendly salmon fish cakes recipe ….

Here’s a short video summarizing all the steps. And just read on for step-by-step photo instructions to help you make this delicious Irish style dinner.

Ingredients for Salmon Fish Cakes:

1 cup mashed potatoes
12 oz canned pink salmon (2 small cans, preferably bone free)
1 tablespoon of ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard
1 small lemon (juice and zest)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon of paprika or cayenne pepper (or to taste)
salt and pepper to season
1/2 cup plain flour
1 extra large egg or 2 medium eggs (beaten)
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (for frying)
1 tablespoon of butter (for frying)

Directions for Salmon Fish Cakes:

Here I’ve provided step-by-step photo instructions to help assemble these delicious fish cakes.

Add the mashed potatoes, salmon, ketchup, mustard, parsley, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and paprika or cayenne pepper to a large bowl.

You can use as much paprika or cayenne pepper you think your palate can tolerate. I cook for an Irish family so, in many a reader’s book, I may skimp on the spices.

Mix everything together to combine.

Here’s how it looks ….

Divide the mixture in four and shape into patties using the palms of your hands.

I find digging in and using my hands is the only way to form neat, uniform patties, ready for coating.

Put the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs into three separate dishes.

Coat each salmon cake in flour and dust off any excess.

Dip in the egg wash, then finally coat in breadcrumbs.

Flour always comes first to create a dry coating to help the egg wash adhere to the patty. The wet egg wash then allows the breadcrumbs to stick.

The picture above shows the fish cakes all ready for frying.

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet. Fry the cakes for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown and heated through.

Once the oil is warm, reduce the heat to medium to low so the cakes can heat through without burning on the outside. Low and slow is the name of the game, especially when the salmon cakes are thick.

I like to add butter to the oil for extra flavor.

I made four large deep salmon cakes, so I decided to turn them on their sides to brown the edges and ensure they were heated thoroughly.

If you prefer thinner salmon cakes, you can make the patties much smaller. Divide the fish mixture in eight rather than four before forming the cakes. That way it’s easier to cook them through without burning the outer surfaces.

These salmon cakes are delicious served warm with lemon wedges and a side salad.

But my Irish family prefers to eat these cakes with fried potatoes and a warm veggie like broccoli.

Now that’s what I call a good Irish dinner. A little brown sauce on the side, and you’re in salmon cake heaven.

Here’s the printable recipe for anyone who would like to add this to their printed recipe collection.

Yum

Budget Friendly Salmon Fish Cakes

Ingredients

1 cup mashed potatoes
12 oz canned pink salmon (2 small cans, preferably bone free)
1 tablespoon of ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard
1 lemon (juice and zest)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon of paprika or cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to season
1/2 cup plain flour
1 egg (beaten)
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (for frying)
1 tablespoon of butter (for frying)

Instructions

Add the mashed potatoes, salmon, ketchup, mustard, parsley, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to a large bowl.
Mix well to combine.
Divide the mixture in four and shape into patties using the palms of your hands.
Put the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs into three separate dishes.
Coat each salmon cake in flour and dust off any excess. Dip in egg, then finally coat in breadcrumbs.
Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet. Fry the cakes for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown and heated through.
Serve warm with lemon wedges.

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I hope you enjoy this easy, budget friendly, pantry inspired recipe. It’s a quick and hassle free way to eat fish. I try to always stock a few tins of salmon in my pantry.

Happy cooking.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

Homemade Chicken Tenders Or Chicken Goujons

June 7, 2014 by Irish American Mom 57 Comments

My chicken tenders are made from chicken tenderloins, coated in panko bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese, then baked until golden and crispy – a firm favorite in our house.

Chicken tenders, chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, chicken sticks, chicken goujons, or whatever you choose to call them, these chicken tenderloins feature on our dinner menu at least once a week.

In fact my boys would eat them every night of the week if I let them. They beg me for fast food chicken nuggets, but I’m afraid their Irish mom believes in home cooked meals, free from ingredients I cannot pronounce. To meet the demands of my fussy eaters I created my own, homemade, baked chicken nuggets.

I tried many different coatings over the years, from crushed corn flakes to toasted whole wheat breadcrumbs, but I find panko mixed with parmesan cheese gets two thumbs up from my kids (or should I say eight thumbs up).

TIME FOR A LITTLE RANT:

Before I share my recipe it’s time for a little Irish American Mom “chicken goujon” rant.

For all Americans visiting Ireland, whose kids, like mine, cannot survive without their weekly chicken nugget feast, be warned. Nuggets cannot be found on Irish menus, except in McDonald’s. The preferred term is “chicken goujon”.

Why Ireland couldn’t stick with one of the simple terms like nuggets or tenders or fingers, beats me.

I always crack up when I hear my fellow Irish men ordering their “goujons”. Correct French pronunciation does not flow from most Irish tongues, so I’m afraid the term usually sounds more like a “goooooo….jjohn”, especially in Dublin.

I think during the Celtic Tiger boom years, we got carried away and tried to get all fancy by serving “goujons” in restaurants.

RANT OVER & OUT 🙂

What are chicken nuggets made of? I think that’s a six million dollar question, and the answer depends upon where you buy them. I once watched a TV documentary about how commercial chicken nuggets are made, and when I saw discarded pieces of chicken meat being compressed into beautifully uniform patties, I just knew I had to start making my own. As you can see from my ingredient photo there aren’t any complicated or unpronounceable ingredients required.

My homemade chicken nuggets recipe can be baked in the oven or fried, but I prefer oven cooking. Baked chicken nuggets have less fat than the fried variety.

If you like crispy chicken tenders or crunchy chicken nuggets I find panko bread crumbs, mixed with finely grated parmesan cheese, are the perfect solution to this tender coating dilemma.

What is panko? I can hear my Irish mother saying – “‘Tis far from panko you were reared.”

But I’ve come a long way from Ireland to find these dry, crunchy Japanese bread crumbs, just perfect for my chicken coating needs.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
pinch salt and pepper (to season flour)
3 large eggs
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

Before getting started, pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. To ensure crispy tenders a very hot oven is required.

Next you need 3 bowls to prepare the dunking ingredients for coating the chicken.

In the first bowl, add the flour and season it with salt and pepper.

Break the eggs into a separate bowl, and whisk them together well.

The last bowl is for the panko bread crumbs mixed with the grated parmesan.

And now you’re ready to start coating the chicken pieces.

First layer is a coating of flour. Toss each individual chicken tenderloin in the flour, then shake off the excess.

Dip the floured tenderloin in the beaten egg, letting any extra egg drip off.

Next, roll the chicken tenderloin in the breadcrumb mixture. Gently shake off any excess crumbs.

Discard any left over coating ingredients once the chicken pieces are ready for the oven.

Place a wire baking rack in a baking tray. Spray the rack with oil. Place each chicken tender on the wire rack, allowing a one inch space between each piece. If the tenders are placed too closely together, they won’t get crispy. As each one cooks steam is released, so if they’re touching they just go soggy.

Many cooks bake their nuggets directly on the baking pan. I like to use a wire rack. I find hot oven air beneath the nuggets keeps them crispy as they bake.

Prepare and coat each tender individually. I find if I try to throw them all into the coating mixtures together the panko ends up being clumpy and less crispy when baked.

To ensure a perfect texture when cooked, spray the prepared nuggets with a little olive oil.

Turning nuggets half way through baking — Turning chicken tenders half-way through cooking.

Place the tray in the pre-heated oven.

After about 12 minutes remove the tray and turn the nuggets. You can spray a little more olive oil on this new upper surface of the nuggets.

How long to bake chicken tenders? Until they’re cooked is the cheeky answer.

I usually bake mine for 20 to 25 minutes. The exact time required depends on the thickness of each tenderloin. When both sides are golden brown and crispy, I usually slice the thickest one, to make sure the chicken meat is no longer pink, and is a succulent white shade.

Now in case you think our meals are always ultra-healthy, please know I have been known to toss these tenders into my frying pan when I am in a rush to get dinner on the table.

They cook beautifully when shallow fried in about 3 tablespoons of oil with a knob of butter melted into the oil. It takes about 7 minutes per side to fry them, but once again, how long to fry chicken nuggets depends on the thickness of the chicken tenderloin. My motto is always to test to make sure.

While my kids are busy dipping their nuggets in honey mustard sauce, my husband and I usually dice them up and toss them over a quick and easy salad.

So there you have it – my panko crusted chicken nuggets or tenders or fingers or goujons.

Whatever you call them, I hope you enjoy them as much as my kids do. With honey mustard sauce, they’re finger licking good.

Here is the printable recipe:

Chicken Tenders or Goujons

Print recipe

Serves	6
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	25 minutes
Total time	45 minutes
Meal type	Appetizer, Main Dish
Misc	Child Friendly

Ingredients

2lb chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
pinch salt and pepper (to season flour)
3 Large eggs
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
olive oil cooking spray

Directions

Step 1	Preheat the oven to 425 °F.
Step 2	Place the flour in a wide bowl with a little salt and pepper.
Step 3	Add the eggs into another bowl and beat together with a whisk.
Step 4	Mix the panko breadcrumbs and the finely grated parmesan cheese in a third bowl.
Step 5	Toss each individual chicken tenderloin in the flour, then shake off the excess flour.
Step 6	Dip the floured tenderloin in the beaten egg, letting any extra egg drip off.
Step 7	Next, roll the chicken tenderloin in the breadcrumb mixture. Gently shake off any excess crumbs.
Step 8	Place a wire baking rack in a baking tray. Spray the rack with oil. Place each chicken tender on the wire rack, allowing a one inch space between each piece.
Step 9	Bake in the oven for 20 -25 mins, turning them over half way through the baking time.
Step 10	When they are completely cooked the outside should be a golden brown, and the inner chicken completely white. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

Irish Potato Cakes

October 20, 2012 by Irish American Mom 105 Comments

Potato cakes are a perfect way to use up left-over mashed potatoes. Known as tattie scones in Scotland, potato scones in the Isle of Man, or fadge in parts of Northern Ireland, these savory, fried potato patties make a great side dish.

Whenever I cook mashed potatoes I make extra, because I love potato cakes. However, a word of warning. If you like your mashed potatoes really ‘soupy’ and add lots of extra milk and butter, it will be very hard to form potato cakes without adding cups of extra flour. They lose their distinctive flavor when too much flour is added.

I find store-bought mashed potatoes don’t work too well for this recipe. They are laden with extra milk and butter. Also, American potatoes tend to be a little more watery than the Irish variety. In Ireland we love starchy, ‘floury’ potatoes. We often refer to potatoes as balls of flour.

So the moral of the story is don’t make your mashed potatoes too loose if you plan to make potato cakes.

Ingredients:

3 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (half for the dough and half for kneading)
2 oz butter (half melted for dough and half for frying potato cakes)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 large beaten egg

Add the mashed potatoes to a large mixing bowl. I like to take the potatoes out of the fridge about 30 minutes before making these cakes, since when they are really cold I find it harder to form the dough.

Add 1/4 cup of the flour, reserving the rest of the flour for kneading the dough.

Next add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of onion powder. My grandmother would have told me:

“It’s far from onion powder you were raised.”

But I just like the subtle hint of flavor it adds.

Feel free to add pepper. I sometimes use white pepper since I just don’t like to see black flecks of pepper in my cakes. Usually I make them pepper free.

You can season these cakes anyway you choose. I sometimes add curry powder, or chives. The possibilities are endless. Today I thought it best to share my basic recipe, but feel free to experiment with the flavor.

Next I take out my trusted potato masher and use it to combine the flour and seasonings throughout the mash.

Add 1 ounce of melted butter, and half of a beaten egg. The amount of liquid needed varies depending upon the original consistency of the mashed potatoes you are using.

A typical Scottish tattie scone recipe does not call for egg, using only melted butter to bind the ingredients together. However, I like to use just a little egg. I find the dough is easier to work when I do this.

Use your hand to form a dough ball. Add extra flour as needed.

Turn the dough out onto a floured rolling surface. I sprinkle the second 1/4 cup of flour for the kneading process.

Knead the dough gently and press it out into a circular shape about 1/2 inch thick. You might want to use a rolling pin, but I find this dough very easy to work and just press it flat with the palm of my hand.

Next I use a scone cutter to shape my patties. Alternatively you can just cut the big circle into 8 triangular pieces, by first halving it, then quartering it, and then cutting each quarter in half.

But I just like these little circular patties – probably because that’s the way my mom made potato cakes.

Reknead the dough remnants and rework into a flat circular shape to cut out more rounds. This recipe yields between 8 and 10 cakes depending upon how thickly form them.

Next melt the butter in the bottom of a large skillet. I like to use my cast iron skillet. I think the cakes brown more evenly in it.

Add 5 to 6 potato cakes to the pan, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Don’t try to fry them all at once by crowding the pan. Reduce the heat to medium low.

Fry them for 8 to 10 minutes on each side. It is best to cook them slowly over gentle heat. Otherwise the outside crust will burn before the flour in the center has fully cooked. A taste of raw flour can ruin this recipe very easily.

Peak under a cake by lifting it with a spatula to see if it is ready to flip. Once they have a lovely golden brown outer crust, turn them and cook on the other side for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve potato cakes hot for lunch, as a side for chops, salmon or ham. The possibilities are endless. In Ireland they are often served for breakfast as part of a traditional Irish fry, with bacon, sausages, eggs, mushrooms and fried tomatoes.

Here is the printable recipe:

Irish Potato Cakes

Print recipe

Serves	4
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	40 minutes
Meal type	Side Dish
Misc	Serve Hot
Region	Irish

Potato cakes are a perfect way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. Seasoned, fried potato patties are very popular in Ireland where they are also called fadge, and in Scotland where they are known as tatty scones.

Ingredients

3 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2oz butter (half melted for dough and half for frying potato cakes)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 Large beaten egg

Directions

Step 1	Add the mashed potatoes to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2	Add 1/4 cup of the flour, the onion powder and salt. Mash together.
Step 3	Add one ounce of melted butter and half of a beaten egg. Mix together to form a dough. Add additional flour as necessary.
Step 4	Transfer the potato dough onto a floured surface. Knead lightly and flatten into a circle between 1/2 inch high.
Step 5	Use a round cookie or scone cutter to cut out potato cakes. Re-knead the dough remnants to cut out more circular potato cakes.
Step 6	Melt 1 ounce of butter in a large skillet. Add the potato cakes. Fry on medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, until they are a golden brown color.
Step 7	Serve immediately as a side dish for grilled fish, pork chops or any main course of choice.

I hope you all enjoy this little taste of Ireland and Scotland.

Here are some Cheesy Irish Potato Cakes I made for Halloween.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

Budget Friendly Salmon Fish Cakes

Ingredients for Salmon Fish Cakes:

Directions for Salmon Fish Cakes:

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

Homemade Chicken Tenders Or Chicken Goujons

Ingredients:

Directions:

Chicken Tenders or Goujons

Ingredients

Directions

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

Irish Potato Cakes

Ingredients:

Irish Potato Cakes

Ingredients

Directions

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