Feta Salmon cakes with Spicy yogurt Sauce

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You guys this one is GOOD. Let's talk salmon, shall we? The NYTimes did an article on salmon back in the beginning of the year. I feel like we've all heard before that salmon is good for you. But let's dabble in the reasons why it is really good for you first before we get into the recipe. Salmon is packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Eating foods with a lot of omega-3 fatty acids has been linked to lower rates of stroke and heart disease. These fatty acids could help reduce high blood pressure, have anti-inflammatory effects, fight obesity, and protect against Type-2 diabetes. Ohh there's more. More research on salmon shows that it could also help fight off age-related cognitive decline and diseases like Alzheimer's. So, pat yourself on the back for choosing this recipe. You will be getting a few healthy points rewarded after chowing down.

Now that I have convinced you about the health behind salmon, let's move on to probably the more exciting and fun part: the cooking and the taste. I am a huge believer that we can be healthy and not sacrifice the flavor in the process of doing so. Here's my take on how we can keep a good balance between health and taste for this recipe.

I used garlic infused olive oil instead of chopped garlic to avoid bloating. Follow my lead if you're trying to keep your tummy extra flat. Or ignore if you don't have any IBS issues, simply do not care, or all of the above. You do you, hunnie.

This recipe should take about 10 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook. It's a quickie.

Ingredients:

Spicy Yogurt Sauce

• 1/2 cup of plain yogurt

• 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise

• 1/4 tsp dried dill

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 2 tsp hot sauce

• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil (or 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 minced garlic clove)

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Voila, done with the sauce!
   

Salmon Cakes (makes 5 cakes)

• 14 oz can of salmon (I used Trader Joes 14.5 oz of wild salmon)

• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 2.5 tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp garlic infused olive oil (or alternatively two minced garlic cloves and 2 tbsp of olive oil)

• 1/3 cup feta cheese

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used Aleia's plain breadcrumbs to avoid gluten. If you don't need to avoid gluten, I recommend panko breadcrumbs.)

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise

• 3 green onions, chopped

• 1 tsp of smoked paprika

• optional: slice cucumbers to place on the salmon cakes (1 cucumber is more than enough or you can buy 2-3 mini cucumbers)

1. Mix the salmon and breadcrumbs together first. We want to allow some time for the breadcrumbs to start absorbing the flavors in the cakes so, let's get the breadcrumbs in first.

2. Next add in the cayenne pepper, Dijon mustard, mayo, smoked paprika, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, (minced garlic if using) and feta cheese. Mix well. I recommend trying your salmon cake mix here to see if you want to add in more spice. You're the chef so make the call on what feels right. If you're cooking with the garlic infused olive oil, keep in mind you'll be getting that extra kick of flavor soon to your salmon cakes.

3. After deciding you're good with the cake mixture flavors, add in the two eggs and give your bowl one last good mix. The egg will help bind together your salmon cakes, and let's avoid taste testing raw egg when we can.

4. If you have the time, cover the bowl and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will allow the flavors to really set and the breadcrumbs to soak it all up. I was just too hungry to wait 30 minutes and went right ahead with pan frying the salmon cakes. They still turned out great with a lot of flavor.

5. Place your frying pan on the stove and turn to medium heat. We want to heat the pan BEFORE adding the olive oil. I turned my mixture into 5 salmon patties while waiting for the pan to heat up.

6. When the pan is warm and your salmon cakes are formed, carefully add the garlic infused olive oil. Please be careful not to avoid oil splattering when adding it to the pan.

7. Place the salmon cakes onto the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes. Once they start looking a golden brown, flip the cakes. The second side usually cooks faster. If the oil starts to splatter while cooking the salmon cakes, turn down the heat.
   

To assemble, place the salmon cakes on a plate, add the yogurt sauce on top, and then top it off with the sliced cucumbers if you're using them. I'm really into the spicy yogurt sauce, so I like to add some extra sauce to my plate for dipping. Enjoy!

Note: If you used the garlic-infused olive oil and have some leftover cakes, I like to add the leftover oil from the pan into the container before putting it away in the fridge. It just gives it even more flavor. To reheat the salmon cakes, I recommend reheating in the oven.