From Jesse Cool

These tender fish cakes make a lovely first course. Serve large cakes over a bed of tender salad greens tossed with vinaigrette for a sit-down course. Or, for a cocktail party, prepare smaller cakes and serve as finger food.

3/4 pound wild salmon fillet, skinned and boned
1/4 pound sea scallops (see tip below)
Pinch + 1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup organic mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 organic egg
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
3 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly season the salmon and scallops with a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste. Place on a large baking pan and bake for 10 minutes, or until just opaque. Remove from the oven and cool slightly, but don’t turn off the oven. Wipe the baking pan clean.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, egg, onions, and dill. Crumble the salmon and finely chop the scallops and add to the bowl, tossing until well-blended. Form into 8 large or 16 small cakes.

In a pie plate, combine the cornmeal, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, and red pepper, if using. Thoroughly coat the cakes with the cornmeal mixture. Place on the baking pan. Brush with half the oil and turn. Brush with the remaining oil.

For larger cakes, bake for 15 – 18 minutes, turning once, until browned. Bake smaller cakes for 10 – 12 minutes.

Makes 8 servings

Kitchen Tips: When purchasing scallops, look for day boat ones. These are naturally harvested and not treated with bleaches or chemicals. Because of this, the scallops are often different sizes and range from light pink to pale gray in color. They taste just as delicious and are much healthier.

I like to serve the cakes with a homemade tartar sauce made from Mayonnaise, relish, capers, and grated red onion.
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Jesse Cool is author of Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients, owner of CoolEatz Restaurants and Catering, and lives in Menlo Park, California.
Photo by Lisa Koenig.
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