In the times of COVID-19, it seems that finding food on grocery shelves is more of a “hunt” than a “gather”.
Frozen aisles are decimated and canned goods can be slim pickins…except for canned salmon, to our advantage!
Interestingly, a lot of folks are skimming past these omega-3 rich gems because they’re considered “too pricey“.
WE’VE CREATED A $-SAVVY SOLUTION FOR THIS DILEMMA!
Good news: You can actually FEED NINE PEOPLE with ONE CAN of wild salmon, not five!
We’ve even created a “survival style” version with less ingredients! See “Savvy Alternates” Table for costing, below.
Here’s How:
Savvy Salmon Cakes
Equipment
- medium bowl, fork, spoon, frying pan with lid, measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 can Wild Salmon 14.75 oz
- 1 Egg
- 4 Tbsp Organic Flaxseed, Ground
- ¾ cup Almond Flour
- 2 tbsp Water
Spices
- ¼ tsp Smoked Paprika nightshade
- ¼ tsp Organic Cayenne Powder nightshade
- ¼ tsp Crushed Rosemary organic
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder sub: 2 tsp shallots, minced or fresh garlic
- ½ tsp Black Peppercorn
- ¼ tsp Organic Turmeric
- 2 tsp Dried Organic Dill *see "Dried Dill Alternates" below
- 3 tsp Organic Coconut Aminos
For the frying pan
- 3 tbsp Avocado Oil
Pescaterian Alternate to Egg
- 1 tbsp Organic Flaxseed, Ground PLUS 3 tbsp water. Mix & set 5 minutes
"Dried Dill" Savvy Alternates
- 2 tbsp Organic Dill (from a Plant) buy at HomeDepot
- 2 tbsp Organic Fresh Dill from grocer
- 2 tbsp Dill Pickle Spears minced (one spear)
"Survival Style" alternates to spices:
- 2 tbsp Organic Whole Grain Mustard
- 2 tbsp Dill Pickle Spears minced (one spear)
Instructions
- In medium bowl, combine spices, almond flour and ground flax.
- Add canned wild salmon (with juices, or add in 2 extra tbsp water). Mash well with a fork. The canned salmon may have very soft bones. These are edible and provide extra calcium. If you'd like to hide these completely, consider using a food processor to blend this together.
- Whisk one egg into the mixture (or the ground flax alternative for pescaterians).
- Add the 2 tbsp of water and coconut aminos and blend until you reach a fairly even consistency.
Cooking
- Use 1 tbsp of avocado oil to grease the frying pan.
- Using a spoon and gloved hands, create about 2.5" diameter patties. First, scoop out about two golf-ball sized portions of the fish mixture. Then form into a patty. Place into (avocado oil) greased frying pan. Do not allow them to touch, and don't over-crowd the pan (or flipping is difficult).
- Cook on medium to medium-high heat (my gas stove worked best at around "6" out of 10), with the lid partially on. If your pan looks dry, add more oil by the teaspoon. Ensure your pan doesn't start to smoke — that means the cooking temperature is too high (turn it down).Flip them every 3 minutes to help prevent carcinogenic char and promote even cooking.
- I usually cook these in two or three batches (1 tbsp avocado oil for each batch). Each batch gets flipped twice: side-1: 3 minutes / side-2: 3 minutes / side-1 again: 3 minutes= 9 minutes per batch.
- Set aside on a plate after cooking and either serve or chill immediately. Freeze patties for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Avocado oil is preferred oil for frying here, because it can be heated to 500*F without smoking. When oils smoke, it’s a bad sign — they’re losing their health-promoting properties and generating harmful ones.
- TOO EXPENSIVE? TOO MANY INGREDIENTS? For “Survival Style” and more subs, check out our “Savvy Alternates” Table below this recipe.
Nutrition
Coming Up! Our “SAVVY GRUB SURVIVAL STYLE” post for more tips and recipes!
Also, rumor has it, SavvyGrub’s RDN: Dana Ketter, is creating a nourishing, allergy-friendly, whole month’s meal plan on a SNAP food budget…for free.
That’s eating well for less than $132 per month, per person… while accounting for 2,000 Calories per day. (Some people do not need to eat this much, so cost per month will be less for those folks). KEEP POSTED!
Savvy Survival Serving Suggestions:
- Cabbage or Slaw Salad topped with Avocado + dressing: lime juice (or pickle juice) & extra virgin olive oil
- Potatoes: hashed, steamed, baked, fried… sweet potatoes, fingerlings, russets, baby reds, etc…
- Whole-grain chips n’ salsa + Carrot Sticks
- Avocado Toast + Carrot Sticks
- Veggie of choice + Starch of choice
- Serve on top of a pile of fresh greens! Add Yogurt + Cucumber (diced) for an easy Greek twist.
mix dry ingredients first 
cake “batter” is ready 
Savvy Alternates for Less $ + Less Ingredients
Omega-3 Fats are Naturally Anti-inflammatory!
Wild Fish and Flaxseed are FULL of them.
They’re excellent for heart, brain and joint health… and they can help boost the immune system and mood.
Here’s a table with external links for each recipe ingredient (plus a few alternate ingredient ideas). As previously mentioned, prices vary per region, season, city, store and personal preference for brand or specific type of food item.
| Wild Salmon, canned | Dill Pickles (no yellow 5) | Organic Crushed Rosemary or TJ’s |
| Organic Flaxseed Meal | Course-Ground Mustard | Garlic Powder (or cloves or minced jarred) |
| Almond Flour | Organic Coconut Aminos | Dried Dill |
| Free Range Eggs (Costco or Sam’s) | Organic Cayenne (nightshade) | Fresh Organic Dill |
| Avocado Oil or Costco (bulk for less) | Smoked Paprika or TJ’s nightshade) | Black Peppercorn |
| Onion (minced) | Shallots (minced) | Organic Turmeric |
TJ’s = Trader Joe’s . Sam’s = Sam’s Club