Because “croquettes” sounds so much fancier than “patties”, does it not?

And as someone who is constantly searching for ways to add more protein to her diet that don’t make her feel like a bloated caveman, and was also raised to believe that the glass in which a beverage is served matters as much as the beverage itself, faux-fancy matters.

As does shelf life. And unfortunately, fresh slabs of meat or giant filets of fish simply don’t hang out in the back of the fridge until you decide they sound good for dinner, and tiny ones usually aren’t worth the cost, prep effort, or both. So even if you do go ahead and follow through on whatever grand plans you had for your sale-flyer animal muscles, it doesn’t much matter if you are a leftover fiend, like me. If you live alone, or with people who don’t eat things that might have once shared shelf space with an errant carbohydrate, you’re still left with a lot of leftover whatever, and it can easily become a race between the clock and your gag reflex to see which gives out first and makes you toss the rest of your masterpiece in the trash.

Here’s where quality canned and preserved meats come in. Hear me out – I’m not trying to talk you into yet another chicken-that-smells-like-fish casserole. Things have changed, and happily for us culinary loners, for the better. Especially when it comes to salmon. Canned/Packaged salmon is not – or at least, doesn’t have to be – what it once was. Wild Alaskan pink salmon, skinless and deboned but still in large, yummy chunks instead of suspiciously shredded threads, is now hanging out next to the Bumble Bee and Deviled Ham, instead of the fancy-pants-fish (looking at you, $17 tiny tin of smoked trout) where it probably was 10 years ago (or maybe 2 or 3, if you live in a freaky little map-dot like I do). It’s relocation has also been accompanied by a price drop – it’s still not generic-canned-sausages cheap, but the comparative health benefits and flavor still make it a bargain, in my book.

The other ingredients are either also inexpensive, or can and should be used up readily (i.e. quinoa – is it as cheap as say, minute rice? no. Is it a tasty way to eat a bowlful of carby-tasting things while still getting mad protein compared to that minute rice? yes. Do I have another recipe to help you use up all this extra quinoa? Yes, and I’ll share it soon. Do I care if you use minute rice instead in this recipe? No, but I don’t make any promises as to how it will turn out, and you should really call them “patties” instead.)

So yes, compared to Ma’s classic mayo-breadcrumb-pinkfishymeat patties with a little extra mayo on the side – maybe with some tarragon if she was feelin’ sassy? – they’re a little steeper and little more involved. With a slightly “weirder” ingredient list, I admit (though if you know how I feel about mayo, you know why I call a draw).

But don’t be scared off. These are quick and easy enough to throw together for a random weeknight dinner (or if you simply make them smaller, to use as a last minute appetizer), but impressive enough to make for situations that call for “serving” rather than merely “feeding”.

Especially if you call them “croquettes”.

Curried Quinoa Salmon Croquettes

• 1 can or 2 pouches of wild salmon, or pre-cooked wild salmon (15-16oz total)
• 2 large eggs
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• a good knuckle’s worth of finely grated fresh ginger (or about 2 tsp if you’re using the squeezy kind)
• 1 1/3 tsp curry powder
• 2/3 tsp garam masala
• 1/2-2/3 cup cooked quinoa (I used black because it’s what I had on hand, I like the stronger, nuttier flavor it provided, and to add a little visual interest. Use what you have, or if you’re buying it, what you know you’ll eat later.)
• 1 smallish or 1/2 of a large sweet potato, cooked (feel free to use the canned/frozen stuff here too; but if you’re using a fresh one, just pok
• 6 green onions, chopped to tiny smithereens
• salt and pepper to taste
• splash of light oil for frying (canola, peanut, whatever you fancy – just not olive)

1. Crack both eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk well. Add the garlic, ginger, curry, garam masala, and sniff. That’s right, I said sniff. Use your nose (since you can’t just taste it) to determine if your “base” smells like something you’d find tempting if it wafted by on a server’s arm. If not, adjust until it does – ask yourself what you think is missing, add a little more. Or if it’s more obvious that one thing is too strong, add a little more of everything else. If so, continue. And for the love of pete, if you hate something all-together (like you anti-garlic people, whom I respect but will *never* understand), don’t add it in the first place!
2. Cook your sweet potato. Either poke a bunch of holes in it with a fork, set it on a plate, and nuke it until it’s soft enough to scoop out of the skin with relative ease (start with 5 minutes, and keep going in 2 minute intervals as needed), or boil it if you’re without a microwave. (If you’re using frozen sweet potatoes for this, follow the package instructions).
3. Scoop your ‘tater out of its skin and into a separate, smaller bowl, then mash it up until it’s pretty smooth and puree-like.
4. Once you’ve got everything all whisked and mashed, add the salmon, quinoa, mashed sweet potato, and green onions. Stir together until well-mixed and all ingredients are fairly evenly distributed (to avoid disappointment of cutting into a curried quinoa scallion cake, instead).
5. Heat your oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat Use just enough to get a very thin “glaze” along the bottom of the pan once heated and swirled around, to keep the croquettes from sticking.
6. Once the oil is hot, take a small spoonful – as in, cereal-spoonful, not mixing-spoonful – of your mixture and drop it in the center of the pan. Give it just a few minutes to brown on the bottom, then turn, and brown on the other side. Remove and set on a plate lined with paper towel (the paper towel part is optional, but I’m both averse to grease and to foods sticking to my pan, so while I thankfully didn’t need the paper towel, I’d rather have it – and a crispy, greaseless fried thing – than not, and have my fried thing needlessly soak up extra oil while waiting on its fellow things to be hazed fried). Let cool slightly, and TASTE IT. This is your test cake. Do you like it? If so, continue. If not, see step 1 for directions on flavor modification, and modify, mix, fry, and repeat until you’ve got something you’re proud to eat or serve. Also, make a note or three as to what, if anything, you changed, so that next time you can skip this step altogether and go straight to the big dollops.
7. Once you’re satisfied, either form into patties, OR, be a big fat lazypants efficient like me, and drop a large, mixing-spoonful into the pan and immediately smush into patty-shape with a large, wide turning spatula. Fry on the first side for 5-7 minutes (or until browned to your likeness), then turn and fry another 3-5 minutes (until likewise). *If making as an appetizer, use the test cake/cereal-spoon size, and only cook for 2-3 minutes per side, if that.
8. That’s it! Serve immediately (nobody likes tepid croquettes), with or without a little squeeze of citrus, and a little inner heel click that you’re eating something fried, crispy, AND healthy.