Salmon Cake Benedict
Salmon Cake Benedict- An open faced English muffin topped with homemade salmon cakes, a perfectly poached egg, and an herb crème fraiche.
May 11, 2021 by Nicole Collins
We all know I’m a creature of habit.
But sometimes I forget just how much until someone calls me out on it.
I have a new manager at work, and we were doing a “getting to know you” team call with him and the team a couple weeks ago. So as part of our introductions, we had to say something about ourselves, talk about our length of time with the company, and tell him our favorite spice. (When you work for a spice company, “what’s your favorite spice” is an ice breaker question every time.)
So I don’t think it’s any secret what I said was my favorite spice (blend). Old Bay, of course! Somehow, someone else on my team happened to mention that I’m the resident chef of our team. And, that led to my new boss asking me what my favorite foods to cook were.
Well, I don’t think it’s any surprise what I said to answer this question either. Breakfast and seafood, of course! I believe I even said that I eat way more eggs than I probably should.
When you look at today’s recipe, all I can say is check, check, and CHECK. We have Old Bay, seafood, eggs, and breakfast all wrapped up into one recipe. And, it’s pretty epic.
So today, we’re making Salmon Cake Benedict!
This special breakfast/brunch feels so luxurious, but it’s really pretty easy to whip up. We’ll toast some English muffins, top them with some homemade salmon cakes, poach up an egg, and drizzle the whole thing with a rich and tangy herb crème fraiche. Doesn’t that sound absolutely amazing?
Let’s start with the salmon cake. We’re going to do a double bake on these, once to cook the salmon meat before we form it into a patty, and once to cook the salmon patty. So to start, we’ll drizzle a salmon filet with olive oil, season it with Old Bay, and let it roast in the oven until it is just cooked. We need to be REALLY careful not to overcook the salmon at this stage since it is doing another round in the oven. We don’t want it to dry out.
After the salmon has cooked through, we’ll let it cool down a bit. You could even cook the salmon the night before and let it chill in the fridge overnight. Then, we’ll shred it with a fork, and add lots of goodies to the party. These salmon cakes are taking on a tangy vibe, so we need some mustard, capers, dill, lemon, celery, green onion, and of course, more Old Bay. Then, we’ll add some panko breadcrumbs and an egg to help hold everything together, and we’ll gently mix it all together until the mix is fully combined. We'll form them into patties, and back to the oven they go for another few minutes to cook through.
While the salmon patties are cooking, we can have our English muffins toasting and our eggs poaching. We’re going to put on a very gentle bath for our eggs, add a little vinegar and salt for flavor, then let our eggs cook in the barely simmering water for exactly 3 minutes. Everyone has their own methods and theories for the perfect poached egg, but this is what works for me every single time.
Once the salmon cakes are roasted and the eggs are poached, all that’s left to do is assemble. So, we’ll layer the salmon and egg right on top of our toasted muffin. But instead of finishing with a hollandaise sauce like we would in a traditional benedict, we’re going to carry over the flavors from our salmon to our sauce and make a tangy, herbaceous crème fraiche sauce loaded with more dill, chives, and a little spritz of lemon.
When it’s time to eat, we’re rewarded with a dish that’s light and rich at the same time. It’s tangy and savory at the same time. It’s refreshing and decadent at the same time. The salmon cake is bursting with flavor while still highlighting the fresh fish taste that we love. The sauce is still buttery and creamy thanks to the crème fraiche, but it’s also light and tangy thanks to the lemon and herbs. And when you poke the yolk of that perfectly poached egg, the gooey goodness that explodes over every component adds a layer of richness and luxury that you can only get from a runny egg.
It’s the perfect bite. There’s no other way to say it.
Alright, everyone. Make sure you tag me on social media when you try out this recipe. I love seeing recreations of the recipes I share!
That’s all for now, and let’s eat!
Salmon Cake Benedict
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
For the Salmon Cakes:
8 oz salmon filet
1 tsp olive oil
½ tsp + ½ tsp Old Bay seasoning, divided
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, minced
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp stone ground mustard
1 tsp capers, chopped
½ tbsp lemon juice
½ tbsp dill, minced
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
olive oil cooking spray
For the Herb Creme Fraiche:
¼ cup crème fraiche
1 tbsp dill, minced
1 tbsp chives, minced
½ tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
To Serve:
4 eggs
1 tsp white vinegar
2 english muffins, split and toasted
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Roast the Salmon: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray the foil with olive oil cooking spray. Arrange salmon on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tsp olive oil over the salmon. Sprinkle ½ tsp Old Bay over the salmon, and gently rub the spice into the flesh. Roast salmon for 12-15 mins until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. If using salmon with the skin on, remove and discard the skin. Place the salmon flesh in a bowl, and use a fork to shred it. Allow the salmon to cool slightly.
Make the Salmon Cakes: Leave the oven temperature at 400 degrees. Line your baking sheet with a new piece of foil, and spray it with olive oil cooking spray.
To the bowl with the shredded salmon, add green onion, celery, mayonnaise, mustard, capers, ½ tbsp lemon juice, ½ tbsp dill, ½ tsp Old Bay, panko, and egg. Mix gently until everything is just combined. Divide the mix into 4, and form each section in a patty that's roughly ½ inch thick. Place salmon cakes on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 mins, flip the salmon cakes, and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes until the salmon cakes are lightly golden. Set aside.
Make the Herb Creme Fraiche: To a small bowl, add crème fraiche, 1 tbsp minced dill, chives, ½ tbsp lemon juice, and 1/8 tsp each of garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine. Set aside.
Make the Poached Eggs: Fill a medium saucepan or a high sided skillet with water and 1 tsp vinegar. Heat over medium high heat until the water just starts to lightly bubble. Add a pinch of salt to the water. Crack each egg into an individual ramekin. Carefully drop each egg into the water, and cook at a low simmer for exactly 3 minutes. If the water starts to bubble more than a very light simmer, reduce the heat to medium. Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the water, and gently dab with a paper towel to get off any excess water. Season egg with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Assemble the Benedicts: Top each english muffin half with 1 salmon cake, 1 poached egg, and a drizzle of herb crème fraiche. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*We don't want our salmon to be piping hot when we mix in the salmon cake ingredients, because we don't want the heat from the salmon to scramble the egg. Let it cool for 10-15 mins. Prep your filling ingredients while the salmon is cooling. You can also make the salmon in advance, allow it to cool in the fridge overnight, and assemble the salmon cakes the next morning.
*I used whole wheat english muffins, but use what you like.
*In order to time this meal properly, have the water coming to a simmer for the poached eggs while the salmon cakes are cooking. Then, we can drop in the eggs as soon as the salmon cakes are finished, so everything is nice and hot when we serve. Pop the muffins in the toaster right before you drop the eggs in the water, as well.
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