Salmon Sweet Potato Cakes

My hungry baby is really enjoying the whole chewing and finger food thing, so I can start making “real” meals that we all, as a family can enjoy. So long frozen burritos, mamas having dinner tonight! 

The original recipe was fancy shmancy, with white wine and an agrodulce relish served over a bed or arugula. Yes, I really made that back in the day when I used to care about impressing my husband with my culinary skills. It was explosively crazy good. I remember being very proud of myself. Today I made the baby version, which was still very much explosive. The combination of the sweet potato, herbs and spices, topped off with the light flavor of coconut oil makes this recipe a may-jah success.

Lets talk about the importance of fish, specifically salmon on your baby's development. A baby's brain triples in size in its first year. They are born with a specific amount of nutrients and get what they need from formula or breast milk, but as they get older and start eating real food, they need to find these nutrients elsewhere. Salmon in particular contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids which contribute to healthy brain and body development. I could go on and on about the importance and benefits of salmon, but I wont. Read this article here if you want to know all about the importance of omega-3 and DHA on your baby's development.  

Salmon Sweet Potato Cakes

1 large sweet potato

1 18oz piece of salmon fillet (try to get it skinned and de-boned at the store)

1 teaspoon seafood seasoning such as Old Bay seasoning

¾ cup breadcrumbs or more as needed

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

1 whole scallions (whites and greens), finely chopped

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

2 ½ cup water

1 ½ cup vegetable stock

Virgin Coconut Oil for frying

1.     Peel the sweet potato and cut into small chunks.

2.     Steaming the potato retains the nutrients, but you can also boil until soft. Fork mash into a bowl.

3.     At the same time, poach the salmon.

For those of you like myself who didn’t know what the hell poaching was, it means put the salmon fillet in a large skillet and add just enough water and stock to come up to the top of the fillets, but do not cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and poach about 10-12 minutes. There you go, you poached!

4.     Remove the skin and bones (if you didn't get a clean piece) and transfer the salmon to the bowl with the mashed sweet potato.

5.     Flake the fish with a fork. Add the breadcrumbs, egg, thyme, scallions and dill. Mix to combine well. 

6.     The fish cake mixture needs to be just firm enough to mold into cakes. If it's too wet, add a few more crumbs.

7.     Cook the fish cakes until light golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side. 



Makes 10-12 patties. Crumble and serve as finger food. Try not to eat them all yourself.