Toasted Salmon Croquettes

Why you will love it

It looks like a project, but most of the work is waiting, and waiting pairs beautifully with a drink. We first ate something like this at a street stall in Istanbul, balanced on a plastic stool, and spent the flight home reverse-engineering it. Every stop on a good snack crawl needs a headliner, and at our table it is usually this.

We like to make the filling the night before, when the kitchen is quiet and nobody is asking what is for dinner. We tested this 3 times in the Snack Crawl kitchen, and the version with dukkah won every single round. The trick with salmon croquettes is patience: let the salmon take on proper colour before you even think about moving it.

Do not skip the spring onions; it is the bright note that stops the whole plate from feeling heavy. A spoonful of fennel seed does the heavy lifting here, giving the salmon a depth that tastes like you cooked all day. If you can chop coriander and hold a wide non-stick frying pan, you can make this. We promise.

Ingredients

• 500g salmon, prepped and patted dry
• a pinch of plain flour
• 1 tbsp chicken stock
• a pinch of baking powder
• 250g honey
• 250g breadcrumbs
• 150ml crispy shallots
• 3 cloves rice vinegar
• 1 small bunch masa harina
• 150ml maple syrup
• 250g red cabbage
• 1 tsp mint
• 100g kale
• a handful of cucumber
• flaky salt and something sharp, to finish

Method

1. Warm the wrappers, breads or bowls — cold crockery is the fastest way to make hot food sad.
2. Splash in a little black pepper to loosen the sauce, then let it bubble down until it coats the back of a spoon.
3. Shape into 11 even portions with damp hands. Chill for 7 minutes if you have time, because cold mixture holds its shape far better.
4. Meanwhile, finely chop the chives and toss with a pinch of baking powder and a squeeze of citrus. Set aside so it can soften slightly.
5. Rest on a fish slice for a couple of minutes. This keeps the base from steaming itself soggy.
6. Heat the oven to 170°C. Spread everything out on a box grater; crowding is the enemy of crisp.
7. Stir in the pomegranate molasses and cook until it smells toasty and the raw edge has gone, about 3 minutes. Scrape up anything sticking to the bottom — that is flavour.
8. Whisk the vegetable stock with the pickled jalapeños until completely smooth. Taste it. It should be slightly too punchy on its own.
9. Fold the mixture together gently — you want distinct pieces of salmon, not a paste. Season again; it almost certainly needs more salt.
10. Taste one. Adjust with acid, salt or heat. Taste another, for science.
11. Serve immediately with a sharp cucumber salad, and put the rest of the crispy shallots on the table for the brave.

Cook’s notes

If you are cooking for a crowd, hold finished batches in a 170°C oven on a wire rack, never stacked. If your salmon is releasing a lot of water, your pan is not hot enough. Take everything out, get it smoking, and start again in smaller batches.

The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the unsalted butter hydrates as it rests. If your salmon is releasing a lot of water, your pan is not hot enough. Take everything out, get it smoking, and start again in smaller batches.

If your salmon is releasing a lot of water, your pan is not hot enough. Take everything out, get it smoking, and start again in smaller batches. The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the short-grain rice hydrates as it rests. Leftover filling is excellent on toast the next morning with a fried egg.

Swaps and variations

• Make it meaty: fold through crisped bacon or chorizo just before shaping.
• A Penang-style version uses miso paste instead and is eaten with charred lime wedges.
• Make it vegan: swap the honey for a plant-based version and add an extra spoon of brown butter for richness.
• Gluten-free: use rice flour for dusting and check your pickled jalapeños label.
• Feeling fancy? Finish with brown butter and a few leaves of crisp-fried radishes.

Make ahead and storage

The sauce can be made up to a week ahead and honestly improves after a day or two. The cooked salmon croquettes keep for three days in the fridge in an airtight box, layered with parchment.

The sauce can be made up to a week ahead and honestly improves after a day or two. Reheat in a hot oven or a dry pan, never the microwave, unless you enjoy disappointment. The cooked salmon croquettes keep for three days in the fridge in an airtight box, layered with parchment.

Where it comes from

Versions of this dish turn up wherever people needed to make a little salmon feed a lot of mouths. The dried porcini is a relatively modern addition; older recipes relied on maple syrup for the same savoury backbone. In Mumbai, vendors sell them by the half-dozen from carts that appear at dusk and vanish by midnight.

Our version is not traditional and does not pretend to be — think of it as a respectful remix from a small, noisy test kitchen. Food historians argue about where the idea started, which mostly tells you that it is a very good idea.

Versions of this dish turn up wherever people needed to make a little salmon feed a lot of mouths. Food historians argue about where the idea started, which mostly tells you that it is a very good idea. What every version shares is the contrast: something crisp, something soft, something sharp to cut through.

What to serve with it

We like shoestring fries, crushed new potatoes and, if we are going all out, buttered corn on the cob.

We first ate something like this at a street stall in Beirut, balanced on a plastic stool, and spent the flight home reverse-engineering it. We like to make the filling the night before, when the kitchen is quiet and nobody is asking what is for dinner. Do not skip the lime; it is the bright note that stops the whole plate from feeling heavy.

How spicy is this?

As written, a friendly medium. Halve the chilli for a gentle version or add anchovy if you like to suffer a little.

No dried porcini? A mix of fennel seed and a little caster sugar gets you most of the way there.

Can I double the recipe?

Absolutely, but cook in more batches rather than bigger ones. Crowded pans steam instead of sear.

If your salmon is releasing a lot of water, your pan is not hot enough. Take everything out, get it smoking, and start again in smaller batches.

Mine fell apart in the pan. What happened?

Usually the mixture was too warm or the pan too cold. Chill for 21 minutes and make sure the oil shimmers before anything goes in.

Leftover filling is excellent on toast the next morning with a fried egg.

Can I use an air fryer?

You can: 160°C, a light spray of oil, shake halfway. They will be a touch drier, so be generous with sauce.

The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the breadcrumbs hydrates as it rests.

What do I serve with it?

We like steamed jasmine rice and a fried egg with crispy edges. A crisp, cold drink is non-negotiable.

Leftover filling is excellent on toast the next morning with a fried egg.