Salmon cakes: pantry protein with vegetables hidden inside

Canned salmon is one of the unsung heroes of an autoimmune kitchen. It keeps in the cupboard, it costs little, and it turns into a real dinner on a night when fresh fish was never going to happen. These cakes fold zucchini and leek into the mix, so a serving carries more vegetable than it looks like, and they bind with a gelatin egg, which keeps them fully inside the elimination stage.

Salmon is one of the genuine dietary sources of omega-3 fats, which are involved in how the body manages its inflammatory response, and a source of selenium, a mineral involved in thyroid function. The zucchini and leek add fiber. None of this fixes anything on its own. It is simply nourishing, ordinary food doing its quiet part.

Choose wild-caught canned salmon when you can. The fish is the heart of the dish, and good sourcing honors it.

Ingredients

• 12 oz zucchini (about 2.5 cups, chopped)
• 1/2 cup leek, white part only, chopped
• 2 cans (6 oz each) wild-caught salmon, drained
• 3 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 gelatin egg (1 tbsp gelatin bloomed in 1/4 cup water, warmed and whisked frothy), in place of the egg
• 3 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 tsp dried dill
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sea salt
• (black pepper omitted for AIP)

Method

This is the oven method, and the source is firm that you should not pan-fry these. The patties are too soft and will stick.

Pulse the zucchini and leek in a food processor until finely chopped. Now do the step that makes or breaks the recipe: squeeze out all the moisture. Wring the chopped vegetables in a nut milk bag or a clean dish towel until very little liquid comes out. Skip this and the cakes will be too wet to hold.

Make the gelatin egg: sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it bloom for 2 to 3 minutes, warm it gently on low until liquid, then whisk it hard until frothy. Combine the drained salmon, the pressed vegetables, avocado oil, gelatin egg, coconut flour, dill, garlic, and salt.

Form into 3-inch patties on a lined sheet pan. Bake at 400 F for about 15 minutes, flip each one carefully, then bake another 12 to 15 minutes until crisp on both sides and heated through. Serve over salad greens or alongside sweet potato fries.

Coconut flour is the only binder tested for these; other flours are not confirmed to work. Forming the patties and chilling them raw overnight helps them hold together. Keep cooked cakes refrigerated 3 to 4 days.

*Adapted from unboundwellness.com*

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*Provenance: source-derived (re-grounded). Ingredient list taken as factual reference from /Users/Christopher/Documents/Claude/01-Projects/ARM/aip-source-archives/unbound-wellness/aip-salmon-patties-paleo-egg-free.md. Method reworded in ARM's own words; gelatin egg chosen over the egg option and pepper omitted for AIP. Bake times carried from source. Health framing written fresh, hedged, and flagged. No third-party text reproduced.*