AIP egg-free salmon patties made with canned salmon, pumpkin, coconut flour, tapioca starch, and AIP-compliant pesto

Finding a truly AIP-compliant pesto is the actual project behind this recipe, more than the cooking itself. Most jars carry pine nuts, parmesan, or black pepper, every one of them excluded on elimination, so the real work happens before you're anywhere near the stove: reading labels, or better, blending your own from basil, garlic, and good olive oil. Once that's sorted, the patties themselves take less than 30 minutes and leave you 1 pan to wash.

There is real selenium in wild Alaskan salmon, and selenium is one piece of what your thyroid draws on for its hormone-conversion work, which matters for anyone living with Hashimoto's or another thyroid-related Autoimmune condition. Coconut flour and tapioca starch do the binding here instead of egg, absorbing just enough liquid to hold everything together once the mixture rests for a minute before you shape it.

Blending that pesto by hand, real basil and real garlic, is a small act of intention before the fish ever touches the pan. Plate the patties with something crisp alongside, cucumber, a few leaves, and let how the plate looks matter as much as how it tastes.

Ingredients

• 1 can (14.75 oz) wild Alaskan pink salmon
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 2 to 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
• 6 tablespoons AIP-compliant pesto
• Lard or other AIP-compliant fat, for frying

For the pesto: use a homemade basil pesto - fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, salt, blended until smooth - or a cilantro-garlic pesto made the same way. Most jarred pestos contain black pepper, pine nuts, or cheese, none of which are permitted on AIP elimination. If using a jarred product, read every ingredient carefully before buying. A simple homemade pesto takes less than five minutes.

Method

Drain the salmon and tip it into a bowl. Break it up with a fork into fine, even flakes. If the bones are soft, mash them in - they dissolve completely and add calcium. Remove and discard any large pieces of skin.

Add the canned pumpkin, coconut flour, tapioca starch, and pesto. Mix until everything is combined into a uniform, moist mixture that holds its shape when pressed. Let it rest for a minute or two if it seems loose - the coconut flour will absorb moisture as it sits.

Divide the mixture into 6 to 8 portions. Wet your hands lightly and press each portion into a round patty about 3/4 inch thick.

Melt a generous amount of lard in a skillet over medium heat. When the fat is hot, lay the patties in carefully and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side without moving them. Flip gently and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until both sides are golden and firm.

Cook in batches rather than crowding the pan - crowding steams the patties rather than crisping them.

Air fryer variation

Brush the formed patties lightly with melted coconut oil or avocado oil on both sides. Place them in the air fryer basket in a single layer without overlapping. Cook at 375 F for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping once at the halfway mark. The exterior will be crisp; the interior stays moist.

*Adapted from thecuriouscoconut.com (Amanda Torres)*