Salmon Cakes with Chipotle Dill Tartar Sauce

David Bouska
Mar 2, 2021
3 min read

Smoked Salmon Patties are a quick and delicious way to cook smoked salmon. The fish cakes are filled with smoked salmon, veggies, chipotle mayo, and Wyld Seasoning's flavorful Mountain Stream Seasoning. These cakes are the perfect combination of flaky on the inside and crispy and on the outside. Imagine a grown-up version of fish sticks that the pickiest eater will still devour. Serve with fresh lemon/lime wedges or simple homemade tartar sauce, and these smoked salmon patties are perfect for the main course, appetizer, or midnight snack. As if you'll have any leftovers.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Smoker Temp: 375°F

Cook Temp: 145°F

Wood: Maple

Mountain Stream Salmon Cakes Ingredients:

1 lb Smoked Salmon

1/2 cup Bread crumbs

2 Tablespoon Mountain Stream Seasoning from Butcher BBQ

1/4 cup Onion chopped

1 clove Garlic chopped

1/4 cup Mayonnaise

2 eggs

2 Tablespoon Cilantro chopped

1 small Carrot chopped

Chipotle Dill Tartar Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup Chipotle Mayonnaise

1 Small Dill Pickle chopped

1 tablespoon Lemon juice

1 tablespoon Herb & Tomato Bratwurst Mix from Butcher BBQ

Salt to taste

Before smoking the salmon, prepare the Tartar Sauce; this provides the dipping side time to emulsify while the patties are prepared. This order is optional but recommended for fantastic flavor.

Chipotle Dill Tartar Sauce:

Oh, tartar sauce. As a lifelong lover of all things dill, tartar sauce has always been my choice for fish. This recipe calls for homemade Chipotle mayo, a quick recipe, but regular mayonnaise will certainly suffice if you are in a time crunch.

Chipotle Mayonnaise Instructions:

1 cup Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons Butcher BBQ's Smoked Chipotle Seasoning

Juice of 1 Lime

In a mixing bowl, place all of the ingredients and whisk them together until blended. Use ½ cup for your tartar sauce and save the remaining for the salmon cakes.

Add the rest of the Tartar sauce ingredients, and mix well. Get excited; this is going to be amazing. Place your chipotle mayo and tartar sauce in the fridge until ready to use.

Mountain Stream Salmon Cakes Instructions:

Before throwing your salmon on the smoker first, take out the pin bones. These run along the upper portion of the fish and off the spine. De-scale, if not already done, by using a knife to scrape against the scales. Once finished, rinse the salmon and fire up your smoker to 375°F.

Place your salmon on the smoker until it hits 140°F. The salmon will be sweating out the fat, and a nice red color will start to form on the crust of the fish. Check the temperature at the thickest part with your Instant Read Digital Meat Thermometer from Butcher BBQ. The inside of the salmon should be pink, not translucent. These aren't sushi cakes, although wasabi would go great with these patties. When ready, remove from the grill and begin preparing your salmon cake ingredients.

Cook the onion, garlic, and carrot over medium heat until they soften (5 minutes). Combine with the smoked salmon and the rest of your ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine—shape patties with an ice cream scoop or clean hands.

Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the salmon cakes until golden brown on both sides. About 3 minutes on each side. If cooking too fast, turn down the heat. Smell the fruits; I mean fish of your labor. Smells like victory.

I love these salmon cakes for the smokey flavor and the seasonings that bring the ingredients together. The colors vary yet combine to make a rainbow of crispy goodness. There are many ways to smoke salmon, but I prefer these cakes over any dessert if you have the time and Butcher BBQ seasonings. Dab on the tartar sauce, squirt on some lime juice and take your mouth down the mountain stream to flavor country.