Lenten Salmon Patties

   I was raised a Catholic by a Mexican Catholic Mother.  Every Friday during Lent we did not eat meat and we could count on a few meals that we would always eat. One such meal was the salmon patty.  The salmon came from a can and one can made 6 patties.  We would also eat lentil soup, tuna casseroles,  clam chowder and sometimes, not often, some kind of fried fish.  My mom was a great cook and yet during Lent her meals were quite austere.  In the summer when we were at our beach house in San Miguel, Mexico my mom made fantastic seafood.  But during Lent we got pretty just okay food. There was this bread pudding like concoction which is quite popular during Lent. My great aunt made it every year.  Capirotada has all the food groups in one dish but it is meatless.  I know because when I taught the nutrition unit to my kindergarteners I would divide the class into 5 groups.  We would walk to the store and each group would pick out their contribution with the help of a volunteer mom.  We'd go back to school cut, shred and bake the capirotada in the oven. The kids, mostly hispanic, loved it!  Me, not so much.  Thankfully, my own mom didn't seem to like it either.
   I have altered the recipe of the salmon patties quite a bit.  She used soda crackers as the binder and I know she never used lime zest.  She did make a warm salsa which I didn't make this time but I have made it in the past.  One of my son's friends came over tonight and asked me what was that "delicious smell."  I gave him a patty with the sauce to taste.  He admitted that it was pretty good.  The lentils I made tonight were not made as a soup but as a side dish.  I used less liquid and cooked it a little longer so it was thicker and not soupy.  Along with the salmon patties and  the lentils I made a broccoli slaw with a rice vinegar dressing.  All in all, I was quite pleased with this meal and hope you will be too.

Cindy's Lenten Salmon Patties
oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan by 1 inch in depth.
2 cans of pink salmon well drained (remove all the black "stuff."  I think it's skin.)
1/2 cup of bread crumbs (I make my own but you'll want the seasoned ones.)
1/4 parmesan cheese
2 eggs well beaten
3 green onion finely diced
1/2 of a red bell pepper finely diced
1 celery stalk finely diced
 zest of 1 lime
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2  tsp cayenne powder
1/2  tsp pepper  You will not need salt.
capers and lime wedges for garnish

1.  Combine the salmon, the bread crumbs and the cheese.
2.  Add all of the rest of the ingredients to the eggs and stir to combine.
3.  Combine the egg mixture and the salmon and mix well.
4.  Form into hamburger sized patties and place on a plate to rest.
5.  If the mixture appears too wet, add more bread crumbs.
6.  Heat oil so that when you put a wooden spoon handle in it, bubbles form around the handle7.  Fry patties in small batches about 3 minutes on each side.  Patties should be crispy brown on both sides.
Place on a cookie sheet and place in a warm oven while you make the sauce.

Cucumber Sauce
3 small middle eastern type cucumbers finely diced  (No need to peel or seed these little guys.)
2 green onions finely diced
1/4 of a red pepper finely diced
1/2 tsp of minced mint
1/4 tsp minced parsley
juice of 1/2 a lime
s/p

1. Dice and mix all ingredients.
2. Spoon over patties.
3.  Garnish with capers and a lime wedge.

Makes 8 good sized patties.