Herb Salmon Cakes...Alaska Ahoy!

Salmon, one of the healthiest and most flavorful fish around, always reminds me of a trip I took to Alaska and "The Salmon Capital of the World", Ketchikan. Yes! There is a salmon capital and it's located right here in the U.S.! How lucky can we be?

Mom and Aunt Dee admiring the quaint town of Ketchikan.

Ketchikan is a colorful, little fishing village in Alaska, located at the southern end of what is called the Inside Passage.

This waterway is well traveled by the cruise ship brigade and I happened to be on one of those ships, with my parents and some of their friends, for their 50th wedding anniversary. I wasn't sure what to expect, traveling with seven somewhat older, (eh hem...sorry mom!) friends and family, but I was pleasantly surprised at the incredible scenery and enchanting villages we found in our week of cruising. The Holland American Line provided the perfect way to see the rugged Alaskan coastline, without having to pack and unpack, and move from place to place. I highly recommend this mode of transportation if you are traveling with a "mature" group. We were on the Volendam, a beautiful ship with everything you could want for a week of luxury cruising. Most importantly, to me and my dad...happy hour in the view lounge! (We are Irish, after all!)

I started out the cruise in Juneau, due to time constraints. While I waited for my family and friends, and the ship, to dock, I had a day to myself and took advantage of that to book a day trip to the Sawyer Glacier. Juneau is well known for it's salmon (along with Ketchikan and Alaska in general), but I wanted to see the Humpback whales and the glaciers!

I booked an excursion on Adventure Bound Alaska and had one of the most memorable and emotional experiences of my traveling career!

I boarded the small vessel early on a cold, fall morning, hoping to see some glaciers, and praying I'd see some Humpbacks and other assorted sea life. The weather was a bit nasty, with some chilly rain and cloud cover. Maybe it was the gloomy weather reflecting in my hazel eyes or maybe it was because I'm the daughter of a fisherman, but lucky for me, the captain noticed that I was the only person on the boat without a partner or family along, and invited me to sit with him in the wheelhouse! This was extra good news for me, as I can get a tad seasick on occasion...Lucky break #1!

Once I was positioned in my place of honor, we got on our way. We were headed up the Tracy Arm Fjord to the Sawyer Glacier. I have to say that this boat trip was somthing that I would encourage everyone to experience. The scenery was just something to behold. Words really can not express the exceptional beauty that I witnessed.

There is a feeling of internal peace when you experience this kind of natural beauty and I was at one with Mother Nature as we approached the glacier. Relaxed and absorbed in my magical surroundings, I was enjoying the view, when I heard a thunderous boom! I quickly turned my head in the direction of the loud exclamation, in this otherwise silent, frozen world, to see a frosty, white waterfall. The term the experts use is "calving". The glacier melts and large chunks of ice fall off with a noisy "boom" sound. It's amazing to see! Lucky break #2!

Thinking that I am the luckiest girl in the world to be able to see this Alaskan majesty, I was content to sit and reflect on the journey thus far. Ham sandwiches in hand, we headed back to Juneau. Little did I know, what was to come would be something that I will always treasure as one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Our little boat headed back down the fjord and the captain casually asked us if we would like to see some whales...uh...yes!!!!

Conferring with other boats in the area, he headed to where they had spotted some Humpback whales with their babies, earlier in the day. He said he wasn't sure if they would be there, not wanting to get our hopes up, but we turned the boat around and headed out.

Moments later, we encountered a small group of mama whales with their babies. Oh joy! Lucky break #3! To our astonishment, these amazing beings swam just yards from our boat! So graceful and tranquil, they simply stole my heart. Tears came to my eyes as these huge mammals circled our boat and teased us as they dove and surfaced, spouting and flicking their tails in the air. It's difficult to describe the feeling of being so near to these stately animals, but the word "wondrous" comes to mind. This was an experience that was truely breathtaking.

There is so much that Alaska has to offer, the Humpbacks, being just one of those things. I heartily encourage you to go and see this spectacular state of ours! I promise to show you more in another post...

For today, lets go back to the salmon! These salmon cakes are fresh and tasty and might just entice you to go to Alaska!

Take some seasoned, wild caught salmon and cook it the way you like. Roast it or pan fry it, or if you are terrible and lazy like me. microwave it!

Then, flake the cooked salmon.

Add cooked, mashed sweet potato, minced onion, salt and pepper, garlic powder, dijon mustard, avocado mayonnaise, lemon juice, capers, beaten eggs and fresh herbs. Next, gently mix in the cassava flour (you could use all purpose flour too).

Form the salmon mixture into patties that are about 3-4 inches in diameter, and set aside.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and place the salmon patties into the pan and sear until golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Turn and brown on the opposite side. The patties should be golden brown and firm. Serve wth Caper Aioli. If you make them smaller, they can be a great appetizer, othewise they are great as an entree paired with a nice salad.

I love this caper aioli to put on top of the salmon cakes. Thie aioli, would be great to pair with a simple crispy skin salmon too, or as an accompaniment to any fish dish. I also use it as a dip for artichokes.

Herb Salmon Cakes Yield: 6-8 cakes Prep time: 15 minutes Total time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS Cooked, Flaked Salmon | 2 cups Cooked, Mashed Sweet Potato | 1/4 cup Minced Onion |1/4 cup Salt | 1/2 teaspoon Ground Pepper | 1/4teaspoon Garlic Powder | 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard | 1 tablespoon Avocado Mayonnaise | 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice | 1 tablespoon Capers, Chopped | 3 tablespoons Egg, Beaten | 1 Fresh Parsley, Minced | 1 tablespoon Fresh Basil, Minced | 1 tablespoon Fresh Sage, Minced | 1 tablespoon *any fresh herbs you like will be great Cassava Flour | 2 tablespoons Olive Oil| 1 tablespoon DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients, except Cassava flour, in a mixing bowl and stir until just combined. Sprinkle the Cassava flour over the salmon mixture and gently stir to combine. Scoop out a portion of the salmon mixture and form into a patty. Continue with the rest of the salmon, forming the patties and placing on a plate to hold (You will get 6 larger or 8 smaller patties). Heat olive oil in a non- stick pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the patties until brown and turn to cook and brown on the other side, 3-5 minutes on a side. The patties should be firm to the touch and golden brown, when done. Be sure to not crowd the pan, and work in batches if necessary. Serve with lemon wedges and Caper Aioli.

SPECIAL DIET INFORMATION

Lectin Free, Gluten Free

Caper Aioli Yield: 1 cup Prep time: 10 minutes Total time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS Avocado Mayonnaise | 1 cup Dijon Mustard | 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice| 2 tablespoons Capers, Minced | 4 tablespoons Ground Pepper | 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt | ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder | ¼ teaspoon Fresh Herbs, Minced | 4 tablespoons *any fresh herbs will work DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Serve with any fish dish as a condiment. Also great as a dip for artichokes.

SPECIAL DIET INFORMATION

Lectin Free, Gluten Free