Recently, I ordered grilled salmon at Fatz. It was served on a bed of herbed rice, with the grilled veggies as the side dish. Wow! It was a perfect meal.

It reminded me of a delicious Southern dinner Mom used to prepare each winter -- salmon patties (also called "salmon balls") and grits. You may make this entree with fresh or canned salmon. Couple them with steaming hot, creamy grits.

When Mom or Grandmother Sarah made salmon patties, they took the bones out of the salmon and removed the outer layer of skin (it's really not difficult to do). Then they added an egg, a few tablespoons of flour and a little salt and pepper. They combined the ingredients well and formed the mixture into patties that they would fry in a little bit of Crisco melted in a cast-iron skillet.

The recipe below is a variation of that. The recipe for Creamy Grits is from "Hoppin John's Lowcountry Cooking" by John Martin Taylor. It is absolutely the best grits recipe I've ever come upon. You'll find that the addition of milk or cream to grits gives it a wonderfully "creamy" texture.

Fancy Salmon Patties

1 (15-1/2-ounce) can salmon

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup grated onion

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg, beaten

1 cup Italian-season bread crumbs, divided

Vegetable oil

Drain the salmon, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid; set the liquid aside.

Remove bones and skin from the salmon. In a large bowl, flake the salmon and set aside. In a saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter. Add flour, stirring constantly. Gradually add reserved salmon liquid and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Add the onion and next four ingredients, stirring well. Stir in salmon, egg, and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Allow to cool.

Shape the mixture into six patties. Dredge the patties in remaining breadcrumbs. Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 inch into a skillet. Fry patties in hot oil over medium heat five minutes or until brown; turn over and fry for about five more minutes. Remove patties from pan. (These patties can also be baked on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Simply bake them for about 15 minutes on each side.)

Creamy Grits

2 tablespoons salted butter or 2 tablespoons unsalted butter plus 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups water

1/2 cup grits

1 to 2 cups milk or cream

Drop the butter into the water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in grits, return to a boil, and reduce the heat, allowing the grits to cook at a low boil for 10 minutes or so, until grits are very thick and have absorbed most of the water, stirring occasionally to prevent the grits from sticking.

Add about 1/2 cup of the milk or cream to the pot and turn down the heat, allowing the grits to simmer for another 10 minutes or so. As the liquid evaporates or is absorbed, add more cream or milk, cooking the grits until the desired consistency is reached, a total cooking time of at least an hour. The grits should be piping hot when served, slightly soupy but full-bodied enough that they do not run on the plate. This recipe makes 2 to 4 servings.

Two years ago, Sandra Whetstone shared an easy salmon stew recipe with me.

Salmon Stew

4 large slices of bacon, cut in 1-1/2 inch pieces

Bacon drippings

1-1/2 cups bite-sized diced potatoes

2 large cans of Double Q salmon, bones and dark skinned removed

1/4 stick of margarine, sliced

1 quart whole milk

1 hard boiled egg, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Fry the bacon pieces in a large skillet. Remove the bacon from the pan and place on paper towels to drain. In the bacon drippings in the pan, fry the diced potatoes and drain on paper towels. Next,in a large, heavy skillet, put the two cans of salmon (bones and dark skin removed). Add 3/4 cup of water, the fried bacon and the potatoes. Let this mixture simmer for about 15 minutes.

Next, add the margarine, milk, salt and pepper. Add the diced egg. If this stew is too thick for your liking, add more milk. Heat well, but DO NOT boil. This stew is great plain or with oyster crackers.

Perhaps you are searching for a particular recipe. Or, you may have a recipe you'd like to share with readers of The Times and Democrat. If so, please feel free to write me at: Teresa M. Hatchell, 179 Cherry Lane, St. George, S.C. 29477 or email me at tgmhatchell@yahoo.com.

You must be logged in to comment.