Healthy Salmon Patties with Papaya Salsa

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Close-up of salmon patties decorated with a few slices of lemon.

Here’s a tropical take on salmon patties that’s not only extremely healthy, it tastes amazing too. Perfect for summer (or imagining it over dinner).

You can make smaller or larger batches with this salmon and coconut patties recipe by halving or doubling the ingredients. Personally, even when I’m just cooking for two, I always make extra and keep it in the fridge to have again for lunch or dinner the following day.

Salmon Patties Ingredients (Serves 4)

Salmon

Around 2 pounds of wild salmon fillets, skinless and boneless.

Wild salmon is one of your best sources of EPA and DHA. These omega-3 fatty acids have a myriad of health benefits within your body. Salmon recipes like this are also a great way to get lots of healthy protein, vitamin D, selenium and vitamin B12 into your diet. All of these are essential for having more energy and maintaining a healthy weight.

Coconut

4 heaped tablespoons of desiccated coconut.

Desiccated coconut is full of beneficial medium chain triglycerides for better digestion and improving skin and hair. It also makes a much healthier replacement for high glycemic and gluten filled refined wheat flour.

Eggs

4 free range eggs.

It’s nutritionally, as well as humanely, always worth paying a little more for free range eggs.

Bell Pepper

Half a red bell pepper, finely chopped.

Bell peppers are full of vitamin C and antioxidant carotenoids like zeaxanthin for healthy eyes. Soak them in hot water and a splash of vinegar for a few minutes before dicing them up to minimize pesticide residue.

Red Onion

One medium red onion, finely chopped.

Onions are a great source of flavonoids like quercetin for a healthy heart. Try to peel off just the papery outer skin and keep as much of the dark red layer as possible since this contains the most nutrients. Putting onions in the freezer for a few minutes before chopping them can also reduce the gases the cause tears.

Garlic

2 to 3 cloves of crushed garlic, depending on how much you like it.

Garlic is a little powerhouse of antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral compounds and will really boost your immunity and enhance your cardiovascular system. If you’re concerned about garlic breath, a sprig of fresh parsley is a great way to counteract it.

Chili

One medium to hot chili, deseeded and finely chopped.

The capsaicin in chili helps combat diseases of inflammation like arthritis and osteoporosis. Just a small amount promotes elevated endorphin production, for a natural high that last for several hours. Make sure you wash your hands well with dishwashing liquid or vinegar after handling chilies though.

Coconut Oil

2 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil for frying

Virgin coconut oil is heat stable and, along with avocado oil, one of the healthiest oils to cook with. Far from making you gain weight, its lauric and capric acids have been shown to help burn abdominal fat.

Salt and Pepper

Himalayan crystal salt and cracked black pepper to season.

Papaya cut in half with its seeds visible.

Papaya Salsa Ingredients

  • 1 small or half a large papaya, chopped. Delicious papaya is full of protein digesting enzymes and contains a wide variety of vitamins and antioxidants. Central and South American papayas taste better and are preferable to the smaller Hawaiian papayas that are usually GMO.
  • 2 ripe vine tomatoes, chopped and excess liquid drained. Alternatively a pack of cherry tomatoes, halved. The lycopene in tomatoes is great for your heart and protecting your skin from aging. Organic tomatoes in particular are a good source of minerals like manganese, copper and molybdenum.
  • 1 cup of arugula, also known as rocket or rucola. This spicy tasting salad green is rich in vitamin K, pro-vitamin A, vitamin C, many minerals and anti-cancer nutrients like sulforaphane. Highly recommended, both in salsas like this and as a salad base.
  • The fresh juice of a lime. Lime juice is packed with vitamin C and adds a great tasting tangy finish. It also keeps this salsa fresher for longer. One medium onion, finely chopped.
  • A splash of avocado oil (or extra-virgin olive oil).
  • A pinch or two of crystal salt for healthier seasoning.

A large slice of salmon with a sice of lemon and some green spice for decoration.

How to Make Papaya Salsa

  1. First chop your tomato to your desired texture and let some of the extra liquid drain away.
  2. Dice up your onion finely and give the arugula a quick chop so it blends in well.
  3. To prepare your papaya, start by scraping out the seeds with a spoon. Keep them aside if you’d like to use them for their unusual health benefits.
  4. By cutting ripe papaya into quarters, or even sixths, you can often peel the skin right off. If it doesn’t come off easily, simply scoop out the orange pulp with a tablespoon.
  5. Put the papaya strips on a chopping board and roughly chop them up. You generally want the papaya to be in bigger cubes than the tomato.
  6. In a large bowl, throw in all your salsa ingredients. Squeeze in the lime juice and add a splash of avocado oil. Also add a pinch or two of real salt and combine everything into a chunky, tropical tasting blend.
  7. Put the papaya salsa to one side while you get to making and cooking your spicy salmon cakes.

Salmon patties cooked in oil.

How to Make Healthy Salmon Patties for Lunch or Dinner

With a Food Processor

  1. The easiest way to make this recipe is with a food processor that really chops up ingredients well. You can simply add everything, apart from the eggs and desiccated coconut, into the processor and pulse until it’s all well combined.
  2. In a large bowl, crack your eggs and beat them thoroughly. Stir in the desiccated coconut and then add all of the rest of the chopped ingredients from the food processor. Mix them all together well and you’re ready to cook.

On a Chopping Board

  1. Dice up the salmon finely, along with the onion, bell pepper and especially the chili.
  2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the desiccated coconut and seasoning and mix it in.
  3. Toss in the diced salmon, onion, crushed garlic, chili and bell pepper and stir it all in well.

To Cook

  1. Heat up your ceramic pan to a medium heat and melt a teaspoon of coconut oil in it. Spoon out the salmon mixture into roughly three-inch wide patties.
  2. Press them down with a spatula and cook for just a minute on either side, until they are just turning golden brown. Add another teaspoon of coconut oil if needed halfway through cooking.
  3. Remove from the pan and serve these healthy salmon patties with the papaya salsa to the side, or spooned right over the top. Sit back and enjoy their rich and tropical taste.

If you’ve made extra to keep in the fridge, I’m fairly sure you’ll be looking forward to having them again soon.

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