Crab Cake + Salmon Patty+ Tuna Burger = pure deliciousness

I am a huge fan of taking a pure recipe idea and throwing whatever's in my pantry to recreate it, kind of. Mostly. At least, make an homage.

I love crab cakes. I also love salmon patties and tuna burgers. So why not combine all three into one fantastic seafood cake?

Yes, I did this. It turned out fantastic.

Yum.

However, it must be said: This is EXACTLY how I made the recipe, but be warned, if you don't like the taste of tuna, then don't use any tuna in this recipe. Add either more salmon or crab meat, but I only used one small can of tuna in my mix and it turned out to be the prevailing flavor of the dish. So, if tuna's not your bag, don't put it in your mix. Seriously. It's really, really strong in flavor and kind of takes over the whole thing.

Seafood Cakes

(Makes about 24 cakes, which can be individually wrapped and frozen. Side note: Ever notice how cling wrap clings to everything except what you want it to? Hmph.)

1 small can Tuna packed in water, drained (optional!)

1 small can white crab meat, drained

2 cans pink salmon, drained

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 cups plain breadcrumbs, divided into (2) 1 cup portions, one portion in a mixing bowl

3 eggs

1/2 cup no-fat, plain Greek yogurt

Juice from 2 lemons

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

1 tsp. raw horseradish

1 Tbsp. dried dill

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine all ingredients (except both cups of breadcrumbs)together and mix well.

I love dill. Love it, I say!

When everything is mixed well, slowly add one cup of breadcrumbs to the mix. I say "slowly add", because you don't want to add too many breadcrumbs at once and dry out your mixture. Best to be cautious, or you'll just wind up trying to re-wet the mix, then it gets too wet, you add more breadcrumbs, and it's just a vicious cycle. Also, you will end up with 1000 either slightly soggy or extremely dry seafood cakes.

You have to get dirty to make these cakes. Take a scoop of the mixture (about the size of your palm) and form slightly to make a patty shape. Not too fat, not too flat. Place the patty in the reserved breadcrumbs and turn over to coat.

When each patty is done, place it on a sprayed/oiled/greased sheet pan.

When all your patties are formed, breaded and on your pan, bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until hot throughout. I suppose you could also pan-fry these in oil (or deep-fry, if you just have to.) I like to bake these, because it's healthier, less messy and because the last time I tried to fry something in oil, I burned down my kitchen. Not kidding. But that's another story.

I serve these cakes with a lemon-dill yogurt sauce. Did I forget to tell you I love dill? No? Well, I do.

Lemon-Dill Yogurt Sauce

1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup dried dill

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

Juice of one lemon

Salt & Pepper to taste

Enjoy! Any suggestions or recommendations on improving this recipe are welcome (in fact, encouraged.)These would be great for Good Friday, don't you think?

~NTS