salmon balls blackI’ve promised myself to stay positive.

So, instead of saying I’m sick of salmon, I’m gonna say…I’m glad I have teeth so I can eat.

But I’m getting sick of salmon. That’s all the women folks want to eat these days. So…what’s a Man to do with all that leftover salmon?

Make salmon balls! They’re Manly!

They make a great appetizer, you can put a bunch of ‘em on a plate and call them an entrée, you can use them when you do your juggling routine, but most important…they’re really good.

I made a quick aioli sauce, which sounds fancy, but ain’t; it’s quick and simple and Manly and she’s a-so nice! It’s basically mayo and mustard and garlic, and it takes 7.9 seconds to make.

The toughest part of this recipe is pulling the balls off the salmon.

NOTES:

You’ll need to squeeze your balls gently. There are little pockets of air, and by gently squeezing your balls, they’ll be tighter, and they won’t fall apart when you cook ‘em.

salmon balls ingredientsINGREDIENTS

2 cups leftover salmon filet, crumbled, any skin and bones removed

1 ½ cups leftover roasted potatoes, cooked, smashed (I used red)

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup panko bread crumbs

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

S&P

1 tablespoon olive oil (to sauté the shallots and red bell pepper)

2 tablespoons shallot, minced

2 tablespoons red bell pepper, chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil (to sauté your balls)

1 cup flour (you might not need it all)

This recipe yields 18 balls. At least it did for me…

HERE WE GO!

Put the leftover salmon, the potatoes, the eggs, the bread crumbs and the parsley in a small bowl. Mix gently.

Add salt and pepper; I used a shy teaspoon of coarse Kosher salt and the same of fresh cracked black pepper. Mick ‘em up!and mix again, by hand. Be gentle!

Put a tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and red bell pepper, and cook and stir for just a couple minutes. Shake gently while cooking.

Put the shallots and red bell peppers in the bowl with the other stuff.

When it’s cool, dig in with your mitts, and mick ‘em up. Mix until it feels right, you don’t want it too smooth or too chunky. You’ll know when it’s right.

Take some of this delectable mixture, about the size of a golf ball, and put it in your palm, and roll it into a ball.

This next step is important. Squeeze your balls gently. There are little pockets of air, and by gently squeezing your balls, they’ll be tighter, and they won’t fall apart.

So squeeze your salmon ball in one palm, then toss it into your other palm and gently squeeze, then toss it back in the other palm and squeeze. Do this a couple times. You’ll feel like a real Italian.

salmon balls beforeDo this with all the salmon stuff. I rolled 18 salmon balls.

Get a large sauté pan, put it over medium-high heat.

Put in 4 tablespoons of olive oil.

Get a large plate, put the flour in it and spread it around.

Take a salmon ball, gently roll it in the flour, shake off the excess.

Do this with all your balls, and then saute IMMEDIATELY! You leave your balls sitting around, and they’ll get soggy. And nobody likes soggy balls.

Put the salmon balls in the olive oil, cook until golden, about 2 or 3 minutes.

Turn ‘em over, and cook on the other side until golden, about 2 or 3 minutes.

Remove to a platter lined with a couple layers of paper towels.

Dish it up!

Serve it on one of them good-looking plates you save for Thanksgiving, add a sprig of parsley, and put a little Slim Aioli on the side, or some plain mustard or tartar sauce and…

salmon ballsMANGIAMO!