The other day I made salmon for dinner and brought leftovers for lunch the next day. Yup, I was that girl that was making the break area smell like the Pacific Ocean. I honestly just owned it, because it was ridiculously good salmon and I was not about to wait until dinner to dive into leftovers.

Some coworkers were standing close, got a wiff, and instantly started talking about fish (I can take a hint, okay?!). One of them asked what I was making, and when I replied ‘salmon’, she asked ‘what type of salmon’? I was confused. I thought there was only one salmon. The pink type. The type that goes in the oven in a baking sheet and comes out baked and you squeeze a lemon on it and call it a day. I guess if we’re getting technical, it was wild-caught Alaskan King Salmon, but I had a feeling that’s not the answer she was looking for when she asked.

When I got back to my desk, I was still puzzled, so I started searching the internet for answers. I stumbled across all sorts of salmon recipes that gave me so much inspiration! (It also made me a little sad about my current baked salmon situation, but it still tasted better than 90% of my lunch leftovers so I was mostly okay with it). Feeling motivated, I stopped at the market on my way home, picked up 1 pound of wild-caught Alaskan King yet again, and went to work.

A few hours later and one very messy kitchen, I had this recipe crafted and ready for tasting. Chalking it up to a successful evening if I do say so myself.

Salmon Sweet Potato Cakes with Lemon Herb Aioli

Yield: 3 servings, 2 cakes per serving

Ingredients:

• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup white onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb Alaskan King salmon, skin removed
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup minced parsley
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Aioli:

• 1 egg yolk
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 2 lemons
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced dill

Instructions:

1. Microwave the potatoes for 7 minutes. Peel and mash with a fork until pureed.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil for 1-2 minutes. Add onions and sauté for about 3 minutes or until they start to appear translucent. Add garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine mashed sweet potato, salmon, egg, almond flour, parsley, onion mixture, cumin, salt and pepper.
4. In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients of the aioli. Whisk until incorporated (may need to whisk again before serving).
5. Using the same pan you cooked the onions with, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once warm, scoop 1/4 cup portions of the salmon batter onto the pan, 3-4 at a time, spacing evenly. Pat down with a spatula so each cake is about 1 inch thick. Cook for 3 minutes or until golden browned, flip and cook on the other side about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and repeat until all remaining salmon batter is used.
6. Scoop 2 salmon cakes onto a plate and drizzle aioli on top, spreading evenly over all cakes.
7. Serve and enjoy!