Carver Family Recipe

I have to say that one of the greatest blessings of marring a great man, is getting to call his family your own.  My mother-in-law always makes some of the best dinners and even if you weren't expected, there is always enough for you to join dinner.  One of her go-to items is fried salmon patties.  I am not going to even pretend that these are a healthy choice, but they are definitely delicious!  I don't even do fish and I can scarf down a couple of Vickie's salmon patties any day.  I had tried to make them at home for Joe a few times and failed miserably.  Finally I just bought the supplies and went to Vickie's house for a cooking lesson.

I was so proud of my first successful batch of salmon patties!!  Now they are a special treat at our house. :0)  Below are the steps to make the famous Carver Salmon Patties.  (words in red are quoted directions from my sweet mother-in-law :0)

All you need is flour, oil, eggs, and canned or packaged pink salmon (boneless and skinless).  Usually one large bag will do for Joe and I, but I bought two small ones this time because they were on sale at Kroger this week.

First you need to heat your oil.  Make sure it is really hot, but not too hot. 

You may have heard this trick before, but when I cook my salmon patties I do this to make sure my oil is the "just right" temp.  Just take a pinch of flour and drop it into your oil.  If it sizzles, your oil is hot enough.

I don't like chucks of meat in my salmon patties, so I first take a fork and break the salmon apart in a medium bowl.

Add one egg for each packet of salmon that you used, and mix well.

You add a heaping spoonful of flour...maybe a little more, maybe a little less.  If you like it more bready you add more flour.  I added another heaping spoonful (two total) to my batch tonight because I like more bread than fish in each bite.

Mix well, and you will know it's ready when it looks right.  I always hate recipes like that.  I need exact measurements please!  I can't believe I actually have managed to make these salmon patties multiple times without exact measurements!!

Put your patties into the hot oil by spoonfuls.  Pat them down to flatten them out a little and let them cook 3 - 5 minutes on each side.  You should see nice sizzling bubbles around the edges of your patties when you put them in the oil, but your oil shouldn't be so hot that it splatters all over the counter.

You will know your patties are ready to flip when you see the golden brown color coming up the side.  Cook until both sides are golden brown and then place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain some of the grease.  Eat them while they are still nice and warm!