According to my blog, it’s been more than five years since I last made salmon croquettes. These have always been a super special occasion food, mostly because salmon is so expensive. So when I told my mom that I was thinking of making salmon croquettes for dinner on Mother’s Day 2017, she immediately rounded out the meal with Macaroni Pie a la Charleston Receipts and marinated cucumbers and onions.
Marinated Cucumbers and Onions
Start at least 1 day ahead by peeling and slicing kirby pickling cucumbers and Vidalia sweet onions into a container with a lid. Add 1.5 T salt and 1.5 T black pepper. Fill with apple cider vinegar halfway up the pile of veggies. Add water until veggies are just covered. Put the lid on and refrigerate. And if you’re like me, put a sticky note on the lid warning away the snackers lest you find the container empty before dinner.
Macaroni Pie a la Charleston Receipts
Charleston has a side dish variation on macaroni and cheese that we call “pie” because it uses an egg-milk custard to firm up into nice, cheesy, cuttable squares. You can make this ahead and heat it up for 30 minutes at 350°F, but it’s better to make it fresh, especially for special occasions.
Salmon Croquettes
Make the salmon croquettes fresh using canned salmon, being sure to remove all of the skin and bones (especially the spine) and breaking up the salmon well. These pan-fried salmon patties rival crab cakes as the best seafood “pattie” food on the coast, even though salmon isn’t native to our waters. Check out how to make them here.
Singing about Cooking 