If you live on the East Coast and your electricity has been out for more than 48 hours, do take a look at the “From the Pantry” chapter of Sara’s Weeknight Meals. In most recipes, you don’t need anything from your refrigerator. If frozen ingredients are called for, you can almost always substitute fresh or canned ingredients. But most recipes call for ingredients from your pantry cupboards. Take this recipe for example. Canned salmon has come a long way in terms of quality, and when combined with chiles, crushed tortilla chips, and cumin, moistened with mayonnaise, and topped with corn salsa you almost wouldn’t know that it was canned. I have long been a fan of frozen corn and used it in this recipe when it appeared in Sara’s Weeknight Meals but if your freezer is out of service, this will be great made with uncooked fresh corn or just fine with drained canned corn.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
)ne 7 1/2-ounce can red salmon, drained? One 4 1/2-ounce can chopped mild green chiles, drained?1/2 cup crumbled tortilla chips?1 tablespoon mayonnaise?1/2 teaspoon ground cumin?1/4 cup Wondra or unbleached all-purpose flour? One 10-ounce package frozen corn kernels? Kosher salt?1 cup bottled salsaHeat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet over high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium; add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon; set the skillet aside.Add the salmon, chiles, tortilla chips, mayonnaise, and cumin to the onion in the bowl and stir until combined. Form the mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick cakes. Coat the cakes lightly in flour on all sides. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and heat over high heat until hot; reduce the heat to medium and add the salmon cakes. Sauté until well browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side.Meanwhile, cook the corn in water following package directions. Drain well and return to the saucepan. Add the salsa and heat just until hot. Serve the salmon cakes topped with corn salsa.
