I can count on one hand how many times I’ve cooked fish in the past year. And every time I do, I find myself wondering why I don’t make them more often.
The reason, by the way, is mostly pure laziness—having to drive to the fishmonger I trust. Which is about fifteen minutes from my house. Hmm, suddenly that doesn’t sound very far at all.
Anyway, this week I stopped in to buy fresh salmon for another recipe and it turns out I bought three times as much as I needed. Great, I thought, I’ll make gravlax—it only takes a minute to prepare.
But then I remembered how good it is to have a pot of good lunch waiting in the refrigerator. The kind that releases me from the thought of, “So what should I make for lunch?” every five minutes.
Before I knew it, an hour later the patties were ready. Tender and delicate, in a spicy red sauce balanced by sweet tomatoes—exactly the kind of sauce that’s perfect for dipping challah into, or serving atop mashed potatoes, couscous, or white rice.
And there’s an extra bonus: because I made a double batch, there wasn’t enough room in the pot for all the patties, so I cooked some on a grill pan with a little olive oil, and they were just dreamy. Keep in mind that the mixture contains raw onion, so cook them over low heat for a bit longer so that the onion has enough time to soften.
But this means you get two dishes in one recipe: patties in sauce, pan-fried patties (you can bake them too).
- Did you make this? Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram
- Did you love it? Take a look at all of my fish recipes