"Holiday Trout Cakes" Recipe & Photos by Tiffany Haugen

When the holiday season rolls around, I find myself frantically scurrying to develop yummy recipes to serve at various social gatherings we’ll be attending.  Appetizers are always fun and with a few tweaks in preparation, can be altered to fit many tastes.

I like to experiment but I also like trying to perfect “tried-and-true” recipes.  When I want to change things up a bit, I serve several dipping sauces or tweak a few ingredients to change-up the flavors.  

Not knowing if I will have fresh fish on hand, I try to find recipes that will work well with previously frozen, canned or leftover cooked fish. 

These Trout Cakes can easily be turned into Salmon Cakes, Steelhead Cakes, Tuna Cakes or Crab Cakes. 

The recipe will also double or triple easily.

Trout Cakes with Curry Dipping Sauce

• 1 cup cooked trout (Deboned & Flaked)
• 1 slice bread
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
• Lime or lemon for garnish
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (for frying)

In a medium bowl, soak bread in milk until soft. 

Using a fork, mash bread up until no lumps remain. 

Add egg, mayo and Worcestershire and mix until combined. 

Add any additional ingredients at this time. 

Add fish last and mix gently.  

Form into patties; bite-sized (make 10-12), slider-sized (make 6-8), burger sized (make 4).

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. 

Fry 2-4 minutes until golden and carefully flip, browning on the other side. 

Serve immediately with a slice of lemon or lime and Curry Dipping Sauce.

Curry Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt  
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• Salt and white pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined. 

(Recipe Note:  Plain yogurt, full to non-fat, will work in place of the Greek yogurt.  Greek yogurt is thicker and usually higher in protein than plain yogurt.)  

Recipe Variations:

Christmas Trout Cakes - Add 1/4 cup minced red & green peppers or 2 tablespoons diced green olives with pimentos.  Serve with Honey Dijon Sauce.

Asian Trout Cakes - Add 1 tablespoon fresh ginger & 1/4 cup chopped scallions or chives & 1 teaspoon sambal (hot pepper sauce).  Serve with Sambal Mayo Sauce.

Traditional Trout Cakes - Substitute Worcestershire sauce with Old Bay Seasoning and add 2 tablespoons parsley.  Serve with Lemon Dill Sauce.

For sauce recipes, please visit my blog at www.tiffanyhaugen.com/blog