Passover recipe special! Salmon cakes with tropical-fruit salsa

Croquettes are cute and elegant for your starter course. They’re also wonderfully light and refreshing. The tropical salsa is a combination of fresh pineapple, mango, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice -- the perfect complement to the richness of the salmon. The balance of sweet and savory flavors instantly pleases the palate. This is a starter with zing!

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ready time: 60 min

Servings: 10 cakes

Ingredients

For cakes
•    1 (2-pound) side of salmon, skin on
•    1/2 cup red onion, diced
•    2 tablespoons matzo meal
•    2 large eggs, lightly beaten
•    1 teaspoon kosher salt
•    Freshly ground black pepper
•    4 tablespoons olive oil

For salsa
•    1 cup diced pineapple
•    1/2 cup diced mango
•    1/2 cup diced red onion
•    2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
•    1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
•    Juice of 1 lime
•    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease a large baking sheet. Bake salmon skin side down for 25 to 30 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Let cool completely.

Chef Jamie Geller in her kitchen.

Once salmon is cooled, gently flake away from the skin and break into large chunks. Place in a large bowl and combine with eggs, red onion, matzo meal, salt and pepper. Stir to mix well. Scoop about 1/3 cup at a time into your hands and form into a round patty about ¼-inch thick. Place on a sheet pan and repeat with remaining mixture until you have formed 10 cakes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine pineapple, mango, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice and salt. Mix well and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry 5 cakes at a time for about 5 to 8 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate while frying remaining cakes.

To serve, top each cake with a few tablespoons of salsa.

Time saver tip: Short on time? Use canned salmon in place of the fresh baked fish.

This recipe originally appeared in our B'yachad magazine, as well as in the Pesach 2011 issue of the Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller magazine.