Ginger

I think ginger is the perfect ingredient.

Ginger has a heat and an indescribable kick that are unbeatable.  My favourite cookies as a child were my Grandma Baker's ginger snaps.  One of my best food memories of our trip to China was the ginger chicken we ate with our friends, the Jay family.  Add ginger to your cooking and you'll bestow it with the grace of Ginger Rogers and the smarts of Ginger Pye.

I regularly keep three kinds of ginger in my house.  Ground ginger in my spice cupboard (well, everyone has that), fresh ginger in my vegetable drawer (often useful for savory dishes), and candied ginger in my cupboard (perhaps not a necessity, but it makes me happy just knowing it’s there).  I’m not sure everyone regards ginger as a household staple in the way I do, but a week rarely goes by when I don’t use it in at least one of its forms.

This was a week when I used all three in a variety of recipes.  And the fresh ginger worked beautifully in a sauce to accompany these salmon cakes.  I love Ellie Krieger’s cookbook, The Food You Crave, and I think its title is perfect.  I’m amazed at how I crave the gorgeous, and healthy, recipes that are contained within.

Especially the ones that use ginger.

Salmon Cakes with Ginger-Sesame Sauce

(from The Food You Crave, by Ellie Krieger.)

Note: This recipe makes twelve large salmon cakes.  I halved it when I made it.

5 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread

Two 15-ounce cans salmon, drained and picked over for skin and bones

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

5 green onions (white and green parts)

1/2 cup canned water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 tsp olive oil

Ginger-Sesame Sauce (recipe below)

Tear the bread into pieces and process in a food processor until you get fine bread crumbs.  In a large bowl, flake apart the salmon with a fork.  Add the eggs and mix well.  Finely chop 4 of the green onions and add to the bowl.  Add the water chestnuts, cilantro, pepper and bread crumbs and mix well.  Shape the mixture into 12 patties.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat half the oil over medium heat.  Add 6 patties and cook for 5 minutes on each side.  Transfer the cooked patties to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.  Add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the rest of the salmon cakes in the same way. 

Chop the remaining green onion.  Serve the salmon cakes with the sauce on the side, garnished with the onion.

Ginger-Sesame Sauce

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt, or 6 Tbsp plain Greek-style nonfat yogurt

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 1/2 Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

If using regular yogurt, place the yogurt in a strainer lined with a paper towel.  Set the strainer over a bowl and let drain and thicken for 30 minutes.

Place the drained or Greek-style yogurt in a small bowl.  Add the mayonnaise, ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce and whisk until smooth.