Smoked Trout and Potato Patties with Lemon Bechamel
If you're planning to have a big dinner soon, make sure to make extra mashed potatoes to have leftovers. That day in a day or two, you can add some smoked fish, some herbs and a few other staples and you have a delicious mixture for seafood patties. The lemon bechamel sauce adds such a nice brightness to the smoky flavor of the patties and garnished with fresh herbs makes this a lovely and light lunch (or dinner) idea. I hope you give these a try! Enjoy.
Smoked Trout and Potato Patties with Lemon Béchamel
Yields 20-24 patties
Ingredients:
Patties:
4 cups mashed potatoes, cooled
2 cups cold smoked trout, shredded into small pieces
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 bunch dill, , finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
Flour (for breading)
2 eggs, whisked (for breading)
Panko bread crumbs for (for breading)
Lemon Béchamel:
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
1. Prepare a large cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, mix together massed potatoes, smoked trout, parsley, and dill until very well combined. Taste, and add salt and pepper to taste (depending on the saltiness of your potatoes and fish, you may not need very much salt). Take about 1/4 cup of the mixture and form into a tight ball, then lightly flatten with the palms of you hands to form a patty. Place onto the cookie sheet and continue with the rest of the mixture.
2. Prepare your breading station; place some flour in one bowl, the whisked eggs into a second bowl and the panko bread crumbs into a third bowl. Dip each patty first into the flour, then the whisked egg, and lastly into the panko bread crumbs. Make sure each layer is coating the patty evenly. Place back onto the parchment lined cookie sheet and chill for 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. After the patties have chilled for 10 minutes, prepare to brown the patties. In a large pan (high sided pan helps from oil splattering), add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and set to just under the highest heat. When oil is hot, fry the patties in batches until golden brown on each side (do not crowd the pan). Return the patties to cookie sheet.
4. When all the patties have been browned on both sides, place the cookie sheet with the patties into the preheated oven and cook for about 10-15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the lemon béchamel sauce. Clean your large pan, then return to medium heat. Add butter. when butter melts, add the flour and whisk for about one minute, until well combined. Mixture will be thick and hard to stir. Slowly begin adding your milk, whisking constantly. When the mixture just begins to thicken, remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Serve over the warm fish patties. Enjoy.