Soul Food · Authentic-ish Soul Food
Salmon Croquettes
457 kcal a serving, against 585 for the traditional version. That is 128 kcal off, or 22%, with 41.9g of protein. Serves 4. 55 minutes (plus chilling time).
What the traditional version is
The classic croquette is tinned pink salmon mixed with beaten egg, onion, a bit of mashed potato or breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Once formed into patties, they're dipped in flour, then deep-fried in hot oil until golden brown. The outside is crisp, with a soft, salmon-rich centre.
What changed, and what each change costs
Deep-frying in vegetable oil for oven-baking on a preheated olive-oil tray
The entire adventure in calories comes from the deep-fry. You can lose most of that oil by doing the croquettes on a fiercely hot tray brushed generously with olive oil. There's a bit of a crust, just not the all-over shatter.
What it costs you. You lose the deep, fried edges and some of the flavour the oil brings. What you get instead is a thinner crust and a slightly drier centre. You'll probably want a squeeze of lemon or some sauce on the side.
Potato filler for extra salmon and a bit of tinned cannellini beans
Potato's filling but doesn't do much for you here. Swapping half for more salmon and a bit of tinned cannellini gives you more fish for your fork and bumps up the protein without turning things into a fishcake weightlifting contest.
What it costs you. It makes the inside a bit firmer and less fluffy. You'll miss that potato fluff if you're from a potato household.
Egg binder cut down and bulked with a little fat-free Greek yoghurt
Half the eggs for binding can be swapped for a dollop of thick Greek yoghurt, which holds it together and packs in more protein per gram than a single egg.
What it costs you. You lose a bit of richness and sheen, but the croquettes stay together perfectly well.
Plain flour dusting replaced by a light roll in whey protein powder
Ditching the flour coat for whey protein powder gets you a thinner crust that helps with the macro numbers. It doesn't brown as dark, so watch your timings.
What it costs you. The crust is paler and not as crunchy. Use an unflavoured protein or every mouthful will remind you of the gym.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 585 | 457 |
| Protein | 26.4g | 41.9g |
| Fat | 42.5g | 28g |
| Saturated fat | 7.3g | 6g |
| Carbohydrate | 22.8g | 8g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4.5g | 9.2g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Soul Food prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. fish, gluten, eggs, milk.
The method is in the book
You're missing the all-over golden crust and some of the luxury. What you get is a respectably crisp-edged oven croquette, packed with salmon, and a hit of bean and yoghurt to keep things together. Is it better than the real deal? Not if you're after nostalgia or showing off. But if you want to load up on fish and get dinner on the table without a ruined pan of oil, this is the right compromise. If only baked croquettes were as good as fried - what a world that would be.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Soul Food, along with 52 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.