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Jerk Salmon Cakes with Coconut Rice makes for the perfect satisfying meal if you’re looking to impress. Bright and bold Caribbean jerk flavors alongside light, creamy rice with a tropical twist, what more could you want?
If you looking for more seafood recipes try these out: Cajun Fried Fish and Grits, New Orleans Seafood Filè Gumbo, Crawfish Stuffed Bell Peppers, Old Fashioned Salmon Patties and Fried Snapper with Green Olive Vinaigrette.
As a kid, my dad always told me about these amazing fish cakes my auntie used to make. Apparently, they were the best fish cakes you could ever have, yet somehow my dad never remembered to bring me any to try out.
It’s a shame, especially since I was raised that teasing was wrong. While I never got the chance to try my auntie’s fish cakes for myself, I was able to sweet talk her into giving me the inside scoop. Now, I’m sharing those same pointers with you.
First things first, you’ve got to choose the right type of fish for fish cakes. My aunt’s first choice was cod, but she said that any flaky white fish (except catfish) would do. She would bake the fish, let it cool, then flake it with a fork.
Once her flaky fish base was ready to go, she would add onions and celery for flavor, and mashed potatoes to bind the cakes. Then, she would toss in some breadcrumbs for color, form the patties, and pan-fry the fish cakes in oil.
With my auntie’s tips taken into account, I put my own twist on the dish and came up with this flavorful jerk salmon cakes with coconut rice recipe. I’m confident that my aunt would be proud of her nephew if she tried out my rendition of her famous fish cakes.
Oh, and did I mention I still have not tried her fish cakes for myself?!
latest Recipe Video:
Jerk Salmon Cakes Ingredients
To make this bold and flavorful dish, you’ll need the following key ingredients:
Salmon
This is my fish of choice, but any cooked fish will work fine. Just make sure to use a fork to flake it apart first. Other options include cod, haddock, and mahi.
Jerk paste
This vibrant paste is made from scratch with ingredients like chicken stock, lime juice, soy sauce, ketchup, scotch bonnets, garlic, allspice, and brown sugar. It’s the key to adding tons of flavor to everything from stews and marinades to grilled meats and salmon cakes.
Bread crumbs
This acts as a binder to help hold the fish cakes together, while also helping to give it a really nice golden color.
Jasmine rice
This long-grain rice variety is naturally light and fluffy, and pairs with coconut milk in a really amazing way. If you use a different type of rice, make sure to adjust the liquid amounts accordingly.
Coconut milk
The subtle coconut flavor and irresistible creaminess pairs brilliantly with the naturally nutty jasmine rice we’re mixing it with. Trust me, it’s amazing!
Chicken stock
You’ll need this for both the homemade jerk paste and the jasmine rice. Feel free to swap it out for low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock, if desired.
How to Make Jerk Salmon Cakes with Coconut Rice
If you’re ready to make the best jerk salmon cakes and rice, let’s get right to it. All you have to do is follow these steps:
- Add the jerk ingredients, except chicken stock, to the blender and blitz until smooth. Set aside.
- In a food processor, add onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Pulse 5-7 times. Then, add to a bowl with fish, mayonnaise, jerk paste, and ½ cup bread crumbs, and mix.
- Using ½ cup of the fish mixture at a time, form into cakes. Add remaining bread crumbs to a bowl, then roll the cakes in the bread crumbs on both sides.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add cakes and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Add butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Then, add jasmine rice and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in coconut milk, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn heat to low. Then, let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. Fold in toasted shaved coconuts.
- For sauce: In a food processor, add ½ cup ketchup, ½ cup jerk paste and ½ cup chicken stock. Blitz for 15 seconds and pour in a dish.
Pro Recipe Tips and Substitutions
Looking to make the best jerk salmon cakes ever? Need to swap out some ingredients? Here are my top tips and substitutions to help you make this dish:
- I highly recommend doubling the jerk paste recipe and keeping the leftovers in a glass jar in the fridge for easy access. It’s a great way to add flavor to marinades, soups, stews, and cooked meats.
- This might be a controversial opinion, but you cannot make true jerk paste with any pepper besides scotch bonnets. They offer the perfect blend of sweet and heat with a flavor profile that just can’t be duplicated by other peppers. If you can’t find scotch bonnets in your area, you can swap it out for scotch bonnet hot sauce. Use 3 tablespoons to replace 1 pepper.
- Taste your jerk paste before you cook with it so you can make alterations if needed. If it’s hot to the tongue, it’s perfect! Once you mix it into the fish cakes, the heat will tone down.
- Don’t have any salmon? No problem, any cooked fish will work fine. Just make sure to flake them first using the back of a fork.
What to Serve With Salmon Cakes?
Jerk salmon cakes and coconut rice make for a pretty hearty meal all on their own. That being said, there are plenty of ways to add to it if you’re serving a big group or just want to spice things up. Because this dish is already somewhat heavy, I like to pair it with light sides and refreshing cocktails.
Not sure what to make? Here are some of my favorite dishes to pair with salmon cakes:
- Collard Green Coleslaw
- Thyme Butter Celery Root Puree
- Mango Salsa
- Arugula and Pomegranate Salad
- Southern Collard Greens
- Creamy Cheddar Grits
How to Store Jerk Salmon Cakes with Coconut Rice
First things first, you’re going to want to store each of the components apart from one another. Once everything has cooled off, you can transfer them into separate airtight storage bags or containers. Then, follow the storage instructions below.
Storing Coconut Rice: You can store leftover coconut rice in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer it to the fridge 48 hours ahead of time. To reheat, bring a small amount of stock, water, or milk to a boil and stir in the rice, then cook until hot. (¼ cup of liquid for every 1 cup of rice.)
Storing Jerk Salmon Cakes: You can store leftover salmon cakes in the fridge for up to 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 1-2 months. To reheat, pop them into a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes.
Storing Jerk Sauce: For best results, you can make the sauce a day or two in advance. If you’ve got leftovers, let it cool off and then store it in the fridge for up to 1 month.
More Seafood Recipes
If you’re looking for more seafood deliciousness try out these recipes:
- Southern Fried Fish
- Grilled Shrimp Chile Rellenos
- Lox Benedict
- Grilled Cajun Herb Salmon
- Grilled Citrus Agave Shrimp
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Recipe:
📖 Recipe
Jerk Salmon Cakes with Coconut Rice
Ingredients
Jerk Paste:
- 3 tablespoons all spice whole
- 2 scotch bonnet
- 8 green onions
- 1 onion chopped
- 8 garlic cloves
- ⅓ cup fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- Zest of 1 lime
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup plus ½ cup
- ½ cup chicken stock
Fish Cakes:
- 1 lb. salmon cooked, flaked (flounder, mahi mahi, cod, crab)
- 1 onion chopped small
- ½ bell pepper chopped small
- 1 celery chopped small
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons jerk paste
- 2 cups fine bread crumbs
- 4 to 5 tablespoons oil
Coconut Rice:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cups jasmine rice
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup toasted shaved coconut
Instructions
Jerk Paste:
- Add all jerk ingredients in blender blitz until smooth.
Fish Cakes:
- In a food processor add onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic pulse 5-7 times; in a bowl add fish, vegetable mix, mayonnaise, jerk paste and ½ cup bread crumbs mix together.
- Form into cakes with ½ cup, in a bowl dredge bread crumbs roll cakes on both sides. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat, add cakes and cook for 1-2 minutes each side.
Coconut Rice:
- In a sauce pot over medium heat add butter once hot sauté onions for 2 minutes add jasmine rice and cook for 1 minute, stir in coconut milk, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and turn heat to low simmer for 15-20 minutes. Fold in toasted shaved coconuts.
For sauce:
- In a food processor add ½ cup ketchup, ½ cup jerk paste and ½ cup chicken stock blitz for 15 seconds and pour in dish.
Notes
- Looking to make the best jerk salmon cakes ever? Need to swap out some ingredients? Here are my top tips and substitutions to help you make this dish:
- I highly recommend doubling the jerk paste recipe and keeping the leftovers in a glass jar in the fridge for easy access. It’s a great way to add flavor to marinades, soups, stews, and cooked meats.
- This might be a controversial opinion, but you cannot make true jerk paste with any pepper besides scotch bonnets. They offer the perfect blend of sweet and heat with a flavor profile that just can’t be duplicated by other peppers. If you can’t find scotch bonnets in your area, you can swap it out for scotch bonnet hot sauce. Use 3 tablespoons to replace 1 pepper.
- Taste your jerk paste before you cook with it so you can make alterations if needed. If it’s hot to the tongue, it’s perfect! Once you mix it into the fish cakes, the heat will tone down.
Monique Charles says
Love it! The sauce is out if this world ????!