Salmon Patties

If you haven't made your rind crumbs, use a 4-oz bag of pork rinds and place them in a food processor to make crumbs. They don't need to be super fine and a few chunks are ok. TOO fine and they become almost like a greasy paste and they lose their absorption powers. 1 bag should make about 1 cup of crumbs. Place half the crumbs in a pie tin, or a wide mouthed bowl (you will dredge the patties in this mixture at a later step). Place the other half in a mixing bowl.

Cut your salmon in half. Place about half of your salmon in the food processor with the egg. Puree until it is a paste. Add the paste to the mixing bowl, with the rind crumbs.

Cut your other half of the salmon into 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes. Add these cubes to the mixing bowl.

Add your mayonnaise, bacon bits, garlic, thyme, paprika, cayenne and lemon juice to the bowl. Mix well.

Form about 8 even patties from the mixture.

Dredge each pattie in the remaining rind crumb mixture. Not a lot will stick, but it's enough to give a fine and consistent appearance to the final patties. If you want more to stick for a thicker crust, you can optionally dip each pattie into an egg wash mixture (1 egg to 2 tbsp water, whisked) and then into more rind crumbs.

In a large sauté pan or a skillet, heat up your oil. Because we're using pork rinds and a little bacon, using lard or bacon fat seems like a nice way to go. I also like the taste of butter and feel that would make a nice flavor as well. Just don't burn the butter. If you do use butter, use a blend with another fat and start with the other fat. When the fat begins to ripple in the pan, add your patties and bits of fresh butter to the oil, all at the same time. This will help keep the butter from burning and will give a nice buttery flavor to the cakes.

Cook the patties until golden brown on one side, then flip them over and finish cooking. When they are cooked through, place them on a paper towel in a warm place. Serve when they're all cooked and ready! Ketchup is highly recommended!