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Salmon Croquettes (for Project STIR)

October 20, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Salmon CroquettesI hadn’t eaten homemadeย salmon croquettes in a hundred years, not since I left home for college. When we were kids,ย Momma made salmon croquettes for my sister and me nearly every weekโ€”it was one of our favorites. (But we called them salmon patties.) Last weekend Iย made them using the recipe in Momma’s copy of theย Keiser’s Kitchen vintage cookbook. And I’m dedicating this recipe to Project STIR, storytelling through international recipes.ย 

Keiser's Kitchen

First, let’s talk about Keiser’s Kitchen cookbook. The poor thing has seen better days.

I’ve written about Keiser’s Kitchen before, but forย those of you new to my blog, I’ll give you the short version… When I was 2nd grade Halloween Queen, theย Keiser Elementary School PTA mothers sold these cookbooks as a Halloween Carnival fundraiser. In 1969 (not a typo), there were no copy machines, no computers, no email accounts, no fancy fonts. Producing this treasure was no doubt hard work, and I imagine this is how it all went down: A PTA meeting was held in the “old gym” at Keiser Junior High. Whoever threw out the idea of a cookbook was likely put in charge of the project because that’s how people have been getting tangled up in such things since the beginning of time. Ladies all over town submitted favorite recipes. Someone typed each recipeย using a manual typewriter and carbon paper and “ran them off” onย the mimeograph machine in the Principal’s office. Then there was hand-sorting and hand-stapling and hand-lettering each cookbook. You can read more about this amazing concept and see me wearing my glittery crownย HERE.

Really, when you think about how easy we have it today, we should be accomplishing So Much More.

Last October I decided to try out these Keiser’s Kitchen recipes, as-is. No modifyingย the ingredients forย the twenty-first century. No gluten free versions. So far I’ve made Milky Way Cake, Company Chicken, Peking Roast, andย Yum Yum Cake. All have been wonderful. And each recipe has been an eye-opener on how much things have changed, from the foods we eat to the way items are sold in grocery stores.

Keiser's Kitchen Recipes

Old recipes are family heirlooms, part of the gravity that holdsย us together. Passing family recipesย down is part of our heritage, and each recipe is so much more than the recipe itselfโ€”it’s about the person who cooked it, the aromas in her kitchen, theย conversations around her table, her handwriting on the smudged recipe card. All of it.

Nana's recipes

Nana’s recipe box…

Nana's recipe box

Chicken Wiggles???

 

I believe so strongly in the idea that food connects us,ย I’ve joined my friend, Sarah Shotts, asย an ambassador and supporter of her creation,ย Project STIR. Sarah recentlyย launched Project STIRย as a way to capture the universal language of love in the family kitchen. Sarah’s documentary films will captureย recipes being handed down from generation to generation. What a heartwarming and hopefulย thing. To learn more about Project STIR click HERE.

The recipe for Salmon Croquettes was submitted to the Keiser’s Kitchen cookbook by Melzie Williams. Melzie wasย housekeeper and babysitter for my friend, Craig’s, family. One summer ourย families vacationed together in Hot Springs, and she came along to “watch” us so the adults could go out. There’s a whole crazy story about this (and I often thought the adults were the ones who needed watching), but I won’t get into itย here because this isย about salmon croquettes and Project STIR. I made Melzie’sย recipe without changing anything even though Momma doesn’t includeย flour in her version. I could tell the difference, but still the Keiser’s Kitchen version was tasty. Sort of like a salmon hush puppy.

And I made them when John wasn’t home because he prefers to get his omega-3 fatty acids from beans and olive oil and not from fish in a can.

Lucy, on the other hand, was wild with excitement.

So was I.

Yum!

making salmon croquettes

 

Salmon Croquettes: A Keiser's Kitchen Recipe

Print Recipe
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup corn meal
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. vinegar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 lb. can pink salmon
  • 1 medium onion chopped

Method
 

  1. Mix all ingredients well in mixing bowl. Roll in small balls and pat flat, hamburger style. Fry in deep fat until golden brown. Serves 6.

Notes

I added salt and pepper to serve, along with a yogurt/dill dipping sauce.

I don’t fry often, but when I do I make it count with a vintage southern recipe like this one.

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]Vintage recipes and the universal language of food. #KeisersKitchen #ProjectSTIR #salmoncroquettes @sarahdshotts [/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

Sara Bareilles, Gravity

Filed Under: Family, Food & Recipes, Memories Tagged With: Keiser, Keiser Cookbook, vintage recipes

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Comments

  1. Sarah Shotts says

    October 20, 2015 at 10:27 am

    I think with the ease of scanners and iPhones and Pinterest we forget the labor of love that went into preserving recipes in the past. These recipes were important to people or they wouldn’t have went through all the effort to preserve them. Thanks for sharing your story Talya!

  2. Renee says

    October 20, 2015 at 1:36 pm

    The smell of home, thanks!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      October 21, 2015 at 5:40 am

      You’re welcome!

  3. Dorothy Johnson says

    October 21, 2015 at 7:08 am

    Although my mother made them with crackers, Salmon Patties were definitely on her rotating menu. Sometimes I make them for us because amazingly, Terry likes them. With teflon skillets you don’t even have to fry them. They’re still good. A taste of home. I’m posting my Project S.T.I.R. recipe today.


Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Sunday Letter: May 25, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: May 4, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Rainy Day Edition
  • Spiderwort: my love-hate relationship
  • Sunday Letter: March 23, 2025

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