Salmon Poppers. Come on Over!

Salmon Poppers, Nuts Over Fish, Salmon Meatballs, Salmon Balls, Kid-Friendly food

Description

Just when you thought meatballs were cool, enter- Salmon Poppers!
These little 'poppers' make eating seafood so much fun and approachable.
The whole family can get involved with making poppers and don't forget to take them
to your next party.  
Cook them on the stove, in the oven or on the grill!
The sauce is the perfect healthy accompaniment.

Servings: 4
Prep:
20 minutes
Cook time:
12 minutes
Total time:
32 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound
Skinless Salmon
1⁄4 cup
Nuts Over Fish Topping (use panko as substitute)
1⁄2  
Onion (Diced)
5 tablespoons
Cilantro (chopped finely: 2 Tbs reserved for sauce)
1  
garlic clove (minced)
1⁄2 teaspoon
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste (each)
1⁄2 teaspoon
Cayenne pepper (Or Chipotle Powder)
1  
Avocado (remove skin and seed)
3 tablespoons
Greek Yogurt (Plain-Fat Free)
1  
garlic clove (minced)
1⁄2  
Lime (use juice)
1⁄2 teaspoon
Chipotle Powder
1⁄2 teaspoon
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste (each)

Instructions

Salmon Poppers
Oven: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray cookie sheet with oil.
Stove-top and grill: cook on medium heat.
Spead poppers over tin foil (open or encased in foil).
Place the salmon in food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
Transfer to a large bowl.
Add onion, topping, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne.  Pulse again until blended.
Using a 1 tablespoon portion of the salmon mixture, form meatballs in the palms of your hands, or use a small scoop.
Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet or pan; don't overcrowd the sheet or pan.
Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Cook on top of stove and grill for 3-4 minutes each side or until firm.
Taste to test for doneness. If opaque verses salmon being translucent and shiny, they are done.
Serve the meatballs with the avocado sauce.

Avocado Sauce
In food processor or blender, combine the avocado, yogurt, garlic, lime juice, water, cilantro, chipotle powder, salt and pepper.
Blend until smooth.

Notes

I substituted panko for a fun topping, called, Nuts Over Fish.  It's gluten-free and works great as a binder.
An egg is not necessary in most cases if you have a filler like panko or Nuts Over Fish.
You can cook your poppers to a moist texture by covering with a lid.
It also cooks them faster as this is more of a steamed method of cooking.