by Faye Levy

At a Passover party given by Women’s American ORT, I met 85-year-old Faye Waldman, who made delicious salmon cakes and gave me the recipe. The secret to their refined flavor was the fresh salmon that Ms. Waldman poached in white wine. Ms. Waldman enriched the cakes with real mayonnaise and sauteed them in butter. I have adapted the recipe to make them lower in saturated fat.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of lemon pepper, or 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 eggs

2 tablespoons lowfat mayonnaise

2 to 3 teaspoons snipped dill or chopped parsley

1/2 to 3/4 cup matzo meal, plus 1/2 cup more for dipping

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a deep skillet, add onion, and cook over medium-low heat until soft but not brown. Add wine and bring to a simmer. Add fish, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let stand off heat, covered, for 5 minutes or until salmon is cooked through. Drain any liquid remaining in pan. Adjust seasoning, adding lemon pepper to taste. Let cool.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly beat eggs in a bowl and add salmon. Add mayonnaise, dill and 1/2 cup matzo meal, or enough for mixture to hold together. Let mixture stand for 15 minutes to absorb the matzo meal.

3. Oil a baking sheet. Put 1/2 cup matzo meal on a plate and season it with salt and pepper. Form fish mixture in small cakes, using 3 to 4 tablespoons mixture for each.

4. Dip cakes in seasoned matzo meal and set them on baking sheet. Drizzle them with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve hot or warm.

Makes about 8 appetizer servings