You have to try these Honey Mustard Salmon Bites on Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes. (I know the name is really long, but just calling it something like a keto honey mustard salmon on a cauliflower patty would be a major under-sell.) Each individual component is quite tasty–the honey mustard, the cauliflower rice, and of course the smoked salmon. But when you put them all together, you’ve got a dish that is flat out delicious. The salty smoke of the salmon, the zippy sweetness of the honey mustard, and the savory kick of the cheddar Creole patty bring a great balance to the table. Not to mention, it looks pretty fancy when you put it all together.
If you’ve taken a look at my Cat Boys’ First Birthday Party, you might recognize these Honey Mustard Salmon Bites on Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes as part of a trio of entrées along with my Braised Beef Short Rib on Gorgonzola Cauliflower Chia Cakes and Mini Chicken Meatloaf on 3 Cheese and Spinach Cauliflower Chia Cakes. You’d be right. However, this cheddar Creole version was actually what kicked off the whole concept.
I’d made a cauliflower grits version of this recipe before with spicy shrimp. But I really wanted something that was a solid, patty-like base for a protein. It took some trial and error, particularly to get the right consistency and binding. Then there was the matter of getting the right level of spice to stand up to everything else without being overpowering.
Many iterations of the experiment later, I give you these Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes. This recipe tops them with Smoked Salmon Bites and a Honey Mustard Sauce, but there are many more possibilities for you to try. Think shrimp, scallops, andouille sausage. The rabbit hole of ideas runs deep.
Read on to see how you can wow your guests with this dish for your next dinner party.
What You Need to Make Honey Salmon Bites on Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes
Equipment
- For the Keto Honey Mustard Sauce:
- Measuring Spoons – I like the plunger style ones for this
- Small Bowl – Preferably with a lid
- Tiny Whisk
- Rubber Scraper
- For the Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes:
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Large Skillet or Sauté Pan
- Rubber Scraper or Other Stirring Utensil
- Large Heat Resistant Mixing Bowl
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
- Parchment Paper
- Cooking Spray
- Cookie Cutter – Either 3-inch round or a similarly sized shape (like a paw print)
Ingredients
- For the Smoked Salmon Bites:
- 32 ounces Smoked Salmon Bites – I buy these as pre-cut, pre-portioned, and packed bites of smoked salmon. I find mine at Sam’s Club in the refrigerated foods section (not frozen). The quantity listed assumes this is the primary entrée you are serving. If you are serving it as one of multiple entrées, you could cut everything in half.
- For the Keto Honey Mustard Sauce:
- Dijon Mustard
- Sukrin Gold Syrup – Or other sugar free honey substitute of your choice.
- For the Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes:
- Avocado Oil – This is just for cooking the cauliflower rice at the beginning
- Cauliflower Rice – I use 3 bags to fill a rimmed baking sheet that’s technically a “half-size sheet pan” to about a 1-inch thickness. Depending on the brand you find, the bags typically range from 10 ounces to 12 ounces. Use 3 bags of whichever size in that range you can find.
- Broth or Stock – If you want to make your own, try my Homemade Chicken+ Broth.
- Eggs – I use jumbo as long as I can find them.
- Chia Seeds – It doesn’t matter if they are black chia seeds or white chia seeds.
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Creole Seasoning
- Heavy Cream
- Cheddar – Shredded
- Parmesan– Either shredded or grated is fine.
Getting Started with Making Honey Mustard Salmon Bites on Cheddar Creole Chia Cakes
The sauce and salmon parts of this recipe are dead simple. The cauliflower chia cakes take a bit of work, but we’ll walk through it.
Making the Keto Honey Mustard Sauce
We’ll start with the Honey Mustard Sauce to get it out of the way. All you need to do is combine ¼ cup Dijon Mustard and 6 tablespoons Sukrin Gold Syrup (or another sugar free honey substitute of your choice) in a small bowl. Then just whisk them until they are completely integrated.
Cover them or put a lid on the bowl and refrigerate the sauce until you’re ready to use it.
A Note about the Smoked Salmon Bites
This recipe calls for using smoked salmon bites from the store that are already cubed. There is nothing you need to do other than let them warm up a bit and open the package before plating them.
Preparing the Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes
Okay, here’s where there’s some work to do.
Getting Everything in Place
This is one of those recipes that will go much more smoothly if you have everything in place before you start. So go ahead and start by mixing the spices. You need 1 tablespoon of Creole Seasoning, ¾ teaspoon of Kosher Salt, and ¾ teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper. Mix them up and set them aside near the stovetop where you will be cooking.
Next measure out your liquids and cheeses. You need 1.5 cups Chicken Stock or Broth and ¾ cup Heavy Cream, which will be added separately. For the cheese, you’ll be using 6 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese and 3 ounces of shredded or grated parmesan cheese. Go ahead and just put the cheeses together in one bowl.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat 6 eggs. Then stir in ¾ cup of Chia Seeds. Mix well, making sure they are completely submerged in the liquid. Set this bowl aside to give the chia seeds time to absorb the liquid.
Next, line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and parchment paper. You’ll want to be very thorough and spray the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray. You really want these cakes to come off of the pan.
Cooking the Cauliflower Rice Mock Grits
To cook the cauliflower rice, heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Pour in 3 bags of cauliflower rice, stirring it around to break up any big clumps. Stir in the combined Creole Seasoning, salt, and pepper as well as 1.5 cups of Chicken Broth or Stock. You want to make sure that the spices and liquid are evenly distributed throughout the cauliflower rice. Cook until all of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally. About 15 to 20 minutes.
Pour in ¾ cup of heavy cream and all of the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer to a heat safe bowl or dish so it can cool. At this point you have some delicious cauliflower rice mock grits. You could stop here and have a perfect side for keto shrimp and grits. But, we’re moving on. 😁
Creating Cauliflower Chia Cakes
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Allow the cauliflower rice mock grits mixture to cool to around 90°F. Then stir in the chia seed and egg mixture until you have a completely homogeneous batter.
Pour the cauliflower-chia-egg mixture into the prepared, parchment lined and sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until set.
Storing and Reheating the Cauliflower Chia Cakes
Allow the cauliflower-chia cake to cool.
Use a 3-4” cookie cutter to cut out patties. (I used one shaped like a paw for my cat-themed dinner party.) As an alternative, you could just cut squares from the sheet pan, such as a 3 by 4 grid. You can either serve immediately or store for later. For this dish, I’m going to assume that you are assembling the dish later. In that case, allow the cakes to cool completely and then store them in the fridge in an airtight container. The reheating instructions are below.
Assembling the Final Dish
Reheating
The Smoked Salmon Bites and Honey Mustard Sauce just need to be brought up to room temperature. Take them out of the fridge about 20 minutes before you plan to plate the dish.
For the Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes, turn the oven on “warm” which for my oven is 180°F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. Lay out the Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes in a single layer and place in the “warm” oven (180°F) for 15 – 20 minutes. Break up any of the “extra” edge / scrap pieces from when you used the cookie cutter into rough 2-inch chunks. Place them in a casserole dish, cover them with aluminum foil, and heat them as well.
Plating
Start by laying a Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cake on the plate. Then place several cubes of smoked salmon bites on top of it. If this is the main entrée you are serving, I suggest placing 2 cakes on the plate and then dividing 4 ounces of smoked salmon bites between them. Drizzle the Honey Mustard Sauce over both.
Related Recipes
If you need ideas for what else to put on your menu with these Honey Mustard Salmon Bites on Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes, check out my Cat Boys’ First Birthday Party page for suggestions.
For some similarly themed dishes, you should look at these recipes:
- Braised Beef Short Rib on Gorgonzola Cauliflower Chia Cakes
- Mini Chicken Meatloaf on 3 Cheese and Spinach Cauliflower Chia Cakes
Honey Mustard Salmon Bites on Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes
Ingredients
For the Smoked Salmon Bites:
- 32 ounces Smoked Salmon Bites Preferably ones that are already nice 1’ – 1.5” cubes. This quantity assumes, this is the primary entrée you are serving.
For the Keto Honey Mustard Sauce:
- ¼ cup Dijon Mustard
- 6 tablespoons Sukrin Gold Syrup or other sugar free honey substitute of your choice
For the Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes:
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¾ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning
- 6 Eggs
- ¾ cup Chia Seeds
- 1 – 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil
- 36 ounces Cauliflower Rice
- 1.5 cups Stock
- ¾ cup Heavy Cream
- 6 ounces Cheddar Shredded
- 3 ounces Parmesan Shredded or Grated
Instructions
For the Smoked Salmon Bites:
- Take 32 ounces Smoked Salmon Bites out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you are ready to plate them to allow them to warm up.32 ounces Smoked Salmon Bites
- Remove from the package and plate as instructed below.
For the Keto Honey Mustard Sauce:
- Combine ¼ cup Dijon Mustard and 6 tablespoons Sukrin Gold Syrup (or another sugar free honey substitute of your choice) in a small bowl. Whisk to completely combine.¼ cup Dijon Mustard, 6 tablespoons Sukrin Gold Syrup
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes:
- Combine 1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning, ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt, and ¾ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper. Set aside.¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt, ¾ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper, 1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning
- Beat 6 Eggs. Add ¾ cup Chia Seeds. Mix well so that the Chia Seeds are completely submerged in the liquid. Set aside for the Chia Seeds to hydrate for at least 10 minutes.6 Eggs, ¾ cup Chia Seeds
- Heat approximately 1 – 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add 36 ounces Cauliflower Rice (30 – 36 ounces) to the pan along with 1.5 cups Stock or Broth and the mixed Creole Seasoning, salt, and pepper.1 – 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil, 36 ounces Cauliflower Rice, 1.5 cups Stock
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is heated through and almost all of the liquid has evaporated.
- Add ¾ cup Heavy Cream, 6 ounces Cheddar (shredded), and 3 ounces Parmesan (shredded or grated). Stir until melted.¾ cup Heavy Cream, 6 ounces Cheddar, 3 ounces Parmesan
- Remove from heat and allow to cool to around 90°F. You can speed up this process by transferring the mixture to a dish that will increase its surface area such as a 9×13” glass casserole dish.
- Once cooled, thoroughly combine the chia and egg mixture into the cooked cauliflower rice.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and parchment paper. Then spray it with cooking spray. Pour the cauliflower rice and chia mixture onto the greased parchment paper on the baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until set.
- Allow the sheet of cauliflower chia cake to cool. Then use a 3-4” cookie cutter to cut out patties. (I used one shaped like a paw.) Alternatively, you could just cut squares from the sheet pan, such as a 3 by 4 grid. You can either serve immediately or store for later.
- If using a cookie cutter, break apart the “scraps” into ~2” pieces. You will warm those as well and use them for “seconds.”
- Once cooled completely, store these in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
- Reheat on a sheet pan in the oven on warm (180°F) for 10 – 15 minutes.
Assembly, Plating, and Seconds:
- Warm the Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes in the oven on warm (180°F) for 15 – 20 minutes if needed.
- Set a Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cake on the plate.
- Place 4 – 5 Smoked Salmon cubes on top of the cauliflower chia cake.
- Spoon some Keto Honey Mustard Sauce over the salmon cubes and the cauliflower chia cake.
- Serve warm. To give guests a flexible option for “seconds”, place the chunked “scraps” of cauliflower chia cake in a 9×13” dish next to the remaining salmon cubes and keto honey mustard sauce.
Equipment
- For the Keto Honey Mustard Sauce:
- Measuring Spoons I like the plunger style ones for this
- Small Bowl Preferably with a lid
- For the Cheddar Creole Cauliflower Chia Cakes:
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Large Heat Resistant Mixing Bowl
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
- Parchment Paper
- Cooking Spray
- Cookie Cutter Either 3-inch round or a similarly sized shape (like a paw print)
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