Burbot Cakes (poor man's lobster cakes)

Fishing for burbot on the Tanana River in Fairbanks, Alaska at the end of December is definitely not for the weak and/or weary. You have to have the right gear, a good attitude and be willing to get cold...really, really cold! I had the opportunity to go with good friends who have ALL of these attributes and boy did we catch some nice fish. Often referred to as "poor man's lobster," burbot is fun to cook with and tasty. You pretty much can't mess it up. Here's a quick recipe for burbot cakes. Yummy doesn't even begin to describe how good they are, but it's a good start :)~Audrey   

Ingredients:

8 oz burbot, cooked and diced
1 egg
1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon mayo
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 green onions, minced
12 saltine crackers, crushed

Sauce:

Mix equal parts plain Greek yogurt and mayo with fresh dill and a splash of lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste.

Makes @12 mini patties

 Dice up your burbot into small pieces and season with salt and pepper.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 5-7 minutes or just until done. While it's cooking, simply combine everything else together in a bowl and mix well.  

Let burbot cool before adding to mixture. 

Form into small tablespoon size patties and dust with corn flour (or corn meal for more crust). Cook patties in a skillet with @ 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil. 
Cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes each side.

If you want to get fancy, add a dollop of yogurt dill sauce on top of each one and garnish with diced red pepper and dill sprigs. Pour yourself a nice glass of chilled white wine and enjoy :) 

This 38" burbot is a nice catch! The temperature was hovering about -20F, hence my rosy cheeks :)

Heading home after a successful day of burbot fishing on the Tanana River in Fairbanks, Alaska. 

The wall tent behind us had a potbelly stove which was nice if not critical to be able to warm up in after several hours out on the ice before the long snow machine ride back home. Thanks for setting this up for us, Brian!

Here's a great link that provides detailed information about burbot fishing as well how to clean and fillet them:
 
State of Alaska Fish & Game: How to Set Line for Burbot