When my family and I lived in Denmark, a favorite outing was to our local harbor, where the fish market sold fish cakes, or "fiskefrikadeller," created from the daily catches hauled in on the fishing boats. When the fish were filleted, all the extra pieces were reserved for fist-sized fish patties sold by the bagful with containers of remoulade, or tartar sauce, meant to be devoured family-style at the picnic tables perched over the sea.

Every harbor with a fish market sold fish cakes, and the recipes were similar, made with white fish, such as plaice or cod, simply spiced and bound together with flour and egg, then pan or, more often, deep fried. Their flavor was mild, thanks to the white fish and simple seasonings, and they were very easy to eat, best washed down with a cold Danish beer (or juice for the kids) in the summer sun.

While nothing could beat fresh fiskefrikadeller at the seashore during the summer, at home I would make my own fish cakes with the goal to create a more healthy and tasty family dinner. I wanted something lighter and brighter, with more fish flavor and less filler.

After many renditions, I arrived at this recipe, which I now use as a template. While I vary the fish at times, depending on what's fresh and available, the amounts remain constant, as does the inclusion of some, if not all, salmon to the mix. I find that salmon's thick, buttery flesh yields a rich and sturdy fish cake. For deeper flavor, I'll often add cold smoked salmon, which adds a salty, smoky (and addictive) edge to the cakes. Fresh herbs, lemon and chopped chiles balance out the richness of the fish, while the binder is kept to a minimum -- just a dollop of Greek yogurt and panko breadcrumbs, which do double-duty as a crisp coating for the patties. The results are fresh, vibrant, and flavorful.

Calling these "fish cakes" really doesn't do the crispy, succulent patties justice. The "fish" part is right, but "cake" infers flour, fat and eggs with a breadlike crumb. These Salmon Fish Cakes have none of that, proving that you that can, indeed, take the cake out of the fish cake.

Salmon Fish Cakes With Lemon-Chile Yogurt Sauce

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Chilling Time: 1 hour (up to 4 hours)

Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes (The fish cakes may be formed up to 4 hours in advance and refrigerated until pan frying.)

Yield: makes about 16 (2-inch) cakes (If desired, more salmon may be substituted for the halibut for a 100 percent salmon fish cake.)

Fish cakes:

1 pound salmon fillet, skin and pin bones removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

8 ounces thick white fish fillet, such as halibut or cod, skin and pin bones removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

6 ounces cold smoked salmon fillet, skin and pin bones removed, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, plus 1 1/2 cups for rolling

1 small red jalapeno or Fresno chile pepper, stemmed and seeded, minced

1/4 cup coarsely grated yellow onion, with juices

1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley and/or cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish

2 tablespoons whole milk Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon Sriracha

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Canola or grapeseed oil for pan frying

Lemon wedges

Combine the salmon, white fish and smoked salmon in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 3 to 4 times to finely chop without over-processing -- the consistency should be slightly chunky and not mushy. Transfer the fish to a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, chile pepper, onion, parsley, yogurt, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Pour the remaining 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl. Using a soup spoon, scoop out a generous amount of the salmon mixture. With a light hand, carefully form the mixture into a plump 2-inch patty. Gently roll the patty in the breadcrumbs to evenly coat and place on platter, lightly pressing the patty to slightly flatten into about a 1/2-inch-thick cake. Repeat with the remaining fish, adding more breadcrumbs to the bowl as needed. Loosely cover the platter with plastic and refrigerate the fish cakes for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.

Whisk sauce ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until use.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. In batches, carefully add the fish cakes to the pan without overcrowding. Fry the cakes until golden brown and cooked through, turning once with a spatula, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the cakes to a plate lined with a paper towel and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining fish cakes. Transfer the cakes to a warm serving platter and garnish with the parsley or cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges and the yogurt sauce.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood.

Show off the season's colorful heirloom tomatoes and creamy burrata in this quick and easy appetizer

It's peak summer season, which means ... it's peak tomato season! The farmers' market tables are piled high with tomatoes galore, and if you have a garden, chances are your tomato plants are weighed down with ripe cherries, robust Beefsteaks and sassy Early Girls ready for the picking. The best way to enjoy a freshly picked tomato, in my opinion, is as simply as possible, so its natural sweetness and sun-kissed flavor shine through.

In our kitchen, a favorite preparation is the Italian Caprese salad, a platter of thick slices of vine-ripened tomatoes layered with fresh mozzarella and just-plucked basil leaves. All that's needed is a drizzle of good olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and the ingredients speak for themselves. Another equally popular preparation is tomato bruschetta -- thick slices of grilled garlicky bread topped with a jumble of juicy chopped tomatoes, basil and, ahem, more garlic. This is finger-licking, hands-on fare, best served family-style, accompanied by a pile of napkins to wipe up the sweet dribbling juices.

On a recent weekend, I combined these two recipes into one for a simple yet elegant presentation -- including burrata cheese, grilled bread and fresh basil -- layered into small glasses. It was a smart and fun way to portion the tomatoes and dress things up for entertaining, while saving our summer whites from wayward juices. I am a sucker for heirloom tomatoes with their variety of colors, patterns and bulbous shapes, and these glasses perfectly displayed them like confetti. A dollop of creamy burrata and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar resulted in a fresh and savory parfait that is as beautiful to look at as it is delicious to eat.

Considering how fresh and minimal this recipe is, it's important to use high-quality ingredients. Choose firm yet ripe tomatoes with a range of colors, and be sure to use a good extra-virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar. You will need six (8-ounce) glasses for this recipe.

Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Parfaits

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Yield: serves 6 as an appetizer

Crostini:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small garlic clove, minced

Sea salt

6 baguette slices, cut on the diagonal, about 4 inches in length and 1/4 inch thick

Parfaits:

2 pounds assorted heirloom tomatoes, seeded, cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper, plus more for garnish

1 burrata, about 8 ounces

6 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup small basil leaves (or large leaves, chopped)

Make the crostini: Preheat the oven broiler or prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat. Whisk the oil, garlic and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Lightly brush each bread slice with the oil. Broil or grill the bread until crisp and golden on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove and set aside while you assemble the parfaits.

Combine the tomatoes, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and gently stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if desired. Divide the tomatoes between six (8-ounce) glasses.

Cut the burrata into 6 wedges and place one wedge in each glass. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar in each glass, and garnish with the basil and black pepper. Top each glass with a crostini and serve immediately.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood.

A big refreshing bowl of salad is a great dinner in the heat of summer. Too veggie, you say? No worries, there is a happy, meaty answer to that: bacon ends. Yep, contemplate that. I did my own contemplating when I spied a bag of bacon ends for the first time at the farmers' market and had to examine them. The bag was hefty, lumpy and thick with triangular hunks of bacon jumbled in vacuum-packed togetherness. It was bacon indeed, but not the neatly fanned slices I usually buy in the deli department.

After asking a few questions, I learned that when those tidy pre-sliced bacon packages are created, all of the irregular hunks and ends are discarded in order to produce supermarket-packaged perfection. I knew I was onto something revelatory, so I snagged a package. Now I am here to tell you that you want those ends. They are veritable chunks of heaven for bacon lovers, evoking salty pork-induced delirium.

I find the best way to cook bacon ends is in the oven or on a grill. While the ends cook, their fat renders, leaving behind crispy chunks of meaty bacon you can sink your teeth into. Honestly, they are addictively good. The danger is gobbling them all up in one go (not recommended, by the way -- just saying).

So try to exert some restraint (after taste-testing a few pieces, of course, as any cook should), and add them to salads, pasta, eggs -- wherever you want your bacon. I like the salad option, as the fresh vegetables and leafy lettuce nicely balance out the hunks of salty meat. I call it a deconstructed BLT in a bowl and toss it with homemade croutons that are brushed with the rendered bacon fat and toasted on the grill. Got your attention, right?

As for finding these ends, ask your butcher or the nice people in your supermarket's meat department if they have a stash. You can be sure they know exactly what you are asking about -- they just might not want to share.

BLT Salad With Bacon Ends and Avocado

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Grilling Time: 30 minutes

Yield: serves 4 as a main course salad

1 1/2 to 2 pounds bacon ends, excess fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups coarsely torn bite-size pieces of country or sourdough bread

Dressing:

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

1 large head lettuce, leaves washed and torn into bite-size pieces

4 small vine ripened tomatoes, cut into wedges

Corn kernels cut from one ear of corn

1 large Hass avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Prepare the grill for indirect medium heat (about 400 degrees for a gas grill). Trim any excess fat from the bacon ends. Cut the ends into 1-inch chunks and arrange on a grill rack (or grate) set over a grill pan to capture the rendered fat. Grill until the fat is rendered and the ends are crispy and golden, about 25 minutes. (You can do this in the oven with a broiler pan, if you like.) Transfer the ends to a plate.

Toss the bread in the rendered fat. Spread the bread on a grill pan or the grates and grill until golden and crisp, turning as needed, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.

Make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add the oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly to emulsify.

Place the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add the bacon, half the croutons and dressing to your taste and toss to combine. Garnish with the remaining croutons and serve with any remaining dressing.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood.