Salmon fishcakes

Salmon fishcakes — flaked salmon bound with mashed potato, seasoned with herbs and sometimes capers or mustard, pan-fried until golden. The salmon is the dominant flavour but the potato binding softens and dilutes it, the herb seasoning adds freshness, and the fried exterior adds a light crunch and butter or oil fat. The overall register is milder than most salmon preparations — less oily, less intensely flavoured — and suits wines that might be overwhelmed by a whole salmon fillet. No oak.

Pairs Perfectly

Albariño, Rias Baixas, Galicia, Spain — saline, stone fruit, citrus, high acid, light body. The saline-citrus character mirrors the salmon and the acidity cuts the potato binding and frying fat cleanly. The light body suits the milder register of the fishcake without adding weight.

Pairs Well

English sparkling wine, Sussex or Kent, England — high acidity, fine bubbles, mineral. The bubbles cut the frying fat and the mineral character engages the salmon without adding aromatic weight.

Vermentino, Sardinia, Italy — saline-citrus, light body, clean finish. The salinity mirrors the salmon and the citrus cuts the frying fat — a Mediterranean alternative at the same precise register as Albariño.

Worth Seeking Out

Grüner Veltliner in a lighter, more mineral style, a Kremstal or Wachau Federspiel expression, where the white pepper note engages the herb seasoning and the acidity cuts the potato binding with a precision that suits the mild fishcake register well.

Avoid

Any oaked wine — salmon and oak produce a metallic note regardless of preparation. Tannic reds overwhelm the mild fishcake character.

Failing That

A Picpoul de Pinet, Languedoc, France.

If All Else Fails

A Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine sur lie, Loire, France.

Want to be able to craft answers like this? The Vinealto Wine Coach takes you from the basics to advanced.