Brad's stuffed salmon cakes with lemon basil bechamel sauce

Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the salmon filets in it. Sprinkle with garlic powder, white pepper and smoked paprika. Lay lemon slices on top. Add 1/4 cup of white wine, but don't pour over the fish. Cover with more foil and seal tightly. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Until just flaky. It's OK if it is a hair undercooked.

Remove from oven and cool enough to work with. Reserve the lemon slices.

Flake into a mixing bowl. Debone as you go. Add the juice left in the bottom of the pan. Squeeze the juice out of the lemon slices into the salmon. Add more seasoning that was sprinkled on top to taste. Add crab meat, lemon pepper, 1 egg, chicken bouillon, and plain bread crumbs. Mix well.

Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large fry pan. Place 2 beaten eggs and panko in 2 separate bowls. Take about a baseball sized handful of salmon mix and form into a thin patty. Place about a golf ball sized wad of shredded mozzarella in the middle. For patty around the cheese. Then flatten. If you have trouble with the salmon not sticking together, add one more egg. Repeat with the rest of the salmon mix.

Once oil is hot. Roll a patty in the beaten egg. Then in the panko. In the panko, flip several times and press the crumbs into the patty well. Get a good coating. Repeat with the rest of the patties. Fry over medium heat, or a little higher. You want these to brown fast so they don't soak up a bunch of oil. Fry until nicely golden brown. 3-4 minutes a side. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a 150 degree oven.

Start the sauce. Melt butter in a frying pan. Add onions and saute until translucent, don't brown. Add garlic and saute 1 more minute. Add flour and cook 3-4 minutes, do not let this brown either. Add wine and lemon juice. Stir constantly until liquid is incorporated. At this point you pretty much have to stir this sauce constantly.

Mix the 1 cup of milk, and 1 cup of cream. Slowly add this to the sauce about a quarter cup at a time. Letting everything incorporate. When the milk is gone, the sauce should be a little thicker than you want it. Remove from heat. Add salt and spices, and the last quarter cup of milk. Mix well. This will bring the sauce down out of a simmer. Do this so the egg won't scramble. Stirring constantly, slowly add the egg. Just let it slowly drizzle, you have to stir fast or egg will clump.

Immediately return to heat. Stir constantly until sauce is back to a simmer.

Plate salmon patties, smother with sauce. Garnish with merlot belvitano and lemon slice. Serve immediately. Enjoy.