Sore muscles or joints after a long day on the trail? This backcountry meal might do the trick. The secret is in the wasabi, which is known to have anti-inflammatory qualities. Plus, salmon is a superfood. It’s high in protein and full of omega-3 fatty acids, which help with brain, nerve, and eye development. Our bodies don’t naturally make them, so we have to get them from food.
What’s even better? You can get it all in a delicious, half-pound, camp-ready meal in under 10 minutes. So, eat up!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. potato pancake mix
- 5 tsp. wasabi powder
- 1 pouch salmon
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 2 packs soy sauce to taste
- 1 serving rice noodles
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 503
- Carbs: 50 grams
- Fats: 19 grams
- Protein: 30 grams
Directions
At-Home Prep:
- Combine the potato pancake mix with the wasabi powder in a medium Ziploc bag
- Pour the olive oil into a small bottle
- Put all of the ingredients in a medium Ziploc bag
Trail Prep:
- Pour 2 oz. of water into the bag with the potato pancake and wasabi mixture
- Add the salmon to the potato and wasabi mix
- Mix it all around inside the Ziploc
Cook:
- Boil water in your pot, and cook the rice noodles for 2 minutes
- Drain off excess water, so the rice noodles are dry
- Heat the olive oil in your frying pan on medium-high heat
- Squeeze out 4 small fish cake patties into the pan, and cook them until both sides are golden brown
- Boom! You’ve got Wasabi Salmon Fish Cakes with Rice Noodles. To finish, add the soy sauce to the fish cakes or rice noodles to taste.
Fun fact: According to Packaging Technology & Science, salmon and tuna pouches produce 60- to 70-percent less greenhouse gases than metal cans. So, with this dish, you’re helping the environment, too. Nice!

Christopher Colahan
Chris was born and raised in the Philly suburbs, but don’t hold that against him. He learned outdoor skills at Camp Kawanhee for Boys in Weld, ME. In college he became an EMT, joined the Shawnee Mtn Ski Patrol, and founded the Villanova Adventure Group. After college he lived in Japan for 2 years, running a scuba tour operation in Sata-Misaki, climbed Japan’s 5 tallest peaks, and surfed across SE Asia. After grad school Chris taught in The Bahamas for a year, and went on to lead Peconic Dunes 4-H Camp for 9 years, launching a teen wilderness trips program. Nowadays Chris continues to surf in Rhode Island, backpack in New Hampshire, canoe in Maine, and mountain bike with the EMS crew in Connecticut.