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These Salmon Patties (aka salmon cakes) are tender and flaky on the inside, golden and crispy on the outside. Made quick and easy with delicious canned salmon and fresh herbs, my salmon patty recipe will knock your socks off!
Salmon Patty (Cakes) Recipe
If you had asked me a few years back if I like salmon patties you probably would have gotten a deer in the headlights kind of look. That just didn’t sound good to me, so it wasn’t something I’d ever tried. I finally worked up the courage (silly, I know) to try them, and I was immediately hooked and knew I needed to figure out how to make salmon patties at home.
This recipe is pretty straightforward, and is similar to the way I make my homemade meatballs. Salmon Patties are crazy easy to make, and require little effort, making them perfect for busy weeknights. Mix ingredients, form patties with your hands, then fry them up on the stove. The whole process takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.
How to Make Salmon Patties
- Start with canned salmon – I prefer to use the skinless and boneless kind, but as long as you get about 15 ounces, you can use any kind of canned salmon, or even fresh salmon that you bake in the oven.
- Next you’ll add fresh ingredients like dill, parsley, green onions and lemon, and some binders like breadcrumbs, egg and mayonnaise.
- All of these things mix together and for a delicious blend of flavors that enhance the salmon patties. I prefer to mix the ingredients with my hands to get them really well combined, then use an ice cream scoop for portioning so each salmon patty is about the same size, and use my hands to form the patties.
- Fry them up in a skillet until golden and serve with homemade tartar sauce and lemon wedges!
How long do salmon patties take to cook?
Salmon patties don’t take long at all to cook – about 8 minutes! Melt some butter and oil in a skillet and fry the patties about 3-4 minutes per side or until they are nice and golden. Have a paper towel lined tray or plate ready to transfer them to, them serve them up with some fresh lemon wedges or tartar sauce.
Is salmon out of a can good for you?
Fortunately, the canning process doesn’t take away the nutrients in fish, so you’ll get protein, heart healthy omega-3 fats and other nutrients from both fresh and canned sources of salmon. While there can be a slight difference in taste the ease of using canned fish in recipes like these salmon cakes or tuna pasta salad makes it a great option.
My entire family raved about these salmon cakes for days!
I served them with homemade tartar sauce, roasted potatoes and some steamed veggies, and I’ve since added them to our monthly dinner rotation.
They are so tender and flaky on the inside, golden on the outside and the flavor is out of this world. Give this salmon patty recipe a try and I bet your family will love them too!
Here are some more delicious salmon recipes to try!
- Easy Baked Salmon with Honey Garlic Butter
- Baked Teriyaki Salmon Lettuce Wraps
- Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad with Salmon
Salmon Patties
Ingredients
- 3 5-ounce cans salmon skinless and boneless (aff)
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon Garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Canola oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except oil and butter. Stir to combine and then with your hands, form patties. Use an ice cream scoop (aff) for easy portioning. Flatten them into ½” patties. (Should make about 8-10 patties)
- Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-medium low heat. Add some of the patties to the hot skillet (don’t crowd the pan - you want at least an inch between patties). It it seems like the patties are browning too quickly, reduce the heat. Cook 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden and crispy on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Repeat until all patties are cooked through.
- Serve with homemade tartar sauce and lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
I used canned red salmon. I also added some chopped red bell pepper which I sautéed with the onion prior to adding it to the salmon mixture. The patties were delicious……a big hit in our house! Thanks for posting the recipe.
You are so welcome Caroline! Love the feedback Caroline, thanks for stopping by.
Should I drain the cans of salmon?
Yes, drain them.
Receipe sounds delicious. Can you suggest a brand of canned salmon to use?( boneless, skinless)? What measurements would you use if you had to use dry herbs? Thanks 😊
For dry herbs, you will use half of what it calls for with fresh herbs. As for canned salmon, there aren’t a ton of options, so I’d read the cans of what’s available and buy whichever one sounds the best to you.
This is the second time I’ve made these…so good. I decided to add seasoned bread crumbs to the plain ones. I used gluten-free bread crumbs, btw & that worked fine. I’m wondering if regular vs. Panko crumbs might help hold them together better. ?? Anyway, we put a little dollop of tartar sauce & a squeeze of lemon on each one. They were yummy😋
HiBeth, sure if you find that they aren’t holding together for you, try plain breadcrumbs.
Just wanted to say this recipe is a constant staple in my house. My husband grew up hating salmon patties and I was never a fan BUT these are so good!!! He even requests them! I can’t always get them to hold together well but we don’t mind. They’re even great broken up on top of spinach salad.
Awesome feedback Jayne! Thanks for stopping by.
I added extra of all the flavoring ingredients and was surprised how bland they were. I also dusted the outside with cornmeal for additional crispiness which required a lot more oil for frying, and that turned out well. They are good, just not great.
Hi Jim, I think they’re wonderful as is, but I don’t dust with cornmeal, which obviously can alter the flavor. Give them a try without it and tell me what you think.
Thank you so much, Kristin. I truly appreciate your reply. I look forward to making your recipe using water-packed tuna. Jojo
Hello – your salmon patties look delicious. My husband regrettably doesn’t like salmon. I was wondering if your recipe might work using canned tuna instead of salmon. Would the rest of the ingredients work with tuna? Thank you very much for any advice.
Hi Jojo, I think tuna would work great. Just be sure to drain it really well. Also I would use a water packed tuna.
I really enjoyed these, and I’m actually considering using tarter sauce instead of mayo the next time I make these to see if it zips it up a bit.
Great feedback Greg! Thanks for stopping by.
I have never left a comment on any recipe I
have found while making them off the internet. I try a lot of different ones from A to Z. This one just blew me away. I altered it a bit for my taste before adding the egg. Used dried dill for mine because I did not have any as it is rather seasonal here. Make it. Is is gol darn good and easy too
Awesome feedback Ralph! Thank you so much for stopping by.
Can I make them ahead of time and cook them later that evening?
Sure! Just keep them in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. I’d set them out 15 minutes prior to cooking so they aren’t cold going into the pan.
Wow! I made these for my family today for the first time and they just loved them. This recipe is a keeper for sure. I will be making them again..
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Lisa.
I rarely comment BUT Kristen THESE ARE SOOOOOO GOOOD. THANK you for sharing this along with your tartar sauce ohhhhh yummy!
You are so welcome Emi! Thank you for stopping by.