Salmon Patties, made from wild caught canned salmon, are an easy to make dinner time favorite in our house and are the best salmon cake recipe ever!
Why this recipe works:
This recipe is one of my most popular recipes and has been viewed almost 2 Million times.
It has also always been my family's favorite dinner. When I ask the kids what they want for dinner on their birthday, they say salmon patties.
Other than the taste, I love this recipe because it's an easy dinner that comes from the pantry. How many times have you gone to make dinner and realized that the only meat you have on hand is completely frozen?
Because this recipe uses canned salmon, it's easily available and is one of my favorite options for a quick and easy dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.
How to make them:
- If using canned salmon with bones and skin, decide whether you want to separate the meat or just mix everything together (photo 1).
- Mix the canned salmon with egg (it binds all of the ingredients together), along with bread crumbs, green onions, parmesan, and lime juice (photo 2).
- Form the salmon patties by hand and place them in screaming hot oil in a frying pan (photo 3). The screaming hot part is necessary to get that nice crispy outside.
- Once they are crispy and golden brown on the bottom, flip them once to get crispy on the other side (photo 4). Once done, serve hot with your favorite sides.
More about canned salmon:
If you've never used canned salmon, I feel it is my duty to educate you first. And based on the sheer number of reader comments this recipe has gotten, people are very passionate about this subject.
- Canned salmon comes in two variations: with and without the skin and bones.
- If you buy canned salmon without the skin and bones, it is very similar to canned tuna. You only need to drain it and follow the recipe.
- If you buy canned salmon with the skin and bones, it's basically a chunk of the whole animal (minus the organs) that has been pressure cooked in an aluminum can. You can choose to eat everything in the can (skin, bones, spine, fat, etc.) or you can carefully pick them out and discard to separate the meat.
- The bones are really soft because they've been soaking in liquid under pressure. The lightest squeeze in between your fingers crushes them. The bones, the skin, and the darker grey meat are full of nutrients.
- Me? I pick through that canned salmon like I'm a surgeon and it is my patient.
Bottom line: you can eat the skin/bones/fat or you can leave them out. They are completely edible and it is 100% a matter of preference.
Salmon patty recipe variations:
Throughout the years I've been constantly changing this recipe to add variation. My readers have made some really great suggestions too!
- Instead of using panko bread crumbs, try making salmon patties with cornmeal. I've done this before (but used a mixture of cornmeal and breadcrumbs) and it gave my salmon cakes a great texture. You can also make them with crushed crackers.
- Ever try salmon patties with mayonnaise? It makes them so moist with tons of added flavor.
- I get asked all the time if these can be made with fresh salmon. My answer is yes - you can make these with fresh salmon if you want to cook the fresh salmon first, but because this recipe is based on what my mom made growing up, I will always recommend using canned salmon.
- How about a salmon patty sauce? I think a basil garlic aioli or an easy remoulade would be amazing with these salmon cakes!
What to serve with salmon cakes:
The outside of my salmon patties is oh-so-perfectly crispy. The inside is moist and delicious.
We usually serve these up with a starch like rice or potatoes as well as a green vegetable such as a salad or wilted spinach. I also love eating them cold and leftover when they're mixed into a green salad with some delicious avocado. Sooooo good! That's why I always double or even triple the recipe.
Other favorite salmon recipes:
Although this recipe has become a regular favorite in our house, we also like to mix it up a bit and make Crispy Southern Salmon Patties and Lemon Basil Salmon Patties, along with lots of other variations to keep things interesting!
I cook with salmon all the time. From fresh Pacific Northwest wild caught fillets cooked on a cedar plank to smoked salmon whipped up into an smoked salmon dip or creamy salmon pasta, our appetite craves the omega 3 filled goodness that salmon brings to the table.
Recipe video below!
Did you make this recipe? Please leave me a comment below to let me know what you think! I also love hearing of the different variations you all recommend!
Salmon Patties Recipe
CLICK TO PLAY RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
- 18 ounces canned salmon (3-8oz cans with no skin/bones or 2-14.75 cans with skin/bones, drained, red or pink salmon)
- 2 eggs
- 6 green onions (minced)
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil (or sub with olive oil)
Instructions
- Drain salmon and pick out all of the good meat you want to use. I'm sure all of it can be used, but I like to discard any bone and skin because I think its gross. Personal preference.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine salmon meat, eggs, green onions, panko bread crumbs, parmesan, and lime juice. Use hands to combine and then form into 8 patties that are no more than one inch thick.
- Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil. When oil is hot enough to bubble when a bread crumb gets tossed in, add your salmon patties. Be sure to leave enough room to have a good inch in between each patty, so you may need to cook them in two batches. Cook until golden brown, about 5-10 minutes, then flip and cook until golden brown on other side.
- Serve warm. They also taste excellent cold on top of salad.
Notes
- Recipe easily doubles or triples if you want leftovers, however you may need to cook in batches to ensure they crisp properly.
- Popular reader variations/add-ins include lemon juice, crushed crackers, sauteed yellow onion, corn meal, fresh dill
NUTRITION INFORMATION
This recipe was originally published in June 2015 and has been updated with process photos, helpful information and cooking tips. Don't worry - I didn't change the recipe!
Rebecca Vardiman
Hi! I made these and they turned well, Only suggestion comes form my husband, the real cook in the family. He suggested a little less bread crumbs next time. He'd like less 'filler' in relation to the salmon. Maybe 1/4 or 1/3 cup?
shirley lamarche
Man this sounds so good, you've got me a little scared on the bone and skin situation though. I'm glad you prepared me before I opened the can but all these comments keep the bones in keep the bones out has drove me bonkers. This will be my first time making salmon patties and I want to do it right. I'm planning to first just open the can and weigh my odds and I will have to write you back. Right now I'm just really scared to open the can of salmon. but I'm doing it tonight and I plan on putting in some red peppers and a clover of garlic with my recipe. and I think I'll clean the fish.
Krissy
I'm dying to know how it went!
Nancy Morris
Nancy M.
My Mom made salmon casserole with eggs and soda crackers. She baket the casserole in the oven. (Cracker and eggs extend 1 can of salmon to feed 6 people) She left the bones in (calcium) and we kids would fight to get some. Had Tomato Gravy and home canned green beans. YUM!!!
Beth Black
Thank you for the recipe it was great. I especially liked the lime it gave the salmon that little extra tang together with the parmesan. The only thing I changed was the onion that I cooked in a little butter as our vegetable market only sells brown onions on my island in the South Pacific.
Bee
My family loved these. So simple and nice. I'm going to swap out an older recipe I've been using.. I sautéed the onion in a little hot oil as someone suggested. I didn't have any lemon or lime so used salad vinegar instead. Perfect with either a salad or mash & greens. A bit of roasted bell pepper would make a great addition. Cilantro and red onion would make them extra special for those who love cilantro.
Thanks Krissy
Paul Hengstebeck
I made these tonight. My lovely bride said this recipe goes in the rotation. I agree. My mother served them with a chopped hard boiled egg in a white sauce. I'm thinking that sauce with curry powder mixed in would be a good compliment
Amber
Krissy, thanks for the recipe, I'm literally making them as I'm posting. I added red bell peppers and onions, I fried them up first quick before I mixed them in with the salmon so it wasn't overly crunchy (i have twin 3 year olds so I try to sneak veggies into most things if I can get away with it). Also, I wanted to let you know I picked out the bones and skin. Don't worry girl, you're not the only one who is grossed out by it ;). Thanks again for the recipe, it smells great already!
Krissy
Thanks for the comment! I hope your toddlers didn't notice the veggies! Red bell pepper would be an outstanding addition! Krissy
Christopher
An impressive amount of comments on this thread! I'll add one more:
I separate bones and skin too, but I save them and pulse them in a small food processor, then blend in lime juice, a little cilantro, and red onion. This is then folded into the meat mixture with the egg and a blob of umami paste. So we get all the nutrients, and my faint-of-heart kids won't bite into a slivery bone.
; )
Krissy
Great suggestion!
Chloe Friedman
Can I make these cakes without frying, cover and refrigerate, then fry when I am ready to eat them? Or if I cook them all at once will they be just as good microwaved?
Krissy
Nothing is ever just as good microwaved! I would do what you suggested and make them ahead of time and then fry them up later.
Shirin Banu
I tried the recipe last night and it was delicious! thank you! 🙂
Dorothy
For years my husband spent the summer fishing for salmon (the smaller land locked variety). He canned them in pint jars in a pressure cooker. That canned salmon has almost no visible bones - we leave everything in when we make patties. I often pre cook some chopped celery to add to the patties. I get lemon dill sauce in a jar at our local Fry's (division of Kroger) super market and it is a good topping. I mention the store because the lemon dill is hard to find.
Krissy
Oh man, what I wouldn't give for homemade canned salmon!
Patricia
Just made these for dinner with boneless pink salmon, regular onion, it. bread crumbs, parmesan, and egg and a little lemon juice. Fried lightly in olive oil. Delicious! Simple. The only change I would make is less parmesan..found them a little salty but I'm on a low salt diet so not accustomed to too much salt. Thanks and I'll definitely be checking out more of your recipes.
Marilyn S chulzdd
Salmon patties recipe is very similar to the way my mother fixed them. I leave in all the salmon
meat, bones, and skin. I asked my mother for the bones when she made them, and she left me have them to eat as she was mixing the flesh. I always use cracker crumbs to bond the flesh together and roll the patties in cracker crumbs, too. Several years ago I started baking them to save some calories --350 ddebgrees for about 25 minutes. They're great! Thanks for sharing.?
Sherry
I always take out all the bones and skin too....but feed that to my dog who sits right at my feet when he smells the salmon! I have never used lime in the mix (am going to give that a try) but I do roll the formed patties in instant mashed potato flakes before frying up in the pan. Love them that way!
Krissy
Great suggestion. Thanks, Sherry!
Laura
Thank you for sharing this recipe! My husband says these are the best patties he’s ever had and my 7 year old who seems to have a complete disdain for all food, actually requests these all the time.
Jason Emrick
I was raised on these as well my wife cannot stand the smell so I don't get them as often as I should. But now I'm thinking of putting my yonder on 500 degrees and cooking them outside on a cast iron skillet. My sister ate them with catsup. My only way in with cream of chicken soup thinned down to desired consistency. Mmmmmmm sounds good to me.
Weldon
Love salmon patties any way they are made (with or without bones, mixed with cracker crumbs). No one ever used the skin. Our menu with salmon patties is without fail boiled spinach and fried potatoes. A dinner fit for a king.
Yvette Sias
Thanks, I will put my gloves on for surgery as well. No bones or skin for me..
Krissy
Your comment made me smile this morning. Thanks for that! -Krissy
Diane Adams
I wish I had seen this a few months ago, before I opened my first can of salmon. I knew there might be small bones. I remembered them from eating salmon patties as a child. But this was not what I expected. I was so freaked out, I ended up throwing it all away. I thought I got a bad can. The next day, a friend told me this was normal. I know it is more nutritious and economical to use it this way, but I will probably be buying the boneless, skinless version next time! 🙂
C
I just made this and it was delicious! Even my daughter liked it! I used Costco brand red salmon and I was disappointed to see it was boneless and skinless. 😉 although I think if it had had bones I'd process everything in the food processor, because I don't care for the texture of the bones. Red salmon is so much better tasting than pink salmon, and more omega 3's too. The lime juice really brings it up a notch!
C
Forgot to add - didn't have bread crumbs so I used crushed crackers. Worked great!