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Salmon Patties

By:Nagi
260 Comments
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Salmon Patties – quick to prepare, golden and crispy on the outside, moist and savoury on the inside with lovely big flakes of salmon! A very easy salmon cakes recipe that can be made with either canned salmon OR fresh salmon. These are Can’t-Stop-Eating-Them good!

This canned salmon recipe will make you realise you CAN make incredible dishes using canned fish!

Tender insides studded with flakes of salmon, golden on the outside, these Salmon Patties are baked, not fried. Ultimate transformation of canned salmon - or use fresh! www.recipetineats.com

Salmon Patties

Good quality fresh salmon is not cheap. So if I buy fresh salmon, I like to cook it whole rather than mixing it up with other ingredients for things like salmon patties. My go-to quick salmon fillet recipes are Honey Garlic Salmon and Lemon Glazed Salmon 🙂

So I’ve always used canned salmon to make salmon cakes.

But one bite of these Salmon Patties, and any thought of compromising by using canned salmon instead of fresh will fly out the window. These taste SO GOOD!! Serve these up to anyone who has wrinkled their nose in distaste at the thought of canned salmon, and I bet you’ll change their mind.

These salmon cakes are SO GOOD whether made with canned salmon OR fresh salmon!

They’re moreish, beautifully seasoned, juicy and tender, studded with flakes of salmon, and a hint of herby freshness from dill.

These are so tasty, I’d proudly serve them up as an appetiser at a gathering! (And to all my friends reading this, don’t be surprised if that happens the next time you come over!)

Tender insides studded with flakes of salmon, golden on the outside, these Salmon Patties are baked, not fried. Ultimate transformation of canned salmon - or use fresh! www.recipetineats.com

BAKED Salmon Patties!

These babies are so golden and crispy on the outside, it’s almost hard to believe they’re baked. But they are, they really are.

The trick to the golden crust is to preheat the tray. This makes a difference when baking things that are low in fat, like  these salmon patties.

This canned salmon recipe will make you realise you CAN make incredibly delicious food using canned fish!

Making Salmon Patties

The mixture for the Salmon Patties is pretty straight forward. I start with my usual trick to make extra tender, extra tasty patties / meatballs – grating onion over breadcrumbs. This serves two purposes –

  1. the onion juices soaks the breadcrumbs which then expand while cooking, creating little air pockets which makes the patties more tender; and
  2. avoids the need to precook the onion, which you have to do if you use chopped onion otherwise you end up with raw bits of onion in the patties.

Then toss in egg to bind it, parmesan for umami (food nerd word for savouriness, the 5th taste sensation), shallots / green onions / scallions (global food language inconsistencies = 🤯), garlic, dill (or other herb, dried or fresh) and canned salmon.

How to make Salmon Patties

Give it a mix, and this is what you end up with. I know the mixture looks loose and you wonder how on earth the patties will hold together, but they do, they really do.

The egg in this recipe keeps the salmon patties from falling apart while cooking. Also, because these are baked rather than pan fried, they are handled less so this also helps.

I’ve never had Salmon Patties fall apart on me.

How to make Salmon Patties

How to make Salmon Patties

Tender insides studded with flakes of salmon, golden on the outside, these Salmon Patties are baked, not fried. Ultimate transformation of canned salmon - or use fresh! www.recipetineats.com

How to Serve Salmon Patties

  • As a meal – try a side of Yoghurt Slaw and Cauliflower Puree (low carb!), I’ve popped these recipes in the notes. You get freshness from the Yoghurt Slaw and low-carb creaminess from the Cauliflower Puree that’s made for smearing over each bite of the Salmon Patties.
  • Starter – pile onto platters with dipping sauce and pass around to share!
  • Burgers – make giant ones and make salmon burgers

Super tasty dinner, made from a can of salmon. Who would have though, eh?? ❤️ – Nagi x

PS You can, of course, make this with fresh salmon if you happen to be blessed with an abundant supply of them. Tell me all about it, and make me green with envy.

More patties and fritters (I love them!)

Tender insides studded with flakes of salmon, golden on the outside, these Salmon Patties are baked, not fried. Ultimate transformation of canned salmon - or use fresh! www.recipetineats.com

Tender insides studded with flakes of salmon, golden on the outside, these Salmon Patties are baked, not fried. Ultimate transformation of canned salmon - or use fresh! www.recipetineats.com

Salmon Patties recipe
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

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Tender insides studded with flakes of salmon, golden on the outside, these Salmon Patties are baked, not fried. Ultimate transformation of canned salmon - or use fresh! recipetineats.com

Salmon Patties

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 35 mins
Mains
Western
5 from 70 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe VIDEO above. Made with either fresh salmon OR canned salmon, these are so moreish! Golden crispy on the outside, savoury and juicy on the inside, these are baked, not fried, so they're healthier and there's less cleaning up. Makes 12 patties. 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (Note 1 for subs)
  • 1 small onion (or 1/2 large), grated
  • 1 garlic , minced
  • 400 g/ 14 oz cooked fresh salmon OR canned red or pink salmon , drained (Note 2)
  • 2 shallots / scallions / green onions , finely sliced
  • 1/3 cup fresh dill , roughly chopped (or 1 tsp dried herbs of choice)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup parmesan , grated or shredded
  • 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Cooking:

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • Oil spray

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 220C/430F standard (200C fan)
  • Place breadcrumbs in a bowl. Grate over onion, including juices. Mix onion into breadcrumbs, ensuring all breadcrumbs are soaked. (Note 3)
  • Add remaining ingredients except salmon. Mix well.
  • Add salmon. Stir through gently, leaving flakes of salmon (rather than vigorously mixing salmon into tiny pieces).
  • Scoop up 1/4 cup mixture (level, packed standard ice cream scoop, see Video). Form round patties about 1.5 cm/ 2/3" thick and set aside.
  • Drizzle oil all over tray. Place in oven for 2 minutes until hot - oil will spread over tray. Tilt tray to spread if needed.
  • Place patties on tray - DO NOT press down (makes them stick on tray). Spray surface with oil spray.
  • Bake 15 minutes. Flip, spray surface with oil spray, bake 5 minutes.
  • Serve with sour cream or yoghurt on the side for dipping / dolloping, and extra fresh dill if desired.
  • I served mine with cauliflower puree and Yoghurt Slaw - healthy side options! (Note 3)

Recipe Notes:

1. Panko breadcrumbs are Japanese breadcrumbs that are larger than ordinary breadcrumbs so they make these patties fluffier inside. They're readily available nowadays in most supermarkets, in either the Asian section or alongside normal breadcrumbs. 
Subs:
  • Low carb - 1 cup of raw cauliflower rice
  • Guten free - 1 cup crushed rice crackers or almond meal in place of the breadcrumbs.
Use in place of the breadcrumbs and do not change anything else in the recipe. I've tried all these and the patties still taste amazing!
2. SALMON: There are two types of canned salmon - pink and red. Red Salmon is more expensive and it has a more intense flavour than pink salmon. I use red salmon in springwater but oil is also fine - drain before use.
I use the entire salmon in the can - skin and bones. The bones are super soft, not even noticeable in these patties.
FRESH salmon, use 500g/1 lb, sprinkle with salt, pepper and drizzle with oil. Bake at 180C/350F for 20 minutes or until just cooked (or cook on stove), then flake and proceed with recipe.
Alternatives: tuna, sardines or any other canned fish. Just follow the recipe as is - key is to fold the fish in at the end so you end up with chunks and keeps the patties fluffy, rather than disintegrating into the mixture (which also makes them hard).
3. GRATED ONION - soaking breadcrumbs with grated onion is a technique I use in most meatball/patty shaped things that makes them tastier and softer inside.
4. CAULIFLOWER PUREE: Cauliflower Mash with Browned Butter: Boil cauliflower florets in loads of water for 5 - 8 minutes until soft, then drain and leave to steam dry a bit. Whizz florets with a bit of milk (or cream!) and butter until desired consistency achieved - I made mine like a puree. Season with salt and pepper. For browned butter, melt 50g / 1/4 cup butter in a silver or white saucepan over medium high heat, it will foam then turn brown and suddenly smelly nutty. Take it off the stove immediately, pour into a bowl, leaving behind the black bits on the bottom. Drizzle about 1/2 - 1 tsp on each serving of cauliflower mash.
YOGHURT SLAW: Finely slice cabbage, carrot and red onion, For dressing, mix plain yoghurt, lemon juice, bit of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Toss salad in dressing.
5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings (3 patties per serving):

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 187gCalories: 400cal (20%)
Keywords: Salmon patties
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Salmon Patties originally published February 2019, updated for housekeeping matters in March 2019. No change to recipe.

LIFE OF DOZER

In my pre-Dozer life, I was hooning around in a little 2 seater convertible. I had to give up my little zippy car not only because he grew out of it, but also because he didn’t like the wind in his eyes.🙄

So I reluctantly upsized to a 4WD. Then he grew even more – his head smooshes on the ceiling of the car, smearing it with filth.

I am not getting another damn car for this damn dog. 😖

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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260 Comments

  2. Linda says

    Hello Nagi
    I am so looking forward to making these. Quick question, do you drain the salmon/tuna before adding? Thanks!

    Reply

  4. Nina Cle says

    I love salmon patties and I will be making this recipe soon, thanks for making it. Just wanted to tell you that inthe instructions it’s a tad confusing b/c you said to put the breadcrumbs in the bowl and “grate over the onion” and I was confused b/c 1. why would you need to grate the breadcrumbs at all and 2. you very likely meant to grate THE ONIONS OVER THE BREAD CRUMBS -which is a great idea but I’d never heard of it- and it just came out in reverse, and a little tiny bit confusing. So I don’t know if you ever revisit your recipes to do any tweaking but if so, for clarity’s sake maybe just fix that one sentence so it says grate the onions over the crumbs. You are definitely a very thorough person, I see that from your several notes after many of the recipes, and that’s so helpful to folks like me who are sometimes too Literal in reading things. Thank you for this awesome ‘easy but delish’ recipe blog- you’re now my newest go-to blog!!

    Reply

  7. Jasmine says

    Another of your recipes down for a fam fav.
    Can I make these and freeze before cooking? Or heat to cook and freeze?

    Reply

  8. Mandy says

    So easy! I served these on a bed of Asian coleslaw in a lettuce cup. The kids loved them. The leftovers reheated easily in the oven the next day. Planning to make a smaller version as a canapé for the next get-together. ❤️

    Reply

  9. Jeanine says

    5 stars
    Another hit. Really good recipe with great flavour. I really need you to publish a series of cookbooks Nagi. I seem to be ‘saving’ every recipe!

    Reply

  10. Mark Kizer says

    5 stars
    To be honest I was a bit disappointed when I first made it. I thought it was a bit bland. However, I reheated it in an air fryer 4 days later (330F for 4 minutes) and it was absolutely mind boggling delicious. I think the ingredients needed time to meet and get to know each other, perhaps marry and have kids. Whatever the reason, this recipe will be with me for life. I especially loved the fresh dill.

    Reply

  11. Cheryl says

    5 stars
    Made this recipe for tonight’s dinner. Another family hit. So quick and easy. I don’t have dill so I put parsley instead. It tasted so good! I’m enjoying making your recipes. Everything is just so perfect. I feel like a pro😊Thanks, Nagi❤️ I wish I could insert a photo here🤔

    Reply

  12. Lorelei says

    5 stars
    Wow – this budget meal was so good! Great texture, easy to prepare. We all ate more than we should have. Served with a lemon basil aioli. This will go into my regular rotation!

    Reply
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