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Get It NowMy Salmon Patties Recipe Is Crispy, Fluffy, And Affordable
These salmon patties were basically a use-what’s-in-my-pantry experiment, in the best possible way. Between my mom and grandmas, I ate a lot of patties growing up, just never with this fish. But with a couple cans of salmon staring at me, there was a first time for everything! And needless to say, this salmon patties recipe is now part of my regular healthy dinner rotation. Here’s why:
- Crispy outside, tender inside – These salmon cakes fry up with a golden, crispy crust, a fluffy, tender texture inside, and so much flavor. If you like my tuna patties and chicken patties, you’ll like these, too!
- Quick and easy – This whole recipe takes just 20 minutes from start to finish. I often turn to it for a last-minute meal on busy weeknights.
- Pantry-friendly and budget smart – My salmon patty recipe needs just 8 basic ingredients, and all except the egg are pantry staples. And using canned salmon keeps it affordable.
So if you have canned salmon and are wondering what to do with it, make these with me!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my salmon patty recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Canned Salmon – I like this brand. Make sure to get the kind without bones or skin—I learned that the hard way after my husband grabbed the wrong one and I didn’t notice until it was already in the bowl. Picking out bones was not the fun part of dinner prep! Notes on alternatives:
- Leftover cooked salmon works just as well. I usually use canned for convenience.
- If you have fresh salmon that’s uncooked, I recommend making my salmon burgers, instead of the extra step of cooking it just for these salmon patties.
- Binder – I used to make this recipe with crushed pork rinds, but now prefer these clean-ingredient, gluten-free panko breadcrumbs. Any kind of breadcrumbs, or even almond flour, will work.
- Egg – Egg substitutes can work, but the patties might be more fragile.
- Mayonnaise – Helps keep the patties juicy.
- Grated Onion – My secret ingredient that I often add to various patties (and even chicken meatballs), because it leaves them so tender and flavorful! I don’t recommend dicing the onion, which makes the salmon patties fall apart more easily.
- Seasonings – Italian seasoning, black pepper, and a touch of smoked paprika. If you don’t have dried herbs, you can swap in a tablespoon of fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill, or chives.
- Olive Oil – For frying up the patties. Avocado oil or ghee make good alternatives.
How To Make Salmon Patties
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Mix the base. In a large bowl, whisk together the breadcrumbs (or whatever binder you’re using), mayo, egg, grated onion, and seasonings.
- Add the salmon. Gently fold in the canned salmon.
- Form the patties. Use your hands to shape the mixture into 6 patties. They’ll be a bit sticky, which is normal. Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and pop in the fridge to firm up. (This is important, or they’ll fall apart!)
- Fry until golden. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, and fry the salmon patties until golden brown on both sides. Flip carefully so they don’t fall apart. I like to serve them with lemon wedges — a squeeze of fresh lemon juice is delicious on them!
My Recipe Tips
- Drain the canned salmon well. If there’s too much liquid left, your salmon patties won’t hold together. I usually drain the can first, then wrap in paper towels to dry off any extra moisture.
- Mix everything else before adding the salmon, then fold in the fish gently. I do this because it leaves more of the salmon pieces intact. If you dump everything together or overmix after adding the fish, it can turn to mush.
- Don’t you need salt? No, I don’t find I need any because canned salmon is already salted. (In fact, my older version of this recipe had salt and many people complained it was too salty in the comments — this is fixed now!) However, if your salmon doesn’t seem salty enough for you, you can salt it to your taste before mixing with the other ingredients.
- Want extra flavor? Sometimes I throw in garlic powder and lemon zest, or a teaspoon of Dijon mustard.
- If the salmon mixture is hard to work with to form the patties, wet your hands with water or oil. This will reduce sticking to your hands. They’ll be less sticky for frying after you refrigerate them.
- How do you prevent the salmon patties from sticking to the pan? There are 4 things to watch for:
- Make sure you have a layer of oil coating the pan. This is especially important if you use a cast iron skillet like I do — it sticks a little more easily but you get nicer browning, and the oil fixes any sticking.
- Preheat your pan well before adding the patties. In fact, this is my rule for frying just about anything.
- Give them enough time to brown on the bottom before trying to flip. Moving them too soon will make them stick.
- Use a thin turner. This is my favorite because it’s so small and thin, but I used this one for the pictures and it also works well.
- Chilling the patties before cooking is crucial. You need at least 30 minutes to let them firm up, but you can also form them the day before and keep in the fridge overnight before you cook them.
- Grab your largest skillet. With my 12-inch cast iron pan, I can fit all 6 patties in one batch! If your skillet is smaller, you’ll need to cook in 2 batches, and I recommend adding more oil for the 2nd batch.
- Want to bake these instead? They’ll take about 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. They don’t get crispy on the outside that way, though, and I’d recommend broiling for a couple minutes at the end to at least get some browning.
Salmon Patties
My salmon patties recipe is fast, crispy, and affordable, with canned salmon and pantry staples. A perfect easy dinner, lunch, or appetizer!
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the breadcrumbs (or binder of your choice), mayonnaise, egg, grated onion, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
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Add the canned salmon and fold in gently. Be careful not to over-mix.
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Using your hands, form mixture into 6 1/2-inch thick patties and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. The patties will be wet and sticky. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
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Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the salmon patties to the skillet without touching each other, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Flip carefully and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until browned on the other side.
Did You Like It?
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Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 salmon patty
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you to help you get crispy, golden patties, prevent them from falling apart when frying, notes about salt, optional add-ins for extra flavor, and a variation for baking them.
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- Meal prep: Since this salmon patty recipe needs to chill in the fridge anyway, I often form them the day before! Just keep refrigerated for 1-2 days before cooking.
- Reheat: I usually reheat in a hot skillet over medium-low heat, or pop them in the air fryer for 1-2 minutes.
- Freeze: You can freeze these salmon patties cooked or uncooked. I line squares of parchment paper between them to prevent sticking.
- Note on nutrition info: The numbers I have here are based on gluten-free breadcrumbs, which is what I use most often now. My original recipe had pork rinds, which you can definitely use for a low carb option (0.5g net carbs per serving). To see the full numbers, you can customize this recipe by swapping the ingredient in my Wholesome Yum App.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Salmon Patties
Serving Ideas
These salmon patties are so versatile — I’ve served them for dinner, for lunch, as an appetizer, and even as a snack. Try them like this:
- Dips – My fave with these is garlic aioli (pictured above), but tartar sauce or tzatziki sauce also pairs well.
- Wraps – Wrap a salmon patty in a lettuce wrap or on your favorite bun with a little mayo (or pick from my sauces above), tomatoes, and red onions.
- Salads – Sometimes I serve these over artichoke salad or spring salad for lunch. In the summer, they make a lovely light dinner alongside my cauliflower potato salad or tomato cucumber avocado salad.
- Bowls – Serve them over a base of rice or cauliflower rice, and load up with fresh toppings. The ones from my salmon bowls work well.
- Vegetables – To keep it super simple, just roast asparagus or cauliflower in the oven to serve on the side.
172 Comments
Ginger
0Thank you for the recipe. I was looking for a replacement for cracker crumbs and that will work nicely. I was surprised that you specified no bones. Why? The bones add no carbs. I have cans of salmon with bones and the labels show zero carbs.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Ginger, The bones don’t affect the carb count, but it can change the consistency of the mixture if they aren’t soft enough. Feel free to use what you have on hand, but my preference is boneless.
emmyjoyful
0I just mash the bones in with the salmon and they pretty much disappear. Sometimes I eat them before mashing. Never discard the bones. They are excellent calcium.
Cindy
0Love this recipe, very easy and tastes much more high end.
Wendy
0Hi, at the end you drizzle something on the top of the patties, I assume it’s lemon juice? If not, could you elaborate. These are DELISH!! 😉 Thanks –
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Wendy, Yes, it’s lemon juice! Enjoy.
Maribel W.
0These were delicious, my kids devour them. The only thing that I would change is the salt. The pork rinds are salty enough in my opinion. Definitely a keeper! Thank you for a great recipe!
Jannine
0The Salmon Cakes recipe in the video uses Avocado Oil and the recipe reads Olive Oil. Which is recommended?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jannine, Either will work great. Use whichever you prefer the flavor of.
Tami
0Can I air fry these?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Tami, I have not tested this, but I think they could be air fried. They would not brown as much. Please let us know if you decide to try it!
Cheryl Dabney
0I made these for Breakfast for my family! They had grits as well. They enjoyed them a lot and was surprised that I used pork rinds instead of flour. Full disclosure: the ones I made for my family, I put a dusting of cornmeal on them before I fried them to get the crispy crunch they like. For their 4 patties, I used about a tablespoon cornmeal total to dust the patties; for my two l left as is. Very good recipe
Audrey
0Do you have a sub for pork rinds?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Audrey, You can use 1 cup of almond flour in place of the pork rinds.
Susan
0I didn’t get the pork rinds at the store because I thought I had some at home. ?And I can’t eat almonds due to the salicylic acid or paprika due to the nightshade family.
So I’m going to try coconut flour and fry them in coconut oil and butter for flavor. I save my oilve oil for salads!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Susan, You can try that, but you’ll want to reduce the amount of coconut flour (probably by 2/3 or 3/4), as it’s much more absorbent than almond flour. I’m still unsure if it would work, so let me know how it goes!
Catherine
0Was looking forward to this recipe for dinner. Sadly I can’t have pork. I’m going to try another filler like nutritional yeast and parmesan with small amount of almond flour.
Kevin Hall
0I love pork rinds but do they not make these a little salty ?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kevin, I don’t think so, but if you are sensitive to salt then please feel free to scale the amount back the amount.
Jen
0No one in my house will ever say NO to pork rinds. Wholesome yum for the win (again!).
Alison
0YES, PLEASE. Love salmon cakes and especially now-at-days having to get crafty with pantry items. These look so moist and delish!
Marlynn
0These are so flavorful, and I love that we can make them in advance!
Abigail Raines
0So perfect for our Fish Friday menu! Love that in minutes I have a tasty and delicious dish!
Anita
0These are so good, especially with the addition of pork rinds. I don’t always have pork rinds at home, but I’m guessing crispy bacon should be able to do replace pork rinds.