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My 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.
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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
By
My salmon patties recipe is fast, crispy, and affordable, with canned salmon and pantry staples. A perfect easy dinner, lunch, or appetizer!
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]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 make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
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.
176 Comments
Tessa Johnson Fugate
0Me and my family love this recipe. My father in law said this was the best salmon patty he has ever eaten.
Rich Catlin
0Substituted almond flour for crushed pork loins as suggested. Substituted srirachi ranch for mayonnaise. No Italian dressing. So many subtle flavors! Served with roasted cauliflower and asparagus!!!
Peggy
0I used 2 – 7oz cans of salmon and used same ingredients as shown however the pork rinds with the added salt made these patties too salty. Also the pork rinds added the fatty residue taste in my mouth. Do you think I could cut back on the pork rinds? These held together very nicely so I’m thinking if I reduce the pork rind by 1/4 cup and maybe added some lemon juice it might help to reduce that fatty taste. We did eat all of them but I found them a bit too salty for my liking. Any suggestions?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Peggy, Feel free to reduce the amount of pork rinds and replace it with almond flour. They won’t turn out quite as crisp on the outside, but it will reduce the saltiness. Lemon juice will also work in the recipe. Enjoy!
Arlene
0These were delicious!
I left out the Italian seasoning and fries then in ghee since I was out of olive oil.
Will be adding this to my favorites.
Thank you!!
Michelle Calicchio
0I have ton of left over salmon that I pan fried. Is there any reason I couldn’t flake up the salmon fillets and use that in place of the canned salmon?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Michelle, I have not personally tried doing anything like this, but it should work in the recipe.
Judy
0Based on the comments I added personal touches: green onions instead of yellow, salt free McCormicks seafood seasoning, 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt instead of 1.5 tsp of salt. I used the pork rinds and the salmon croquettes were beautiful, crispy and delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Shanae
0I used almond flour instead of pork rinds as well as sautéed my onions before adding to mixture. With this recipe they taste as if they’re regular salmon cakes. GREAT RECIPE.
Tammy
0This is so very good! Omg! But, I do feel like it could use less salt. Other than that they were moist and flavorful! Thanks!
Mary Arndt
0Awesome thank you so much
Linda
0Tried this and loved it. This is easy and delish. Thanks for sharing.
Dana
0Hi. Can this be done with fresh salmon?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Dana, Yes, but if you have fresh salmon fillets, you may want to try one of these recipes instead – Garlic Baked Salmon or Baked Basil Pesto Salmon.
R L
0What can I use in place of the pork rinds?
I don’t eat pork.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi RL, Feel free to use almond flour in place of the pork rinds.
Ruth Butcher
0I made this recipe for 2 friends I was staying with and they both loved it so much they asked for the recipe. How encouraging is that. Thanks Maya. I also tried your meatloaf with pork
rinds and it was sooo good too. Something about pork rinds gives a very good flaovor.
emmyjoyful
0I made these for lunch today. We found 2 cakes each to be plenty. I added some dehydrated swiss chard, and used more italian seasoning than the recipe asked for. I also used almond flour .. about 1.5 cups .. instead of pork rinds, as my husband doesn’t eat pork They were delicious. We had home-pickled green beans on the side as well as a fresh cranberry salad left from Christmas. I also used some (not hotdog style) hot mustard on my salmon cakes. They were delicious. Hubs had his beloved rice with it. I think next time I will try adding the pickled beans or pickled garlic or whatever pickle is open at the time, right into the patty mix and a bit of pickle juice .. maybe a tablespoon, if that, in this size recipe. A small amount of pickle juice really brightens a lot of recipes, giving it just that little extra zing. This is a nice recipe as is, and can handle some personal touches as well.
Janet Henry
0I found that the crispier you get them, the better they taste! Will definitely make them again.
Jill Madigan
0I’m sorry that you made no comment on the difference between the flavor of canned pink salmon (‘fishy’ tasting) and more tasty and pricey red sockeye salmon.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jill, My recommendation is linked in the recipe card, but feel free to use the salmon you prefer in the recipe.
peggy belasco
0They were bland and tastless!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Peggy, I am sorry this recipe didn’t suit your taste. Feel free to experiment with the seasonings if you wish to try the recipe again, or maybe pre-seasoned pork rinds.
Karen
0I loved this recipe! The only change I made was substituting 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning for the salt. The pork rinds give a hint of balcony flavor. So good!
cindy
0Can the patties be baked in the oven?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Cindy, Baking these in the oven won’t get the crispy exterior. These salmon patties are best pan-fried.
Tina Pederson
0I have never liked Salmon, but this recipe changed my mind. Love these patties so did hubby will be making these over and over again they are so good
Kathryn Pierce
0This recipe is so good and easy to make. I would give it 10 stars if I could. The only problem is it takes all my will power not to eat them all up. Thank You
Beth
0I somehow ended up with a lot of canned salmon so I asked a question on the Wholesome Yum Facebook page for ideas to use the canned salmon up. I had several really good suggestions, of which was to use this recipe for salmon patties. I am so glad I did! This was such an easy recipe, using ingredients that I had in my pantry. And the best part is that it was over the top delicious! In fact, we ate them before I was able to get a picture of the amazingly good salmon patty. The best part is that my husband really liked them too and said he would definitely eat them again so I knew this was a home run! I will definitely be making these again! Thank you Maya!
Susan
0Finally,