These quick and easy Salmon Cakes are a snap-to-make, made with simple pantry ingredients that can be whipped up in 20 minutes, perfect for midweek meals. With a video!
When I rise up, let me rise up joyful like a bird. When I fall, let me fall without regret like a leaf. ~Wendell Berry
These easy Salmon Cakes made with simple pantry ingredients designed for busy weeknights, when time is short. Serve them up with a fresh salad, or crunchy slaw and dinner is ready! In addiditon to the basic Salmon Patty recipe, the recipe includes 3 different flavor variations – Asian-Style Salmon Cakes, Mediterranean Salmon Cakes and Nordic-style Salmon Cakes.
Watch how to make salmon cakes! | 60-sec video!
What kind of salmon to use?
Of course fresh salmon always makes for the best salmon cakes, or even leftover salmon that has already been cooked- but in a pinch, a good quality canned wild salmon, pulled from the pantry can be a total lifesaver!
What you will need to make basic Salmon Patties:
- canned wild salmon (or sub leftover salmon)
- egg
- green onions (or sub red onions)
- panko or bread crumbs
- fresh herbs
- lemon
- Mayo
- salt & pepper
How to make Salmon Cakes:
- Simply choose the variation of salmon cake you want to make and mix the ingredients in a large bowl.
- Form two cakes.
- Coat the cakes in panko or sesame seeds
- Pan-sear.
How do you keep salmon cake patties from falling apart?
An egg and panko bread crumbs serve as the main binder here. A little mayo also helps. Feel free to experiment with gluten-free bread crumbs or even gluten-free flour. A flax egg will also work in a pinch, although I prefer the lightness the real egg gives the cakes.
Can salmon patties be made ahead of time?
Yes, salmon patties can be made ahead and be stored in the fridge, to pan sear later. Store on a paper towel. You can even pan-sear them ahead and either refrigerate or freeze.
Variations of Salmon Patties:
- Nordic Salmon Patties with dill and capers and a Creamy Dill Sauce. Shown above.
- Asian-style Salmon Patties with sesame seeds, ginger, cilantro and green onion. Shown below.
- Mediterranean-Style Salmon Patties with dijon mustard, lemon zest, garlic & herbs.
Once you make the salmon patties, I know that you will come up with your own creative variations!
Use this basic Salmon Cake recipe as a base for your own versions. I’m so excited to see what you create!
What to serve with Salmon Cakes:
- Easy Crunchy Asian Slaw
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Lebanese Slaw (Salatet Malfouf)
- Mexican Slaw with Cilantro and Lime
- Everyday Kale Slaw (Vegan)
- Kohlrabi Slaw with Cilantro, Jalapeño and Lime
- Avocado
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Avocado Salad
Quick and Easy Salmon Cakes
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2
- Category: Main, Fish, Pantry
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Northwest
- Diet: Kosher
Description
This recipe for Quick and Easy Salmon Cakes is designed for weeknight dinners when time is short. Of course fresh salmon always makes for a better salmon cake, but in a pinch, canned salmon, pulled from the pantry can be a lifesavor! Here are three variations – Asian Style, Mediterranean style, and Nordic Style!
Ingredients
Basic Salmon Patty Recipe (see variations below)
- 1 can wild salmon ( 7-8 ounces), drained (or feel free to use leftover cooked salmon)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon mayo (this makes for a lighter, fluffier and more bindable texture)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (or onion powder)
- ¼ –⅓ cup toasted bread crumbs like plain panko (ok to use GF)
- 1– 2 scallions, sliced (or sub 2–3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion)
- generous pinch salt and pepper (about ⅛ teaspoon each – see notes)
- olive oil for searing
- panko for coating
Salmon Patty Variations:
Asian-style: add 1-2 teaspoons ginger paste (or finely chopped ginger) and 1/8-1/4 cup chopped cilantro to the cakes. Add 1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds to the panko mixture. Serve with Asian Slaw or Asian Cucumber Salad.
Mediterranean-style: add 1 minced garlic clove, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Serve with Leafy green salad.
Nordic style: add 1 tablespoon capers and 1/8-1/4 cup chopped dill. Serve with a Quick Creamy Sauce (below).
Mexican Syle: add 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon lime zest, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. Serve with Chipotle Mayo, Avocado and Mexican Slaw!
Quick Creamy Sauce:
Instructions
- Drain salmon well.
- Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl using a fork. Let stand 5-10 minutes.
- If the mixture seems wet, add a little more bread crumbs (up to 1/3 cup total)
- Divide mixture into 2 larger cakes pressing together with your hands. If you like a crispy crust, dredge in more panko and/or sesame seeds before searing. At this point you could refrigerate for later, laying on a paper towel.
- Heat oil or butter (or a mixture is nice) in a skillet over medium heat. Sear the salmon cakes for 4-5 minutes on each side until beautifully golden and slightly puffed. (The puffed center tells you the egg is cooked through.)
- Serve with the suggested sides, the Quick Creamy Sauce or on their own with a side salad.
Notes
Keywords: salmon cakes, salmon patties, salmon cake recipe, easy salmon cakes, canned salmon cake recipe, samon cakes with canned salmon, asian salmon cakes, pantry meals, quick salmon cakes
Having never used canned salmon before, I was not expecting much. I’ve now made this 3 times in the Asian & Mediterranean versions, and absolutely love it. It’s quick, inexpensive, and delicious. I pair it with the suggested Asian slaw and creamy sauce. I buy canned wild salmon without bones or skin. Thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
Great to hear Rachelle!
Glad you enjoyed this!
I’ve made these four different times now. Each time they turn out excellent!! I like the Nordic version the best because I love capers and dill! But I’ve also made the Mediterranean and Asian versions, and those are also so yummy. I like serving them on a bed of greens dressed with some light lemon, olive oil, and salt. The quick creamy sauce is perfect. When I made these a few days ago, I was feeling like a little bit of a lighter sauce so I increased the ratio of yogurt to mayo and it worked out well. Thanks for another incredible recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks and great to hear Joanna!
I LIKE MY SALMON CAKES WITH CURRY POWDER AND A COUPLE TABLESPOONS OF CHOPPED APPLE FOR SWEETNESS.
Sounds pretty yummy! thanks Anita!
So fast and easy to make!! I subbed the egg for a flax egg and it worked great! This will be on our weekday dinner rotation for sure!!
★★★★★
Great to hear!
BEWARE TINNED SALMON! Let me lead with, like 95% of recipes on this site, the final product was delicious and enjoyed. The mayonnaise does indeed add something special and these cakes- a doubled recipe- were fully consumed by my 3 hungry kids and 1 hungry husband. I served with FAH’s asian salad which went really well. That all said, the tinned salmon was a nightmare. It was a whole section of fish in a can, vertebral column, spinal cord, and all. There were about 10^6 bones that all had to be carefully picked out of the tin-mush. The skin was on the fish and had turned into a black mush. Bleh. I need a better type of tinned salmon because working with pre-cooked fish was great and waiting on this recipe until there are salmon leftovers would be a shame.
★★★★★
Oh dear Alison- that canned salmon doesn’t sound good at all. I usually get mine at Trader Joe’s- and it is like tuna- boneless, skinless. Sounds like you made it work, despite that!
The bones in canned salmon are soft and safe to eat because the whole thing has been pressure cooked.I have seen my mom take the bone colum out and eat it.Canned salmon can be treated like canned tuna..My mom grew during the depression in the hills of ky and they would have canned salmon at times..must have been way less expensive then.She said the bones were good for our bones.That said,I am now vegetarian. It does gross me out too.However,my kitties absolutely love the bones and skin .as well as the juice!
..
I make them for my none vegetarian husband! He loves them!
I agree with your mom, I think they are good for our bones too!
These were really good! We had them crumbed in panko and sesame seeds with a side salad of julienned daikon, carrot and snow peas. Do you reckon you make these up to the stage before pan frying and then freeze them?
★★★★★
I think I would pan fry then freeze. Probably either way would work. 🙂
Great recipe – tasty, inexpensive, and packed with nutritional superpower. I used the Asian version with panko crust, Asian slaw, and sliced avocado. P.S. I’m so surprised canned salmon can taste this good! Thank you, Sylvia!
★★★★★
thanks Maria!
Great recipe! Easy, simple and delicious. Thank you!
★★★★★
Wonderful, made them w/Panko crust – and a side of your asian slaw. Will make again!
★★★★★
Amazing flavors
★★★★★
This was an outstanding recipe. I have doubled the recipe and made it twice within four days. The first time, I made half the batch with the salmon cakes dredged in GF Panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds and the other half without. There is no comparison—with the breadcrumbs. The second time I made the recipe, we did not have salmon and I used tuna. It was delicious, but better with the salmon.
Also, as far as the creamy mayo/yogurt topping, use more yogurt than mayo and make it Greek yogurt. I also experimented and used thyme, rosemary, and sage instead of dill. Both work well!
★★★★★
These were the best thing my boyfriend and I have cooked this year! Absolutely delicious ..can’t wait to eat them again. Just recently found your blog, loving all your recipes and beautiful imagery.
★★★★★
Delicious 😀 Thank you for your great recipes!!!
★★★★★
Can I use fresh, uncooked salmon with this recipe or should I be cooking the salmon first? Thanks!
I think I would try it raw, but just guessing here! Haven’t personally tried!
I loved the recipe and added extra ginger to the Asian variation. 100% could have gone without that dying cat/dead mouse story in the intro though.
Yep, see your point. Deleted!!! 🙂
Loved these thanks! Made the slaw and salmon cakes. Added in sweet potato and broccoli I needed to use up too. Just a question it would be amazing if you could help me with please. I made a few extra but we couldn’t manage them all! Can you freeze them do you know? I used fresh salmon I cooked. If so would you freeze once you’d let the cakes cool after mixing all together and add the sesame seeds and crumbs before seating or do you think you make the entire cake including seeds etc and then sear and freeze? Can’t decide!! Also would you defrost or cook from frozen? Any help would be much appreciate, a bit new to cooking!
★★★★★
I bet either would work, but I would probably sear and freeze. May stay together better? Just guessing here….
Cooked some salmon in the sous vide while I prepped everything else. Delicious!! Second recipe I’ve made from feasting at home, and it did not disappoint! The slaw on the side was a wonderful addition.
★★★★★
Thanks so much- happy you liked it!!!