Salmon Cakes Recipe

These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with tasty bites of flaked salmon. They always disappear fast! SUPER EASY and truly delicious salmon cakes! | natashaskitchen.com

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These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with tasty bites of flaked salmon – YUMM!! It’s mostly salmon which makes every bite such a treat! These salmon cakes always disappear fast and are well loved by the kids and grown ups in our family. I love that there isn’t a hint of fishiness in them.

It’s a smart way to use up leftover cooked salmon, but it’s worth the extra 10 minutes it takes to roast salmon just for this recipe. These salmon patties are THAT GOOD! p.s. You can also use well-drained packaged or canned salmon if that’s what you have on hand.

Make sure to serve with this homemade tartar sauce – it’s the easiest sauce to make, keeps well in the fridge, and once you try homemade, there’s just no going back to the store-bought muck. The same goes for these salmon cakes – they are truly delicious!

These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with tasty bites of flaked salmon. They always disappear fast! SUPER EASY and truly delicious salmon cakes! | natashaskitchen.com

Ingredients for Salmon Cakes:

1 lb fresh salmon filet*
Garlic Salt – I use Lawry’s brand
Black Pepper
Olive Oil
1 medium onion (1 cup finely diced)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 cup Panko bread crumbs (Japanese Style crumbs)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp mayo
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with tasty bites of flaked salmon. They always disappear fast! SUPER EASY and truly delicious salmon cakes! | natashaskitchen.com

*Note: Fresh salmon is best, but it can be substituted with leftover cooked salmon, or 14-15 oz of well-drained canned salmon, or three 5 oz salmon packets. If mixture is too moist to hold the patty shape, add more bread crumbs and if it is too dry, add an extra Tablespoon of mayo.

Watch How To Make Salmon Patties:

How To Make Salmon Cakes (Salmon Patties):

1. Preheat Oven to 425˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silpat. Place salmon skin-side down, brush with olive oil and season with garlic salt and black pepper.

Bake uncovered for 10-15 min or just until cooked through (my thinner cut wild salmon was closer to 10 minutes). Remove from oven, cover with foil and rest ten minutes. Discard skin, flake salmon with forks, remove any bones, and cool to room temp while prepping remaining ingredients.

These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with tasty bites of flaked salmon. They always disappear fast! SUPER EASY and truly delicious salmon cakes! | natashaskitchen.com

2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp butter and finely diced onion and bell pepper. Saute until softened and golden (7-9 minutes) then remove from heat.

Two photos of red peppers and onions being sautéed

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled flaked salmon, sautéed onion and pepper, 1 cup bread crumbs, 2 beaten eggs, 3 Tbsp mayo, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 cup fresh parsley. Stir to combine then form into 13-14 patties. I find it’s easiest to portion the patties using a flat ice cream scoop then pressing them into 1/3 to 1/2″ thick patties.

These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with tasty bites of flaked salmon. They always disappear fast! SUPER EASY and truly delicious salmon cakes! | natashaskitchen.com

These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with tasty bites of flaked salmon. They always disappear fast! SUPER EASY and truly delicious salmon cakes! | natashaskitchen.com

4. Heat 1 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a large pan over medium heat and once butter is done sizzling, add half of the salmon cakes and sauté 3 1/2 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through.

If salmon cakes brown too quickly, reduce heat. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Add remaining 1 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter and repeat cooking remaining salmon cakes.

These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with tasty bites of flaked salmon. They always disappear fast! SUPER EASY and truly delicious salmon cakes! | natashaskitchen.com

These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with tasty bites of flaked salmon. They always disappear fast! SUPER EASY and truly delicious salmon cakes! | natashaskitchen.com

I can’t get enough of those big flakes of salmon! Major Cravings for salmon cakes with homemade tartar sauce right now. Hands down, these are the best salmon cakes I’ve ever tried and they are so easy!

These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with tasty bites of flaked salmon. They always disappear fast! SUPER EASY and truly delicious salmon cakes! | natashaskitchen.com

P.S. If you love this recipe and salmon in general, our famous baked salmon is a must try!

Salmon Cakes Recipe (Salmon Patties)

4.98 from 750 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with flavorful bites of flaked salmon and they always disappear fast! Make sure to serve with our homemade tartar sauce.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 13 to 14 salmon cakes

Instructions

  • Preheat Oven to 425˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silpat. Place salmon skin-side down, brush with olive oil and season with garlic salt and black pepper. Bake uncovered for 10-15 min or just until cooked through (my thinner cut salmon was closer to 10 min). Remove from oven, cover with foil and rest ten minutes. Discard skin, flake salmon with forks, remove any bones, and cool to room temp.
  • Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp butter and finely diced onion and bell pepper. Saute until softened and golden (7-9 minutes) then remove from heat.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled flaked salmon, sautéed onion and pepper, 1 cup bread crumbs, 2 beaten eggs, 3 Tbsp mayo, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 cup fresh parsley. Stir to combine then form into 13-14 patties. It's easy to portion patties using a flat ice cream scoop then pressing them into 1/3 to 1/2" thick patties.
  • Heat 1 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a large pan over medium heat and once butter is done sizzling, add half of the salmon cakes and sauté 3 1/2 to 4 min per side or until golden brown and cooked through. If salmon cakes brown too quickly, reduce heat. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Add remaining 1 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter and repeat cooking remaining salmon cakes.

Notes

*Note: Fresh salmon is best, but it can be substituted with leftover cooked salmon, or 14-15 oz of well-drained canned salmon, or three 5 oz salmon packets. If mixture is too moist to hold the patty shape, add more bread crumbs and if it is too dry, add an extra Tablespoon of mayo.

Nutrition Per Serving

157kcal Calories5g Carbs9g Protein11g Fat3g Saturated Fat53mg Cholesterol175mg Sodium221mg Potassium1g Fiber1g Sugar373IU Vitamin A8mg Vitamin C21mg Calcium1mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Salmon Cakes Recipe (Salmon Patties)
Amount per Serving
Calories
157
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
11
g
17
%
Saturated Fat
 
3
g
19
%
Cholesterol
 
53
mg
18
%
Sodium
 
175
mg
8
%
Potassium
 
221
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
 
5
g
2
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
1
g
1
%
Protein
 
9
g
18
%
Vitamin A
 
373
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
 
8
mg
10
%
Calcium
 
21
mg
2
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: salmon cakes
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 157
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with tasty bites of flaked salmon. They always disappear fast! SUPER EASY and truly delicious salmon cakes! | natashaskitchen.com

Love Salmon?! Me too!! Check out all of our Salmon Recipes Here :).

These salmon cakes are crisp on the outside with tasty bites of flaked salmon. They always disappear fast! SUPER EASY and truly delicious salmon cakes! | natashaskitchen.com
4.98 from 750 votes (361 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Shel
    August 12, 2025

    I love salmon and these patties are a winner. I poached fresh salmon (minimally) added all the ingredients and hand flaked the salmon to make balls. I got six biggish balls, which my 3 year old grandson flattened, and we cooked on my Ninja grill for about 10 minutes ish. My non seafood loving son in law made me promise to send this recipe to my daughter. AND, the 11 month and 3 year old snarfed the lickins out of these salmon patties.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      August 12, 2025

      Hi Shel! I’m so glad to hear they were enjoyed!

      Reply

  • Gin
    August 4, 2025

    Best recipe I’ve found! Now a staple in our house! Thank you!

    Reply

  • Adelita
    July 29, 2025

    Where can I find the tartar sauce recipe?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      July 29, 2025

      Hi Adelita. Click on the bold words in the blog post where it says “tarter sauce”, it’s a link. Or you could use the search bar at the top of the page to look up the recipe.

      Reply

  • Alice
    July 27, 2025

    Made a 1/2 batch of your tartar sauce this am. Made your recipe for Salmon cakes & put it in a pie plate (sprayed w/ avocado oil) baked at 350° for a 1/2 hour, broiled the last few minutes. Came out so delicious. Saved time & about 450 fat calories.

    Reply

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