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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!
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
*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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
P.S. If you love this recipe and salmon in general, our famous baked salmon is a must try!
Salmon Cakes Recipe (Salmon Patties)

Ingredients
- 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 mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
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
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
What did you use for dipping sauce?
Hi Leonela, you can find the tartar sauce here.
I substituted Flax Meal mixed with water for the eggs and jarred roasted red peppers and they were very yummy and easy. The ice cream scoop idea is awesome!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Barbara! I’m happy you enjoyed that!
Regarding the freezing of these salmon cakes…. do you mean make with raw salmon and freeze or cooked salmon but not cooked cake/patty? My salmon was bought fresh 3 days ago but I put it in the freezer and is defrosting now. Making these for postpartum meals.
Hi Miranda, I would cook the salmon to form the patties and then freeze before cooking the patties.
Im looking forward to trying these! Have you ever frozen them? If so, do you freeze cooked or uncooked and do you have any advice for reheating? Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, Yes you may, however, it is better to freeze them BEFORE cooking. Usually, fish that was made and cooked in advance and then frozen to eaten at another time is not as flavorful nor as moist. (it is mostly dry and overcooked) Hope that helps you.
My husband cooked our salmon on our green egg. I used your recipe for our left over salmon. My husband said that these were the best salmon patties he has ever eaten. I have a picture, but i did not know how to post it to you.
Wow! That’s just awesome Marian! Thank you for that awesome feedback!
Hi Natasha, I will definitely try these. I noticed that the recipe is posted twice on your website as salmon cakes and salmon patties. I thought there might be a difference between the 2, but noticed the same ingredients. Are patties a larger version of the cakes?
Hi Marlene, they are essentially the same – it was before I had the capability to add a video to the old post when I created a video for it so I had to make a whole new post. We’ve come a long way with technology!
The salmon patties are really delicious. Now we are going to try your tartar sauce.
Fantastic! I think you’re going to enjoy the tartar sauce too.
My husband and 14yo son LOVED these, they disappeared so fast it was amazing! I also added half of a jalapeno pepper to the onion mixture, and used cilantro not parsley b/c that’s what I had. Will definitely make these again!
Yay, love it! Thanks for sharing your great comments with us, Christine!
Could I grill these on the BBQ on a sheet pan instead of frying?
Hi Kelly, that sounds delicious but to be honest I have not tested that to advise. If you happen to experiment please let me know how you like that!
I am going to try placing the salmon patties on an oiled baking sheet. BBQ at 425.
Bake for 15 minutes, turn and continue baking another 5 minutes until golden brown on both sides. I will let you know how they turn out.
So, learned the hard way, need indirect heat on the BBQ. Keep it at 425 – grill on sheet pan 10-15, flip for another 5-10
Are the nutrition facts for one salmon cake?
Hi Angela, yes that is correct. The number of servings are at the top of the recipe card and in this case it is per salmon cake, based on making 13 salmon cakes.
I make salmon cakes fairly regularly, but wanted to try a new recipe. This recipe was quite a bit different from the one I usually use. In addition, I decided to make the tartar sauce since you raved about how good it was! My husband told me that I needed to leave this review. He is not a salmon cake lover, but with the tartar sauce he LOVED them (his words, not mine). Thank you! Great recipes!
That is so awesome, please thank you husband for his great feedback. We really appreciate it and we’re so glad you both enjoyed the salmon cakes!
Delish! Made this tonight and we really loved it
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe Lannie! Thank you for that wonderful review!
We had baked salmon for dinner and there were leftovers. I get hungry late at night so I googled salmon cakes and found your recipe to be quick and easy. I made half the recipe which made 10 mini cakes and I just ate 3! Thank you for the delicious recipe! Yummers
You are very welcome, Gina. I’m so glad you chose to try this recipe and so happy that you loved it!
I just made this tonight, I had leftover salmon that I was bored with, this recipe brought it back to life!! I was looking through leftovers in the fridge and meh and I saw this recipe and I realized I had almost all the ingredients. I didn’t have Panko so I buzzed up ritz crackers and I used dill since I didn’t have parsley but OMG this is going to be a new thing I make regularly!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Yay that is so awesome! Thank you for giving this recipe a try, that makes me so happy!
Best salmon cake recipe ever. My husband could NOT stop eating them. Cant wait to make them again. Thanks.
That’s just awesome Hattie! Thank you for that great review!
Made your Salmon cakes tonight for dinner. They were a hit with my family, moist and very flavorful. Also easy to make. I will definitely use this recipe again.
Thank you!
That’s so great! Thank you for the wonderful review Susan!
Made with left over grilled steel head fillets. Fantastic, easy recipe. Will make again for sure. Thank you. Added a few chile flakes to kick it up a notch, but would have been just great as your recipe described. Forgot to add star rating. 5 for sure.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Saul! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Made with left over grilled steel head fillets. Fantastic, easy recipe. Will make again for sure. Thank you. Added a few chile flakes to kick it up a notch, but would have been just great as your recipe described.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Yummy! Put them on some Hawaiian rolls and some spicy coleslaw!
Thanks for the amazing feedback, Lauren.
These were a big hit! I don’t even like salmon (too fishy) but I liked these cakes!
So great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for sharing, Lisa!