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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
HOLY COW THESE ARE AMAZING!!!!
I had left over salmon from Costco and needed a way to use the meat.. I thought I would try this recipe but on but honestly didn’t think that I would love it. I could not have been more wrong!! I’m going to take the leftover patties and freeze them. When you do that make sure you have not satisfied them 1st.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Celeste!
not satisfied them first? What did you mean there? I was just coming to ask if we could freeze patties after cooked?
I was wondering Can these salmon cakes be baked in oven? If so what temp & how long?
Hi Tamie, One of my readers reported good results baking but did not share the details on bake time and temperature. If you test it out that way, let me know how you like them baked.
Great recipe, thanks for sharing it. I used canned salmon and it worked great and didn’t have worcestershire so I used teriyaki sauce. I think I would add a little lemon juice to it next time. Thanks again!
Hi Pamela, good to know that your substitute ingredients work well. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I made the salmon patties tonight for dinner here in Brisbane, Queensland Australia. My husband really enjoyed them.
I cooked the fresh salmon in the same skillet as the onion and capsicum, mixed everything in a large bowl and cooked them, again in the same skillet. I served them with a tossed salad and lemon wedges. Delicious. Thanks for a great recipe.
You are very welcome, Jan. Sounds like you had a great time, thanks for sharing your awesome feedback with us!
Hi there,
What can I replace the mayo with please?
Thanks
Hi Michaela, one of my readers wrote: “I made these and swapped in Greek yogurt for the mayo (I just can’t do mayo!) and they were excellent!”
What sauce is that with your salmon patties?
Hi Vicki, I used my Homemade Tartar Sauce. Please click on the link for the recipe.
Hi Natasha. I’m curious. Can you make salmon patties with fresh salmon? Like just chop it up add the other ingredients and cook only once?
Hi Dixie, yes that will work. Please share with us how it goes if you try this recipe.
Would it work to do these in the air fryer instead?
Hi Lilly, I saw someone else commented and shared this info ” I made them in the air fryer. Instead of pan frying, I made them slightly larger and air fried them for 12 minutes at 400 (after spraying with olive oil). They came out great!” I hope that helps.
I made these today for supper and I ended up using canned salmon. They were delicious and I definitely will make them again. I seem to always have great luck with your recipes. Thanks for posting this one as we enjoyed them so much.
That’s nice to know, Linda. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
Delish. Thanks so much for setting up your recipes in such an easy to follow format!!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes and blog, Sheila! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Super delicious and not nearly as much work as other recipes. The patties are easy to work with before, during, and after cooking. Excellent recipe and instructions!
We love easy recipes, and I’m so glad you also do, Amy! Thank you so much for sharing that great review with me!
This is absolutely delicious! I made them in the air fryer. Instead of pan frying, I made them slightly larger and air fried them for 12 minutes at 400 (after spraying with olive oil). They came out great!
Hi Laura, that’s awesome! Thank you for taking the time to share your review with us, we appreciate it.
Natasha, my family lives by every fish recipe on this site! Have you ever tried baking these? Would it be possible?
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Brooke!! One of my readers reported good results baking but did not share the details on bake time and temperature. If you test it out that way, let me know how you like them baked.
Five star restaurant quality! I was out of red pepper so I omitted. I served over a mixed greens salad with lemon vinaigrette and the suggested homemade tarter sauce. Yum!!!! BEST way to use up leftover salmon. This is definitely going into my recipe rotation.
Wow, thanks for your awesome feedback, Emily! So glad you enjoyed it.
These are simply delicious, actually was my very first (Natasha) recipe.
These are so good that you will catch yourself eating the leftovers straight from the fridge, cold 🤗 ps… the tarter sauce is exquisite as well.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Marsha!
Thebest salmon cakes
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Sanathani!
Anyone tried freezing these? Before or after I cook?
Hi Dorothy, yes, these can be made ahead, and freeze until ready to cook. I would cook the salmon to form the patties and then freeze them before cooking the patties. We keep them in an airtight container separated by parchment paper. I hope that helps you.
Would you recommend thawing the frozen patties before cooking or can they be panfried from frozen?
Hi Deb, I haven’t tried this myself, but here’s what one of my readers wrote: “I have frozen them and they are just as good when they are thawed and fried later.” I hope this helps!
Haven’t made these yet but I’m making tonight. Looks better than my recipe! My quesion is…Can you make them larger so that they aren’t appetizer size?
Hi Angie, I haven’t tried that, but I bet that could work. A couple of my readers mentioned they accidentally ended up with larger cakes and loved them! I hope it works out for you, Angie!
We have been almost desperate to find new things to cook and I was trying to work with only what I had to clean out the fridge when I came across your recipe! They are so easy and so good! My picky 3 year old even ate it. We will definitely be cooking these again. Thanks for sharing!
You are very welcome, Elaine. I hope you and your family will love all the recipes that you will try! Thanks for your review, we appreciate it.
I made these and swapped in Greek yogurt for the mayo (I just can’t do mayo!) and they were excellent! I’m the only seafood eater here so, I had half for dinner and I have to admit it – they were so good I ate the rest for breakfast the next day!
Hello Mary Beth, that is awesome! Great to hear that you loved this recipe using Greek Yogurt, thanks for sharing that with us!