This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
are these the same as the salmon cakes?
Hi Elena, yes :). We have been going through the archives on our site and for the most popular recipes, we are creating video recipes so more people can discover the recipes and realize they are attainable 🙂
Can you freeze these after they’re cooked? Or if not, how long do they last?
Hi Hannah, we usually eat them within a day or 2 of being made. They would last 3-5 days in the refrigerator but I also think they would be safe to freeze after they are cooked.
I made this yesterday and oh my goodness. they are amazing. This is a keeper for sure!
Yes! I’m so glad you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review Jan!
I can’t stand mayonnaise. Can I leave it out? Or can you not taste it once the salmon cakes are cooked?
Sarah, I haven’t tasted the mayo after the salmon cakes were cooked but you can leave it out as well.
I loved these oh my gosh even the kids devoured them. 10/10 will make these again.
YAY!!! I’m so happy to hear that. That is just the best kind of review when kids love something we make! Thank you so much for sharing that with me 🙂
Hi Natasha, sound like a great recipe, my kids would love it! What do you think about replacing 1 cup of panic with 1 cup of cooked quinoa or amaranth?
Thanks
Hi Barbara, I haven’t tried those substitutions so you will have to experiment. The bread crumbs do help to keep it together and absorb some of the moisture so you might have to make some adjustments.
Will be trying your recipe tonight. The seasonings look to be perfect. I threw some together without a recipe for my lunch today, and totally forgot the mayonnaise… needless to say, I am looking forward to using your recipe for my husband tonight!
Please let me know what you both think DeAnna!
They were amazing! We both really enjoyed them. The seasonings you suggested were perfect, Worcestershire and garlic salt, pepper, and parsley. I used canned salmon and followed your recipe exactly.
Awesome! I’m happy to hear you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Fixed these for my very vocal picky wife, sister-in-law and 90 year old mother-in-law. Served with your tartar sauce to a very positive review. Received the “you can make this anytime” comment. Thanks, Rod Bauer
My pleasure Rod! What a fantastic review! Thanks for so much for sharing that, put a big smile on my face!
Amazing! These are the best I’ve had to date. The entire family loved them… That alone is amazing I’m the only one who usually eats them 🙂 thank you for the recipe! A MUST!!!
That’s fantastic Laura! I’m happy to hear your family loves the recipe as much as mine does! Thanks for sharing your excellent review 😀
Great guideline recipe for sure! Added Old Bay and some fresh corn kernels chopped off the cob. Also sockeye salmon. It would be good with coho or Chinook too, but I think awful with chum or pink.
Yum! That sounds perfect! Thanks for sharing your review Jeff!
Absolutely delicious recipe. I had some trouble getting my patties to stick together in the cooking and flipping process. Any suggestions? I followed your directions to a T, but I must be missing something?
Hi Alyska, it is best to use a non-stick skillet so they flip easier and make sure you add them when the oil is hot. If your patties had trouble holding the patty shape even before they were sauteed, it might mean your salmon was a little on the dry side and I would add water or more mayo a tablespoon at a time until the mixture had enough moisture to hold together. I hope that helps! 🙂
Made this for supper last night, used left over salmon. It was great!! So was the tartar sauce!
That’s great to hear Glenna! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review! 🙂
Made these today using canned salmon:) they are absolutely delicious!!! I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with canned salmon, finally a great recipe! Thank you very much, will definitely be making these again:))
You’re welcome Lena! I’m happy to hear you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
I made these last evening and they were wonderful! Thank you!
You’re welcome Carol! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your review 🙂
Followed the recipe as stated – it was delicious and a great way to use up cooked salmon left-overs
Yes! I’m happy to hear that Nat! Thanks for sharing your review!
I’ve tried this recipe twice in the past month and my husband really loves it. It’s easy and we have all the recipes on hand at any given time, so this goes into our dinner rotation. Thanks!
Rosie, thank you for sharing such a wonderful review and you are very welcome 😀
Natasha,
I had a taste for salmon patties. I searched for a recipe that was simple, yet had the ingredients I like. Yours was it! I love it! I love that everything is precooked, except the eggs. But that’s easy. My twist to your recipe: I sauteed shrimp, cut them up into small pieces, and added them to the mixture. I also used Lemon Pepper seasoning. YUMMY!!! I’m so glad I chose your recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Cynthia
Cynthia, thank you for sharing that with me and you are very welcome 😀.
Shame on me, I used canned Salmon. Still, it was a good recipe, and I don’t care for Salmon patties so much, but it was good and those who ate it liked it.
Not judging at all! I’ve done that before in a pinch for a quick meal and I have had a few others report great results with canned salmon also. I’m so glad you all liked it 🙂
I’ve made this a couple of times with fresh ground salmon, and it never occurred to me to cook the salmon first. The patties cook through just fine!
I’m glad to hear that Cheryl! Thanks for sharing 😉
I don’t cook the salmon either. It’s a lot more moist that way! Sometimes I add cooked sweet potatoe as a binder instead of bread crumbs to make it whole 30. Thank you Natasha for this recipe! It’s so fun to put little spins on it too like adding herbs or substituting the veggies.
Glad I found this this recipe for my Friday Lenten dinner. It was fabulous & I’ll be making again! Thanks!!
I’m happy you enjoyed it Jill! Thanks for sharing 🙂