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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
I have loved several recipes from your blog and the salmon burgers are a keeper. I was wondering if you could suggest a spicy sauce rather than tartar sauce?
I was thinking of Greek yogurt mixed with sriracha sauce.
Hi Donna! Thank you, I’m glad you are loving the recipes. Some quick ones that come to mind would be the sauce that I use in my California Roll Bowl or
my Fish Tacos. I hope that helps or at least inspires you to make your own version. Let us know how it turns out. 🙂
I bought a salmon filet from the meat/seafood counter and it was NOT very good so I made these salmon cakes out of the remainder. I do not like worcheshire so did not use. I sprinkeled panko in a pan and pressed them into that b4 frying for some extra crunch and made my own tarter sauce (Best Foods mayo, dill relish and fresh squeezed lemon juice) They were so good!! I am finding Natashas Kitchen receipes to have many really good ones so she’s my go-to
Homemade is so much better and I’m glad that you prefer them too!
Needs an additional egg to keep the mixture in tact, completely fell apart otherwise while transferring to the pan
Thanks for sharing, Brad. We’ve always used this exact recipe and they never fall apart but if the 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. Also, pack them nice and tight to help them stay together. I hope that helps!
These salmon cakes are delicious, and the homemade tartar sauce makes this 5 star ++. My grandkids (7&9) have been loving and requesting these cakes for years!! They are the number one requested Nonna dinner. Thanks for this amazing recipe duo.
You’re very welcome, Krista! So glad you love the recipe! 🙂
I made this almost exactly as is, just took out the bell pepper since we didn’t have any, and baked the salmon cakes on 350 for about 15-20 mins. i pre-cooked the salmon to about 80% done (10 minutes on 350) and chilled before flaking which helped keep everything moist after baking. it was delicious, the flavor was perfect and all the ratios were great.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jamie! Thank you for sharing that with me.
I just had to give you my review because let me tell you that these patties were outrageously good! People, even if you don’t have everything but you stick to her basics you will be amazed at how delicious these are. I don’t like regular onion, but had green onions. I didn’t have a pound of salmon but I proportioned the seasoning accordingly. I got 4 nice sized patties from about a cup of packed cooked salmon. I didn’t have peppers but I didn’t miss them. I sprinkled a little celery seed in. My salmon was already seasoned so I went light on the seasoning. I added garlic powder (didn’t have the salt). Added the mayo and Worcestershire. A little old bay. 1 egg and Italian bread crumbs, had no panko. Just a little. I had two tonight and the other two will be my lunch tomorrow. How do I connect with your page so I can continue to enjoy your recipes? 10 thumbs up!!
Love it! Thank you for this inspiring message, we appreciate your detailed feedback and review!
Old Bay seasoning, what a great idea! I made this recipe today with left over smoked salmon fillets from the Traeger ( my husbby is obsessed with smoking lol).
Cooked a couple patties for my mother-in-law and will cook up the rest for our supper tonight. I am definitely going to add the Old Bay Sunny!
I hope chilling the mixture helps congeal and hold the patties together – my first batch was a little loose, but I “eye balled” the mayo portions and then added more panko as recited from Natasha! so glad for a recipe for left over salmon – I was clueless on what to use it for and did not want to waste such yummy fish! Happy noshing friends!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Absolutely delicious. My new go-to recipes for salmon cake and tartar sauce.
So glad you love it, Donna! 🙂
Delicious and so easy! Thank you for sharing! My spouse is type 1 diabetic and I subbed nut flour and psyllium husk as flour. Worked great 😊
Hi Sheryl! That’s great to know. Thank you for sharing.
I go salmon fishing in Alaska every year and bring home near 100lbs of fresh sockeye salmon. This recipe is awesome. Even those who do not like salmon eat these up like crazy. We tried with store bought salmon once, still awesome. But if you get a chance to use wild caught sockeye, do so, huge difference. Also, best is to use the salmon belly’s, they contain more fat and make the best patties.
Hi Dave! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback and recommendations. I’m glad you love the recipe. 🙂
At what time and temperature could I cook these in the Air Fryer. Any tips for that?
Hi Hector! I have not tested this recipe in the air fryer to advise. Let us know if you experiment.
These were very good! Delicious! Easy to make and tasted great!
So glad you enjoyed out recipe, Michelle!
Oh my goodness, these are sooo good. I used leftover roast salmon, I followed the recipe exactly, definitely a keeper. The dill tartar sauce goes really well with these. Thanks for both of these recipes.
You’re very welcome, Patricia. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
Best salmon cakes I’ve ever tasted! Everyone I have shared these with loves them!
I’m so glad to hear that, Kristy! Thank you for sharing.
Have you ever air fried your salmon Patties. If so how, what temp and for how long. I love them but I’m trying to cut back on the oil.
Thank you from a girl who loves your recipes
Patty
Hi Patty! I’m so glad you love my recipes. I think it could work but have not tested it myself to advise. Let us know how they turn out if you experiment.
I made this tonight with leftover cedar plank baked salmon and it was delicious! My 5 yo twins loved it too! My husband and I were very impressed with the restaurant quality taste these had. Not fishy at all. I have been struggling to find a way to use up leftover salmon and this is it. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Monica! I’m glad you loved it.
Hi I added a question and comment 2 days ago
Can I make ahead and freeze individual cakes then thaw and cook. I’m making for a gathering
Thanks
Hi Vicki! Yes, these can be made ahead, and frozen 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.
Hi, I have everything in the house but the parsley…will it make a huge difference if I leave it out? Thanks, these look delish!
Hi Sue! You can use another herb of your preference if you’d like. I hope you love the recipe.
How do you make it with a very small amount of salmon? I can probably figure it out except for the egg. One egg would make it very runny.Can you skip the egg?
I have not tested it without eggs. It helps hold the patty together.
Just add more bread crumbs if it is too moist. That is what I did. Yummy!
Blend your egg and use half if you think one egg will be too much. You can always add more bread crumbs if needed.
I use half an egg and throw the other half in a fry pan for a quick, healthy snack.
Delicious cakes!! I always have a problem that they fall apart. Any suggestions. My would never be dippable as yours. Thanks
Hi Vicki! How is the texture of your mixture? If the 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. Also, pack them nice and tight to help them stay together. I hope that helps!
Another thing you can try is refrigerating the patties after you’ve formed them. About 10 minutes should be good.
We made this with leftover salmon from your fish tacos recipe. It was amazing and used up the left overs perfectly!
Hi Ethan! Thank you for sharing. I’m glad you loved this recipe.