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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
Wonderful Natasha! I made these gluten-free and they are delish! Kudos to you and your husband for the happiness you offer people.
Thank you so much for the fantastic review and your encouraging words. I am smiling big reading your comment, Brenda.
Natasha !!! These were superb. Used wild caught sockeye salmon diced the crispy skin (sautéed salmon with lemon butter!!! Fabulous starter with mixed greens and Pea sprouts/lemon Dijon dressing! Thank you 👍👍👍
You’re so very welcome!
These were absolutely fabulous!!! Never will use canned salmon again and they held together so well. Tastes good with Franks Hot Sauce on top. This recipe is a keeper😊
Can these be frozen? Either cooked or raw? It’s too much for 1-2 meals
Hi Julie, I haven’t tried freezing them, but one of my viewers said, “We have found that you can prep the patties in advance and freeze them, then cook them from frozen (takes a minute or so longer on each side) for an easy weeknight meal.” I hope that is helpful to you.
I grew up in Alaska and have had all kinds of salmon cakes. We used sockeye for this recipe. I wouldn’t change a thing!
Perfect and delicious!
Thanks Natasha!
I can only imagine how delicious this is with fresh caught sockeye. Thank you for your lovely review, Mark! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Very good but made modifications….
added:
Lemon
Cilantro instead of parsley
Paprika
Soy sauce and balsamic vinegar instead of Worcestershire
Amazing. I only had spicy mayo but it was fabulous! Didn’t change anything else
I bet that was delish!
How many salmon cakes is a serving size?
Hi Kate, per serving should be for 1 pc. The serving size for this recipe is 13-14 salmon cakes
These were delicious! My family raved about this!
I’m so glad it was a hit!
This recipe looks delicious! I was wondering if there was something you recommend to substitute the eggs? Thanks!
Hi Sierra! Without testing it myself, I can’t advise. The egg is what holds it together. I looked through the comments but I don’t see any feedback from anyone else regarding this. I’m sorry. Let us know if you experiment.
I am always looking for new tasty ideas for fish, and these are amazing. Easy to make, and quick to cook. So often you see a recipe and the chef presents a delicious looking dish that you just can’t replicate at home, but these turned out just like yours. Jam packed with flavour. Served ours with a little salad, and home made oven cooked sweet potato fires.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Mike! I’m so glad you loved these Salmon cakes!
I downscaled the recipe for 1 piece of fish. Came out just like the photos. We didn’t have tartar so used Sriracha mayo as a dipper. They are a little dense but tasty. I used a shallot instead of onion.
Thinking of making this for my toddler. Could these be made ahead of time and then frozen?
HI Sarah, I haven’t tried freezing them, but one of my viewers said, “We have found that you can prep the patties in advance and freeze them, then cook them from frozen (takes a minute or so longer on each side) for an easy weeknight meal.” I hope that is helpful to you.
I make these and double the recipe when I buy fresh salmon Milano from Costco. I make slightly larger patties and freeze them in rows of three wrapped in parchment paper and then in saran wrap and bag them in a ziploc. They freeze beautifully and when ready to cook, I just take the amount of patties I need out for about half an hour til they feel soft.
Dip them in flour, shake off the excess, dip in egg ditto and then roll gently in panko crumbs and that ensures they don’t fall apart and then fry them in about 1/4 inch of light olive oil. They come out crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside.
Natasha is right, these are that good that everyone loves them and asks for them to be made and for the recipe.
Could you use ground pork rinds instead of panko? Trying to keep carbs at a minimum. Thanks
Hi Debbie, I haven’t tested that to advise. But it sounds promising. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Great recipe! Make it all the time but today I made your tartar sauce, excellent!
Great to hear that you enjoyed it!
I’ve made this both ways – with fresh and cannes salmon! It’s just a great recipe!!! I did add some old bay for a touch more seasoning.
My go to recipe for salmon patties. Didn’t change anything, comes out perfect every time.
I want to preface my comment with the fact that I HATE SALMON! I so dislike the mushy texture! I have only had it one time that was heavenly (made just for me – Teriyaki style. It was firm and delicious. That being said, this recipe has MADE ME RETHINK MY DISLIKING SALMON! Natasha, this recipe made the most delicious salmon cakes! My neighbor gave me some fresh salmon, and I dreaded making anything with it. You recipe is WONDERFUL! the flavors work so well together, and the texture is crunchy on the exterior and perfect on the interior. I DID add 2 Tbs. of Chili Crisp to the mix for a little kick. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Now, I have a salmon recipe that works for me!
I am so happy to hear that Chris!! That’s amazing!
Try getting Atlantic salmon that’s organic if you can find it..the paler salmon like this is much, much less oily/fishy tasting and smelling than the dark red one..
These came out great and were easy to make. Do you think they could be made in an airfryer?
Hi Stacey, I think you could make these in the air fryer, just lightly spray with cooking oil on both sides. One of our readers mentioned they had success making these in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400 and they turned out so crispy and golden
These were the best salmon cakes I’ve ever tasted. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you, Natasha.
Thank you for your great feedback!