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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 didn’t feel like going to the store for fresh salmon or a NY steak for dinner this evening. I had a can of pink salmon and went on line to find a recipe for salmon cakes. I read your recipe. It looked good. I made the recipe. It is excellent. I served the salmon cakes with steamed potato, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Everyone was happy.
Sounds like you had a great dinner! Thanks for trying out this recipe and for the good feedback.
I’m allergic to red bell peppers. Any suggestions for a substitute?
Hi Stephanie! Several of our readers reported great results using celery in place of pepper. I’d like to know how you like it if you test that out.
Wow! These were extremely yummy and a wonderful way to use up left over salmon. The salmon had a balsamic honey glaze so the taste of the salmon cakes was altered by that (they were sweet) but otherwise, I followed the recipe to a T. Delicious!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that! Thank you for that wonderful review!
Not only were the salmon cakes delicious, I won’t be buying tartar sauce in the store any longer!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me and for giving great feedback! I hope you love every recipe you try!
Hi
For this receipt Salmon cakes Can the 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise be substituted?
Thank you
Lyz
Hi Lyz, mayo adds some moisture and helps keep these together. One of my readers reported omitting it and using a little olive oil instead, but I haven’t tested any substitutes for mayonnaise.
Plain yoghurt works just as well as mayonnaise
Nice tip thanks for sharing!
Can you use sour cream for the Mayo. I don’t have any mayo in my house
Hi Sandra, I haven’t tested that yet to advise. If you try it, please let us know how it goes.
I’m looking forward to making these for my little one! Are you able to freeze these after cooking?
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
Easy to make and
and so delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Enjoyed salmon patties yesterday and were awesome to make. All ingredients gave it moist and great flavor. Well surely make salmon patties again for sure.
I am so happy to hear that you loved it! Thanks for the great feedback.
Hey Natasha. If I prep everything the day before but leave the last step (sauteeing the cakes) until the next day, what do you think?
I want them to turn our perfectly for family guests from out of town.
Hi George, I haven’t tried leaving the mixture uncooked in the fridge but 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 watched many of your videos and made a list of what I want to try. This recipe I made first and with tartar sauce is very yummy. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Kasia! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This recipe is yummy ! Thanks .
Please give the recipe for TARTAR SAUCE also, thanks.
Hi Simi, you can find the tartar sauce here.
How many calories?
Hi Kristeen, if you click “jump to recipe” at the top of the post that will take you to our printable recipe guide with nutritional facts. Some of our recipes don’t have them but we are working on adding them
Super duper yummy, both the salmon cakes and the tarter sauce. I would not make any changes, except to double or triple the recipe next time! My family (including my adult sons, teenage sons, and my 7-year-old picky daughter) devoured them. Thanks for the great recipe. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I made these salmon cakes and the tartar sauce exactly to recipe and they were Awesome! I wonder if I can freeze the cakes before frying them so I can take them out to fry for appetizers a week or so later?
Hi Kristin, yes you can freeze it. The best way to freeze any fish cake is to wrap it in saran wrap uncooked and freeze. 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
Thank you for responding … I guess my refined question is if it’s safe to freeze the uncooked cakes (obviously the salmon already cooked and flaked) with the mayo and egg. Can those ingredients safely be frozen?
That should work, Kristin!
My first try at making salmon cakes. Instead of onion and pepper and parsley, we added 1/4 cup celery and a little old Bay seasoning. We also only made 9 bigger patties. They were very tasty but very dry and crumbly when done. Is it because of our mods? What can we do to keep it from being dry and crumbly?
Hi Dana, it could be due to the modifications. I haven’t had that experience.
Just an FYI, celery is extremely porous so traps moisture. This is why celery is usually only recommended for dishes with a lot of liquid (stews, soups, sauces etc).
I plan on making this tonight….i desperately need my kids to try salmon and reading the reviews i hope this one wins my picky little ones! but i want to know if these can be prepared ahead and frozen ?
Hi Mona, yes you can freeze it. The best way to freeze any fish cake is to wrap it in saran wrap uncooked and freeze. 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
Do you mean I can freeze after I prepare the patties, using baked salmon (I got them fresh and preparing in oven now). Or do I use raw salmon ??
We made the salmon cakes and loved how easy they were to make and how delicious they were. Can’t wait to try them ntarter sauce. Just wondering if if I could grill them or would they fall apart on the grill?
I am so glad to hear that you loved it! I haven’t tried that but I think they would get stuck and break apart on a grill. They do sell grill liners or you might consider grilling on a cast iron pan on the bbq.
I made them for dinner. These were super yummy! My only regret was my kids won’t try (even after I tried bribing them with s surprise kinder egg)…they are sooo picky! I’ll leep trying though bcz these are definitely to do again and again!!! I ended up eating and freezing what I didn’t cook. Thank you for such s great recipe again!
It sure is tough to get those picky eaters on board! I’m glad you enjoyed them Mona!
That’s a fun idea about a survey of Worcestershire sauce pronunciation Natasha. You might even have fans living in Worcester or Worcestershire itself, who could contribute! MICHAEL
Would Greek yogurt work in place of mayo?
Hi Susan, I haven’t tested that but our readers have and reported great results.
Amazed to hear the odd pronunciation of worcestershire sauce; Brtish and other people know it as WOOZ-tuh-sheer, not pronounced as separate syllables as written. Is that how all Americans say it?
I figured I had it all wrong. It’s one of those words that people just avoid saying altogether. Would be a fun video poll to see how people say it 🙂
I call it “what’s-this-here-sauce” hahaha
Jen, that’s close enough!
Michael
My go to recipe. Fantastic. I would not change a thing.
That’s just awesome, Cherie!
I wish I could give you more than 5 stars! These are absolutely delicious! My husband said they are the best he’s ever had. I’ve been wanting to make these for a year, and Joe just got back from Alaska and got some beautiful salmon. Thank you so much for your delicious recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!