This Salmon Patties Recipe makes flaky, tender, and flavorful fritters with crisp edges and plenty of flaked salmon, the hallmark of the very best salmon patties. These are so easy to make with leftover cooked salmon or canned salmon and work great as an appetizer, side, or main dish.
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Each week, my whole family gathers at my mom’s house for Sunday night dinner, potluck style. I love to bring easy-to-transport appetizers and sides, like my Jalapeno Poppers, Stuffed Mushrooms, and Grape Jelly Meatballs, that make it easy for a crowd of people to feast!
These Salmon Patties are perfect for our family meals since they travel well, stay crispy, and can be served using just your fingers (ok, you could also use a serving utensil, but that’s extra dishes!).
Easy Salmon Patties Recipe
My whole family loves to eat these easy salmon patties, especially served with my Homemade Tartar Sauce, and I love how easy it is to make!
If you’re looking to start with fresh salmon, you’ll love our Salmon Cakes Recipe, but this recipe for salmon patties is a smart way to make a quick batch on busy weeknights with either leftover cooked salmon or well-drained, canned salmon (or even salmon packets) which you may already have in your pantry.
These are such a treat, and even folks who don’t usually like salmon enjoy this recipe. They always disappear fast and are even faster to make.
How to Make Salmon Patties
- Cook the Veggies – Saute the onion and bell pepper in a pan for 7-9 minutes and then remove from heat.
- Mix the Patties – Mix salmon, peppers and onions, bread crumbs, egg, mayo, Worcestershire, garlic salt, pepper, and parsley in a large bowl. Then, use a heaping Tablespoon to measure the mixture and your hands to form patties.
- Cook the Patties – Melt oil and butter in a clean skillet, and place the salmon patties into the skillet in one layer, sauteeing each side for 3-4 minutes until browned. Place cooked patties on a paper-towel-lined plate, and then serve, garnished with fresh parsley.
How to Serve Salmon Patties
You can also serve these salmon patties for lunch, dinner or appetizers – they are versatile and can even be served in Hamburger Buns as salmon burgers, simply form them a little larger in step 3. They also pair well with these dishes:
- Strawberry Salad with Honey Vinaigrette
- Tomato Cucumber Mozzarella Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Avocado Corn Salad
- Smashed Potato Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
Make-Ahead
Cool any leftover salmon patties and store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
- To Refrigerate: place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: freeze for up to 3 months
- To Reheat: Thaw overnight in the fridge. You can eat the patty cold or reheat in a skillet or air fryer until heated through
This recipe for Salmon Patties will soon become your favorite appetizer or main dish. The crispy outside and moist, flavorful inside work perfectly with my homemade tartar sauce. Try this easy recipe today!
More Easy Salmon Recipes
Once you have tried this Salmon Patties recipe, check out some of my Best Salmon Recipes.
- Baked Salmon Recipe
- Honey Glazed Salmon
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon
- Teriyaki Salmon
- Tuscan Salmon
- Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon Butter
Easy Salmon Patties Recipe
Ingredients
- 14-15 oz canned salmon or salmon in packets, well drained
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, 1 cup, finely diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise*
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic salt, or sub with 1/2 tsp fine sea salt and 1/4 tsp garlic powder, or season to taste
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely minced
Instructions
- Set a medium skillet over medium heat with 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter. Add diced onion and bell pepper and saute until golden and softened (7-9 minutes) then remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flaked salmon, sautéed pepper and onion, bread crumbs, beaten eggs, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, black pepper, and chopped parsley. Stir to combine. Form into patties (about a heaping Tablespoonful each) and mold with your hands into 2" wide by 1/3 to 1/2" thick patties.*
- In a clean non-stick pan, heat 1 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter until hot then add salmon patties in a single layer. Saute for 3 to 4 min per side or until golden brown and cooked through. If salmon patties brown too fast, reduce heat. Remove finished patties to a paper-towel-lined plate and repeat with remaining oil, butter, and salmon patties.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
I made these tonight for my father and fiancé and myself! We all loved them! I do not eat dairy, so I substituted the butter with an olive oil based “butter” instead. I used the brand Earth Balance. It was still great! We are full, satisfied and excited about left overs! 😋
Thank you for sharing that with us Lindsay! I’m so happy you enjoyed this dish!
my mom used to make salmon patties tol out of canned salmon & they were so good, & I also never learned how she made them, but now i dont need too!..
Hey Debbie! I’m so happy you discovered this recipe! Sounds like it came at the right time. Enjoy!!
As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. They are everything promised and more.
I don’t usually tweet recipes the first I eat I try them but I love lemon zest and did add some to the patties, also my husband asked to add capers to the tartar, it’s amazing!
We will definitely be adding this to our meal plans.
Thank you Jeanette! I’m so happy you enjoyed this one! Thank you!
My mom used to make something very similar when I was a kid using canned salmon. They were sooo good. I never got the recipe so I’ll try this. Thanks, looks great.
I’m so happy you discovered our recipe! Enjoy!
They are very good i made them twice now
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Debbie!
I have made these 3x now & I use Alaska Salmon filets caught in Kenai/Kasilof area ,and my husband & I love them more & more each time I make them & I also enjoy making them😄
That’s so great Debbie! Thank you for the wonderful review!
What do you think of substituting rainbow trout for the salmon
Hi Terry! I honestly haven’t tried that but it sounds delicious! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Could you substitute the salmon with crab meat? Don’t like salmon even though the patties look good.
Hi Carol, I haven’t tried that substitution, but I bet lump crab meat would taste delicious here!
The recipes are very good .
When your showing how to prepare the food , pull your long hair back in a ponytail , it’s so long and beautiful hair , shouldn’t be dangling over the food
Thank you for your concern Donna. My hair is hair-sprayed down and pretty secure 🙂 If I was in a commercial kitchen and not cooking for my family then I definitely would have pulled it back. Thank you for watching!
Get a life Donna she isn’t in a restaurant so you won’t be eating it
That comment was uncalled for. She is not cooking for you.
I love this recipe. I added a little Dijon mustard for a little extra zest.
Thank you for sharing that with us, Noriene!
These are SO YUMMY. We aren’t a big fish family but I know we need to add more into our diet. These were a hit with my family of 4. My 15 month old gobbled one down and my 5 year old ate a few for dinner and then ate a few more for leftovers the next day for lunch! They are also simple to make, my 5 year old loved helping me. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Hi Callie! I love that your kids enjoyed this as much as you! Thank you for this awesome review!
i love salmon patties recipe but i have a question i’m on a slow carb diet so no bread for me can i substitute with anything else tanx
Hi Elmedina, I haven’t tried this myself but one of my readers wrote in with a very helpful review on that: ” Made this to the recipe – except I used almond meal instead of bread crumbs. It was a huge hit, as was the tartar sauce.” That may help somewhat I hope.
Hi Natasha, could you not make these bites with raw salmon, instead of cooking it first then re-cooking?
Hi Susan. I haven’t tried it that way but it may work. If you experiment please let me know how you like it!
Love salmon cakes nice my mother made them when I was small. These are the best ones ever. Thank you
My pleasure! I’m so happy you liked that
These are delicious! Thank you for the terrific recipe.
You’re so welcome, Mary! I’m happy you enjoyed that.
They tasted really good but did not stick together. I added more bread crumbs but didn’t help much
Hi Linda. I’m happy you enjoyed them. Make sure to use the same proportions of ingredients in the recipe so it doesn’t get too dry. Adding more bread crumbs may make it more dry/ easier to fall apart. Also, a good non-stick, well oiled pan helps and add them to a hot pan to keep them from sticking. If they aren’t sticking to the pan, they will be easier to flip and won’t fall apart as easily. I hope this helps.
Made these this morning… with canned salmon….and gf cornflakes.
My husband who hates salmon tasted them (didn’t tell him there was salmon in the patties)..”LOVED”
(his words) them. He said ” this I would eat.”….I think we have a convert to salmon. They are delicious!
Awesome 😀! Thank you for such a nice review Hedy
just finished the salmon rissoles TO DIE FOR I used to use celery also in mine not any more, made the tartare also and a creamy garlic cheese potato bake I went to heaven.
That’s so great Betty! I’m so happy you enjoyed these!
ill be back for more ive watched a lot of your videos on fb im an excellent cook people call me masterchef I put my own tweek on things I forgot to say I never scrooge on garlic
Thank you for watching Betty!
Thank you for using fresh salmon. I have to be careful about salt so canned salmon is a NO NO.
After baking the patties can they be frozen? There is just my husband and I.
Hi Donna, I haven’t tried freezing afterwards but I think it could work well.
Hi Donna, I make my salmon patties and freeze the ones I’m not using before they are cooked. When I want salmon patties I take the frozen pattie, thaw for a short time and fry them. Works out great and they are as good as the fresh batch.
Thank you so much for sharing that process with us Jan!
I have made these most excellent salmon patties before. Have been scrolling down the list of comments here hoping to read how they hold up when frozen. Hooray! Good news! Will definitely give freezing a shot prior to cooking!
I hope you love this recipe, Jan!
Wow, best salmon patties I’ve ever made. I’m gluten and dairy free so I substituted with Gluten free bread crumbs and ghee. Absolutely delicious!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Rebecca 🙂