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
These look wonderful! I can’t wait to try them. My Grandmother’s recipe came right out of the depression era and used canned salmon. Good job!
I can’t wait for you to try them also, Frances! I look forward to your feedback once you do!
Made your best ever salmon patties and they were amazing. A couple of changes I had to make: used red onion less than 1/2 cup chopped very fine. Baked on parchment lined baking sheet. Flipped and baked 1/2 the time for the 2nd side. Amazing. Thank you
They were FANTASTIC!!! The family loved them definitely keeping this recipe. I made them Gluren Free and omg sooo good. Thank you so much!!!
I just made these AWESOME Salmon patties. I added a few tweaks, few dashes hot sauce, 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper & 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard. BUT THE CONSISTENCY, Moistness inside the cakes, crunchy brown outside are BEYOND ANY I’ve ever tasted in my almost 68 years. These are better than any my Mom ever made!!! And I made the tartar sauce too, using fresh parsley and fresh dill from my Herb Garden!!! 5***** there too! I’m going to order your cookbook. You are amazing, truly one of the best I’ve seen on Pinterest!!! Many blessings to your precious husband as you work together. Pray you have much success and blessings ahead. May God richly bless you with His presence and great ideas every day!!!
Thank you so much for the kind and sweet words, Cindy! Your modifications sound amazing!
I made these patties and they were delicious. I used all the ingredients except for the parsley. I used cilantro because I always have in hand.
Can I bake these patties? I prefer to bake my stuff.I try cooking on the healthy side.
Hi Jacqueline! One of my readers reported good results baking these but I don’t know the details on bake time and temperature.
These were just fantastic! Best salmon cakes I’ve ever had. I used leftover baked Chinook salmon filets. Only had dried parsley and then only half what was called for. Substituted a bit of dried chives.
Thank you for your great feedback, Darryn!
Tried this recipe, and my family Loved it. I did too, will definitely make it again!🙏🏻❤️
I would like to know if these can be frozen and if so, can they be frozen cooked or uncooked or both. Thanks
Hi Peggy! I have prepared and refrigerated them but not frozen. Here is what one of my viewers sharee: “I make salmon cakes in large batches frequently and they are usually a close version to this recipe. I patty them up, pre-freeze on a cookie sheet, then vacuum seal them before storing them in the freezer. They are great and you can cook from frozen the same as fresh. I always cook mine on a greased cookie sheet at 400-425.” I hope that helps!
Natasha is the Best!! Every recipe I’ve tried has been soooooh delicious & yummy!!!!!!
Aww, you’re so nice. I’m all smiles
I love this recipe. I used canned Salmon and it turned out as indicated.
Hi Tanya, nice to know that you enjoyed this recipe using canned salmon too!
The salmon patties are so delicious. I love all of your recipes, and an avid fan of your videos. I’m limited as to what I can eat, but I find many recipes that I can make
That’s wonderful, Terri!
I love this recipe! I tried it today and it was a hit. I love it! And the tartar sauce was perfect with them.
I’m so glad to hear that!
Look delicious but is there something else to use instead of mayonnaise or salad cream?
Hi Carol! Mashed avocado, sour cream, or Greek yogurt may be the next best thing to use.
It’s okay, I wanted an alternative to a Jamaican salmon fritter recipe that I still love, but am somewhat bored with. These soak up more oil, fall apart, and burn too quickly before the inside cooks, but maybe I needed more panko. The flavor is okay, but since I use canned salmon I prefer not to taste it at all (I’ve worked in a salmon processing plant…) The next time I crack open a can of salmon I’ll go back to jalapeno, thyme and lime to hide the fishy funkiness.
Hi JB! If you’re using canned salmon, see my note at the bottom of the recipe card. Also- be sure to have the oil hot enough and ready to cook the Pattie’s. They shouldn’t really soak up much oil since they are not submerged in oil but if the oil is too cold when putting in the Pattie’s, they will soak up extra oil. You’ll also want to adjust the heat so they don’t burn too quickly after that.
This was a delicious recipe. I did a couple of modifications. I used red and green bell pepper and added 1/2 tsp of prepared horseradish. So delicious
Sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
This was a win for us! We never cared for salmon before but had some given to us, soooo I turned to Pinterest to find a recipe and we both loved it!
I’m so glad to hear that, Kay!
These turned out great! I didn’t want to use my fresh salmon and did want to use my canned salmon so that’s what I used. I used what I had on hand so swapped 4 small yellow peppers for the green pepper. I ran out of parsley so just added some other herbs that I like. I served them with sweet potato fries.
I made these tonight and followed the recipe to the letter.
I used fresh salmon and they were delicious!
I made larger patties and served them as a main course.
Yummy with my home made tartar sauce. I kind of winged it with mayo, relish and lemon juice.
Great recipe!
Hi Nancy! Thank you. I’m glad you loved it.
I just made these today as I had leftover salmon from dinner last night. Your spin on sauteing onion and peppers first was a great idea and made these very tasty! Different in a good way from how I’ve had salmon patties before. I did have issues with the oil/butter getting too hot when doing in batches but that’s on me, maybe lowering heat some. Will definitely make again!
I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed making the salmon patties and found the sautéed onion and peppers to be a great addition. It’s always exciting to put a unique spin on a classic recipe.
Regarding the issue with the oil/butter getting too hot, lowering the heat a bit can definitely help. Cooking in batches and ensuring that the oil/butter is at a moderate temperature can help prevent burning.
Making burgers now,just tasting it before frying tells me they are going to be awesome,frying some green maters to chase them down with.