Easy 30-Minute Salmon Cakes Recipe

 

When I was a girl, my mom would make salmon patties (also called "salmon cakes") quite regularly. I would remember squirting the lemon juice from those little plastic lemon bottles all over it. I loved salmon cakes.

As a grown-up, I still love salmon cakes, but I've grown to like the flavors and texture of fresh ground king salmon over the salmon you get in the can. Both are nutritious, but the fresh or fresh-frozen ground salmon has less fishy flavor, and the texture can't be beat!

I get my ground salmon from Sitka Salmon shares, and the 1-pound frozen bags are big enough for me to make this large plate of salmon cakes you see in the photo. For a filling meal or appetizer that's also high in nutrients (like protein), I recommend using this amazing salmon, if you can.

Salmon Cakes Recipe

Here's how I make mine (adapted from the recipe on the Sitka Salmon Shares blog:)

Ingredients for salmon cakes:

• 1 pound salmon burger
• ½ shallot or green onion (preferred over white or yellow onions), finely minced
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cups lemon-pepper panko, divided (regular panko works, as well)
• 1/2 cup frying oil or peanut oil

Combine all of the ingredients except for the oil and 1 1/2 cups of the panko crumbs. Mix well. (Your fingers work best, being careful not to break up the salmon pieces too much.) If you see any round salmon bones, leave them in. They are soft enough and add calcium to the dish!

Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, add the remaining panko. Form small 2-inch cakes of salmon blend with your hands, pressing firmly on both sides to make it stay together. Gently lay the cakes, one at a time, in the panko bowl, turning to get panko on both sides.

After you've pattied all the cakes, heat the oil in a non-stick or cast-iron pan on medium-high heat until hot enough to fry. (You can drop a few little pieces of panko into the pan to test. If they don't sizzle, it's not hot enough yet. If they turn dark brown or black right away, turn down the heat!)

Cook the patties for 1 minute on each side, turning sooner if they get too brown. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel, salting once more time, if preferred. You can also fry these lightly for 3 minutes on the wire rack of your air fryer at the "air fry" temperature of 350 degrees to finish cooking. They'll have a nice golden color and an excellent crisp texture!

Serve with tartar or mayo mixed with a few drops of sriracha! 

Where to get fish for salmon cakes

Not a Sitka Salmon Shares customer yet? Visit their site to order single boxes of their amazing fish, or sign up to get monthly deliveries when they start shipping this spring.