Salmon Cakes
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Made from fresh salmon and dill, these salmon cakes are as elegant as crab cakes but so much more affordable to make.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
When I told my friend and Once Upon a Chef right hand, Betsy Goldstein, about these salmon cakes, she said, “Hmmm…I think I’ll wait until some of the reviews roll in to try those.” I laughed because I knew she was thinking of the version made from canned salmon that many of us grew up on. I promise: these are a whole different animal. Made from fresh raw salmon and seasoned with Old Bay, they’re as elegant as crab cakes yet so much more affordable to make. What’s more, they can be made entirely ahead of time and reheated.
I love these salmon cakes for brunch over a green salad with vinaigrette, but they also make a delicious dinner alongside rice pilaf and roasted asparagus. Either way, they are wonderful with my easy homemade tartar sauce.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Salmon Cakes
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, finely dice the salmon into 1/4-inch pieces (or smaller). It’s important that the pieces are not too large or the cakes won’t bind together easily.
Set the salmon aside and, in a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, Old Bay, salt, and pepper.
Whisk to combine.
Add the diced salmon, ¼ cup of the panko, the scallions, the celery, and the dill.
Gently mix until uniformly combined.
Place the remaining 1 cup of panko in a shallow dish or pie plate.
Using a 1/3-cup measure, scoop the salmon mixture and form into a compact cake about 1 inch high. Place the salmon cake into the reserved panko and gently coat it all over in crumbs.
Repeat with the remaining mixture to form about 9 cakes. (At this point, you can refrigerate the cakes for up to a few hours before cooking, if you’d like.)
Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the salmon cakes in the skillet and cook without moving until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Carefully flip the cakes and cook until second side is golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Reduce the heat to medium if the cakes are browning too quickly.
Transfer cakes to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining cakes (no need to change the oil).
Serve warm with tartar sauce and enjoy!
Video Tutorial
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Salmon Cakes
Made from fresh salmon and dill, these salmon cakes are as elegant as crab cakes but so much more affordable to make.
Ingredients
For the Salmon Cakes
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1¼ lb skinless salmon fillet, finely diced into ¼-inch pieces (see note)
- 1¼ cups panko bread crumbs, divided
- ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions, from 3 to 4 scallions, light and dark green parts
- ⅓ cup finely diced celery, from 2 stalks
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- Salad greens with vinaigrette, tartar sauce and/or lemon wedges, for serving (see note)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, Old Bay, salt, and pepper. Add the diced salmon, ¼ cup of the panko, the scallions, the celery, and the dill. Gently mix until uniformly combined.
- Place the remaining 1 cup of panko in a shallow dish or pie plate. Using a ⅓-cup measure, scoop the salmon mixture and form into a compact cake about 1 inch high. Place the salmon cake into the panko and gently coat it all over in crumbs. Repeat with the remaining mixture to form about 9 cakes. (At this point, you can refrigerate the salmon cakes for a few hours until ready to cook, if you'd like.)
- Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place half of the salmon cakes in the skillet and cook without moving until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip the cakes and cook until second side is golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Reduce the heat to medium if the cakes are browning too quickly. Transfer cakes to paper towel–lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining cakes (no need to change the oil). Serve warm.
- Note: If buying a skin-on salmon fillet, purchase 1⅓ pounds of fish to yield 1¼ pounds of fish after skinning.
- Make-Ahead: The salmon cakes can be fully cooked and refrigerated up to several hours ahead of time. To reheat: preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the salmon cakes in the oven and cook until crisp on the exterior and warm throughout, 10 to 15 minutes. The cakes may also be frozen for up to 3 months; defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked salmon cakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Once cool, lay them out on one (or more) foil-lined baking sheet(s) and cover them loosely with plastic wrap. Freeze the patties in a single layer for about an hour, then remove them from the freezer. Wrap the cakes individually in plastic wrap and then put them together in a freezer bag or airtight container. Before serving, defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 salmon cake
- Calories: 280
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Sodium: 222 mg
- Cholesterol: 37 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Could I substitute nonfat Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise? Looks delicious 🙂
Hi RK, I think mayo would be best but you could get away with using the yogurt. But because Greek yogurt has some tang to it, I’d suggest omitting the lemon juice. Please LMK how they turn out!
OH MY WORD!!! THESE ARE FABULOUS! I served them with a spinach salad using the vinaigrette recipe suggested and the combination was absolutely amazing (and being a Maryland girl, I’m spoiled by crab cakes and find other seafood cakes a disappointment), Thank you for the recipe!! My whole family raved about this meal.
I live in Canada and don’t think I can find Old Bay seasoning. Can you suggest an alternative? I love your recipes and have already preordered your cookbook.
Hi Wendy, Thanks for your support with the cookbook! 🙂
If you can’t find Old Bay, you can make your own – here’s a recipe (and it’s a delicious seasoning for all kinds of other foods including popcorn, fries and egg salad).
Every single supermarket carries old bay, I live in Canada too . Also, every fresh fish market carries, and Walmart. Lots of options!
I will be making this recipe soon – looks delicious!
The Old Bay spice recipe on geniuskitchen.com is very good if you cannot find the spice at your grocery store. I think it is much better than any store bought version I have tried. Also you can control the salt if that is important to you. I also swear ty their fajita and taco spice recipes…you will never use store bought again.
Great tip, Darlene – thank you. It is also available online here.
Could not find it, can you send it?
ines@malardino.com
Hi Ines, I took a peek and see two Old Bay recipes on Genius Kitchen: this and this. If Darlene sees this maybe she can share which of the two she’s used.
We make salmon cakes (we call them salmon patties) quite often but we do use canned salmon. It is very economical and when using the kind that contains bones (softened in the canning process), it has the added calcium and other health benefits.
Your recipes, as well as the style and ease of use of your newsletter, are just excellent. I am always so glad to see “Once Upon the Chef” in the email box and save it for last, like dessert, after finishing other email. Praise and gratitude for your wonderful work. (Even though I can’t join in with the dismissal of canned salmon!)
Thank you, Annie – so sweet! 😊
Hi Jenn,
Nice update of a classic dish.
I would add chopped capers to the tartar and shallots also work well in place of red onions.
I am making this tonight.
Thanks.
Bernie
Can these be baked?
Hi Anne, In testing the recipe, I tried spraying the cakes lightly with oil and baking them on a lightly greased baking sheet at 375°F for about 15 minutes – they were good but they didn’t get nearly as crisp on the exterior as the pan-fried ones. So, yes, it will work but you won’t get exactly the same result. Hope that helps!
I’ve been looking for a good fishcake recipe! I love salmon but was wondering if this we be good with a white fish?
Sure, Sherri, I think this would work with almost any fresh fish – my first choice may be cod. Please LMK how they turn out!
I’m so excited because I bought a box of Old Bay on amazon.uk – I’ve never used it before, and now I have the perfect recipe to try. I know what we’re having for dinner on Saturday!
A favorite dish is crab cakes and now have salmon cakes too!