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.

Salmon cakes on a plate.

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.

What You’ll Need To Make Salmon Cakes

ingredients for 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.

chopping salmon to make salmon cakes

Set the salmon aside and, in a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, Old Bay, salt, and pepper.

mayonnaise and seasoning in bowl for making salmon cakes

Whisk to combine.

whisked mayonnaise and seasoning for salmon cake mixture

Add the diced salmon, ¼ cup of the panko, the scallions, the celery, and the dill.

chopped salmon, herbs and sauce in mixing bowl

Gently mix until uniformly combined.

mixing ingredients for salmon cakes

Place the remaining 1 cup of panko in a shallow dish or pie plate.

coating the cakes with panko

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.

coating the cakes with panko

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.)

salmon cakes on a plate ready to pan fry

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.

frying salmon cakes

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.

frying salmon cakes

Transfer cakes to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining cakes (no need to change the oil).

draining salmon cakes on a paper towel

Serve warm with tartar sauce and enjoy!

Salmon cakes on a plate.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)

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.

Servings: 9 cakes
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.)
  3. 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.
  4. Note: If buying a skin-on salmon fillet, purchase 1⅓ pounds of fish to yield 1¼ pounds of fish after skinning.
  5. 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.
  6. 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

Powered by Edamam

  • 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

  • I just made these for my family and they were a HUGE hit! We’ve been freezing lots of protein and I was trying to figure out what to do with the salmon since it never quite tastes the same coming out of the freezer. Thawed and made these. We didn’t have dill, so we put them on brioche buns, topped em with some guac. My husband said it was the best meal I ever made. THANK YOU! I love every recipe on your site.

  • Hi Jenn,
    I have made these salmon cakes several times for my partner and toddler to rave reviews.
    I have only been cooking seafood for about a year (I don’t like fish myself but my partner and 2 year old son love it) and have recently bought some canned light tuna for the first time. I have zero experience cooking with canned tuna (actually canned meat in general, haha) and was trying to figure out what to do with it. Do you think I could use this recipe as a base to make tuna cakes? Or would you have any suggestions for a good recipe for canned tuna? With everything going on in the world right now, I thought it might be a good time to try some recipes with canned meat.
    Thanks in advance and hope you and your family are well.

    • Hi Bry, so glad you all have enjoyed these! I would be inclined to suggest against using canned tuna for these but a few readers have commented that they have and have been happy with the results (keep in mind I’ve never tried it myself). Please LMK how it turns out if you try it! 🙂

  • Hi Jenn,
    Another one of your no-fail recipes! I have always used the recipe that my mother-in-law gave me almost 30 years ago that calls for canned salmon. It’s always been fine but when I saw this recipe, I was intrigued by your use of fresh salmon. It makes all the difference! The flavor combination is perfect and the crispy Panko crust sends them over the top! No more canned salmon for me. We ate half of them last night and put the other half in the freezer, but something tells me they won’t stay in there long. Thanks for another winning recipe!

  • In a word…SCRUMPTIOUS!!!
    I LOVED this recipe Jenn, a lot more work than canned salmon,
    BUT SOOOOO WORTH IT!!!
    Thanks Jenn

  • Simply Amazing. Everyone enjoyed them. Thank you for the delicious recipe. I’ve enjoyed every recipe I’ve made from your website. 🙂

  • What can I substitute for Old Bay? My family doesn’t like the flavor.
    Judy

    • Hi Judith, I’d recommend taking a peek at this recipe which is a homemade version of Old Bay. You can choose a few of the spices your family likes and combine them instead. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the salmon cakes! 🙂

  • This is one of my favourite recipes of Jens and is a great way to get my whole family on board with eating salmon!
    I always struggle to get the salmon cut finely enough and my cakes usually fall apart so last night I pulsed it in the food processor and it worked great – the cakes stayed together really well!

  • We love salmon but as most cooks you make the same old. I’m going to make this this week. I find chopping veggies kind of calming. I don’t like the thought of chopping salmon. I did see Ina Garten use the food processor to pulse salmon. Your comment? Btw I just sign up for your weekly newsletter. I hope you do not share with advertisers.

    • Hi Judy, Thanks for signing up (and, no worries, I don’t share the list with anyone). I believe Ina Garten uses cooked salmon in her salmon cakes, which is a bit easier to chop in a food processor. You can chop raw salmon in the machine, but be sure to chop it into smaller pieces first and watch that it doesn’t get too pulverized. Hope that helps!

  • Hi Jenn, I rarely write reviews but I had to on this one. I wasn’t expecting much as I’m not a salmon lover, but I’ve been trying to empty out my freezer. Had a salmon fillet and decided to try the the salmon cakes. After removing the skin I only had a little more than 3/4 lbs of salmon. Adjusted the recipe and ended up with 6 full sized cakes and one half sized. My husband and I devoured them all. So delicious. And we loved the tartar sauce. Will be making both recipes often.
    Thanks so much for sharing your recipes All have been wonderful and I am looking forward to trying many more.

  • These salmon cakes are outstanding. It was a little time consuming dicing the salmon, but after eating them, I concluded it was time well spent. I served with remoulade.

    • — Suzie DeAngelis
    • Reply

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