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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Can this be made with canned salmon? What step would be different?
Hi Roger, I haven’t made these with canned salmon, but a number of other readers have commented that they have with good results. (I don’t think you’d need to make any modifications to the recipe.) Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Help, Jenn. I just reviewed these salmon cakes but my review says I’ve already reviewed. That’s impossible since this is the first time I’ve made them.
It looks like it worked, Phyllis. Glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
For years I’ve made my mother’s salmon cakes recipe from canned salmon. Never again! These fresh salmon cakes are over the moon. I baked them, then broiled them to avoid the extra calories and the mess. I served them with the recommended tartar sauce, couscous and a butter lettuce salad. I will freeze four cakes for another delicious meal. Thank you, Jenn, for another successful dinner.
Bonjour Jenn !
Ces « salmon cakes » sont fabuleux !!
Was looking for new ways to prepare salmon when I decided to go back to your site (already have a few of your recipes we like). Made those yesterday evening and we both were very impressed. The taste is out of this world and the suggested tartar sauce goes perfectly with them. I used my steak tartare mold to form the cakes and it was as easy as it gets. The recipe is a keeper for sure.
I couldn’t find the « Old Bay » seasoning up here in Quebec City, but was able use a homemade blend close enough.
I’m a French speaking person, so I apologize for my English.
Glad you enjoyed them (and your English is great)! 🙂
Bonjour Michel & and Jenn !
Discovered your site before Xmas, and I am now a ”real” fan. My husband liked so much all the 15+ recipes I’ve made, that he gave me your book at Christmas 🙂
I’m getting ready for these salmon cakes tonight and just want to let know Michel, that I live in Quebec City also, and the Old Bay seasoning is usually available in IGA’s supermarkets. It is often in small plastic box by the producer ”La route des Indes” in the ”special spices” area.
Thank you Jenn for all these great recipes.
Martine
❤️
Hi, Jenn, made these today for lunch, along with salad and your most delicuous dressing and the tartar sauce. I didn’t have sweet pickle relish so used chopped dill pickles instead. Other than that followed the directions exactly. Turned out perfect, no issues with cakes not staying together. We all loved it. ps We also had your French apple cake for dessert. I have made this so many times. This time I added a third cup of plumped golden raisins with the apple. Most delicious. Thank you again for the most wonderful recipes and inspirations!!
This was delicious and a nice change of pace for our family. Has great flavor combinations – love the fresh dill! But I save my five star reviews for dishes that would go into an every other week rotation. As it is, I would probably make this every 6-8 weeks. Also, the kids (9 and 13) haven’t tried it – not sure it will go over well. But hubbie said it was good and that says a lot.
I didn’t have quite enough panko. I used panko for the filling and for the coating I used crushed ritz crackers – which worked well.
I also thought I chopped my salmon fine enough but it was a little challenging to manage the shaping and flipping. Next time I will chop more finely.
Delicious salmon cakes. I have made these before, but this time I discovered that I was out of Old Bay. That’s never happened before! I substituted Pamlico Bay seasoning (found in the Outer Banks of North Carolina) and added a bit of diced red pepper (because I had it). Excellent!
Hello. I have leftover grilled salmon from last night. Could I possibly use that for the cakes. Maybe not bake as long? I’m not good with frying.
Thanks Jenn
Unfortunately, I don’t think it will work here, Mary – I’m sorry!
This recipe worked well for me to use my leftover grilled salmon. If you are not comfortable with frying, you could dip only one side of the salmon cake in the breadcrumb and brush with either melted butter or olive oil. Cook the cakes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 7 minutes. Broil on high for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
Hi Jenn – 2 questions:
1. Can these be frozen? If yes, would you do it raw or cooked? And then how to defrost and cook?
2.To be a bit healthier, can these be baked? If so, how?
Thank you!
Yes, you can definitely freeze these (after cooking). And I like these best pan-fried, but you can get away with cooking them in the oven. I’d use a combination of baking and broiling; bake them in a 350-degree oven on a lightly greased baking sheet for about twenty minutes, or until hot (and it’s not necessary to flip them), then slide them under the broiler for about a minute to get them golden brown on top. Enjoy!
I make this last night for supper and they were so good! The instructions were detailed and easy to follow and these will definitely be going into the meal rotation! They were very crisp on the outside and had a great flavor!