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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Who needs crab cakes? These are excellent and will be my go to from now on. I splurged for the wild caught Alaska salmon, a little worried that I was going to chop it up, but it was worth it.
Can these be baked instead of fried?
Hi Cindy, 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!
These are absolutely perfect! Chopped the salmon in the food processor. Sprayed and baked on parchment at 400 for 20 minutes then broiled for 6 minutes for the tops to crisp and then put on lowest shelf at 450 for another 6 minutes to crisp the bottom! Great flavor!
This is a delicious easy recipe! I didn’t have fresh dill so substituted dried – probably needed to add a bit more. I didn’t have scallions, so I soaked a small onion in cold water while I chopped the salmon before adding to the food processor with the the celery and dill. Also, I baked them for about 30 min about 375 instead of pan frying. Worked great!
I made these last night with (inexpensive) defrosted salmon pieces. Served with a green salad, baguette and a glass of wine. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe – it was worth the effort of skinning and dicing the salmon.
Made exactly as the recipe directed and they were perfect! I did use the food processor to chop the salmon; it was perfect and a time saver! Very yummy! My husband didn’t like the crunch that the panko gives to the dish, so I may try something else next time. Any thoughts Jen?
Hi Sherry, glad to hear these were a hit! You could try replacing the panko with regular bread crumbs next (they should provide a little less of a crunchy texture). Hope that helps!
Can I use canned salmon?
Hi Bella, I haven’t made these with canned salmon, but a number of other readers have commented that they have with good results. Hope you enjoy!
Crushed saltiness are a great alternative to panko!
These are delicious. My husband and I both loved them. I did find binding the ingredients into patties quite difficult ans messy, and chopping the salmon into tiny bits quite time consuming. We often BBQ a whole filet of salmon and therefore have lots of cooked salmon left over. So since making them the first time I have been using cooked salmon which is easy to flake into tiny pieces and the patties hold together much more easily. I find that the final result is just as tasty as using raw salmon. Might be a good alternative for those who find the recipe too time consuming for a weeknight meal.
We absolutely LOVE this recipe! So full of flavor and love the dill and crunch of the celery! It’s a great way to use Salmon when you buy a large fresh filet. I have also made them as an appetizer so I make them smaller. But it’s a satisfying dinner item served with the awesome salad suggested. I use this dressing in my rotation for salads. Thanks Jenn for another wonderful recipe!
This recipe took me quite a bit longer than the 30 minute suggested timing the first time I made it as the salmon prep was more involved than I’d realized. I wouldn’t recommend this as an easy weeknight dinner. But it was so worth the time! I followed the recipe exactly and the step by step photos are very helpful and these are so delicious. Packed with flavor. I served these with couscous and a veg and my family was very impressed with this meal! Thanks Jenn!
Can we use canned salmon?
Hi Kate, I haven’t made these with canned salmon, but a number of other readers have commented that they have with good results. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
These are not my mother’s salmon patties, which use smelly tinned salmon. I love that these use fresh salmon fillets. I pulse chunks of salmon in the food processor and it’s much faster than dicing by hand. I can make these up a couple of hours in advance and keep them in the fridge until it’s time to fry them up. And I love eating the leftovers cold for lunch the next day!