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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We don’t have Old Bay seasoning in Ireland, does anyone have a recipe or a substitution for it? Thank you
Hi Sinead, If they don’t have it in Ireland, here’s a recipe for homemade Old Bay. (And it’s a delicious seasoning for all kinds of other foods including popcorn, fries, and egg salad.)
I’ve been making your Maryland Crab Cake recipe in my air fryer for years & it’s one of my favorites, but crab has been so incredibly expensive the past few years! These are a great substitute and turned out fabulous in the air fryer at 1/4 of the cost. Thank you! I served with the quick tartar sauce from your crab cake recipe with a little cayenne and garlic powder + lemon zest. Trader Joe’s has wild skinless salmon and it made the prep really simple. Will now be on my regular rotation without breaking my budget!
Second time making these – they’re delicious! I first put the salmon fillet skin side down in a heated skillet on medium heat for about a minute, which made removing the skin with a metal spatula quite easy. I also put the salmon cakes in the fridge for a good half hour after forming them, which helped firm them up and retain their shape (thanks to a tip from another one of your fans). Made a tartar sauce to go with it, and not a crumb remained. Thank you Jenn for yet another mouth-watering recipe.!
I made these yesterday, followed the recipe exactly as written and they are absolutely delicious!
These were really good!! I didn’t get 9 patties out of it, and they fell apart a little bit, but they tasted great. Next time I plan to double the recipe and freeze half.
Hello there! I will be doing this recipe tonight but would prefer to use my air fryer. Has anyone tried to do it in the air fryer? If so what are the settings you would recommend please. Thank you in advance!
I just tried the recipe with my air fryer on 350F for 8 minutes. Turns out great!
Did you flip them? Thanks
My husband went king salmon fishing a few weeks ago and I made this the very next day. They were absolutely amazing. I’m making them again today but going to double the recipe. I did have a heck of a time keeping the patties together. I’m just going to dice smaller today. I did not make a tartar sauce but a fantastic mustard sauce.
I’ve made this many times, following the recipe as written, and it comes out great. Recently I was pressed for time, so used cooked salmon instead of dicing raw salmon. I added all the panko into the mixture with 2 eggs. The result was just as good, and much less time consuming. Also, the cakes held together better, making it easier to saute.
Hi Jenn! I left you a comment about substituting Miracle Whip for Mayo just yesterday, decided to go with the Mayo! I got fresh salmon and wanted to know if I can make theses salmon cakes a day ahead of time and simply refrigerate with the same results?
Thank you as always for your quick responses and amazing recipes! xoxo
Stacey
Hi Stacey, You can definitely make these a day ahead with excellent results. Enjoy!
You’re the best Jenn…not only ar your amazing recipes, but responding to everyone! 🤗 Thank you so much!!!
💗
Hi Jenn! I made these delicious salmon cakes before and my sister and brother-in-law are in town and he can’t do dairy with the mayonaise. Can Miracle Whip be substituted or can you recommend another ingredient to replace the mayonaise? Thank you as always for your wonderful recipes! Sincerely, Stacey
Glad you like them! I’ve never used Miracle Whip so I can’t account for how it would change the flavor, but it should work. Please LMK how they turn out. 🙂