Salmon Patties
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Crispy Salmon Patties are little golden cakes, juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside and loaded with lemon and dill. A very easy recipe perfect with a salad, tuck them into buns for sliders, or just eat them straight from the skillet.
Canned Salmon Never Tasted This Good
I’ll be honest, if I have fresh salmon I usually want to cook it whole and let it shine, like for my Maple Mustard Glazed Salmon. But for these salmon patties, canned salmon is the way to go.
One bite of these delicious salmon patties, and you’ll forget they started in a can. They’re juicy, super crispy on the outside, lemony, herby and perfectly seasoned. They’re perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, an appetizer at a party, or a nice lunch with a tossed salad.
Why You’ll Love These Salmon Patties
- Ready in 30 minutes. 27 minutes to be exact, and they’re perfect for lunch of dinner.
- Budget friendly. Canned salmon is way easier on the wallet than fresh. But trust me, no one will know the difference.
- Crispy and juicy. Golden and crispy on the outside, tender and flaky on the inside.
- Super versatile. Serve them as is, make sliders, stack on a salad, they play well with just about anything.
Ingredients and Tips
- Canned or fresh salmon: Both work, but canned salmon is perfect. Just drain it well so your patties crisp up instead of steam. If you’ve got fresh salmon, go ahead and use it, just flake it up and check it for bones.
- Breadcrumbs: I like Panko breadcrumbs because you’ll end up with the crispiest patties. Some great substitutes are crushed crackers, or if you’re gluten free, use GF breadcrumbs or even almond flour.
- Grate the onion: Grating the onion instead of dicing it, gives you juicy patties, with no big chunks of raw onion to bite into.
- Don’t skip the dill: Fresh dill and lemon juice make these patties really bright and flavorful. If you’re out of fresh dill, dried will work too.
- Fry smart: Get the oil nice and hot before adding the patties. If your oil isn’t hot enough, the patties will soak up the oil and you’ll end up with greasy patties.
- Batch cook: Cook in batches to give them space so they crisp up properly.
Grab a big bowl and add your salmon (make sure it’s well drained), egg, grated onion, breadcrumbs, bell pepper, dill, lemon zest and juice, paprika, salt, and pepper. Use a fork or your hands to mix until everything is just combined. Don’t mash it to death, we still want nice little salmon flakes in there.
Scoop out the mixture and shape into 8 to 10 patties, pressing them together firmly so they hold up while cooking.
Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add a few patties at a time and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until crispy and golden brown. Transfer to a plate and keep going until all patties are cooked.
Squeeze over extra lemon, sprinkle with fresh dill, and serve hot with tartar sauce, tzatziki, or over a bed of greens.
How To Serve Salmon Patties
You can serve these salmon patties as is with some fresh lemon wedges, garnished with parsley or dill, use them as an appetizer paired with a nice cool tzatziki dip, tartar sauce, or use them to make crispy salmon sliders! Here are some other dishes they would be good with:
Greek Salad
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Easy Coleslaw
Cobb Salad
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bake these instead of frying?
Yes! Preheat the oven to 400°F, place patties on a parchment lined sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. Flip and bake 10 more until golden.
What about the air fryer?
Absolutely. Air fry at 400°F for about 12 minutes, flipping halfway. They come out super crispy with barely any oil.
How do I make them gluten-free?
Swap the breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs or crushed GF crackers. If they need help holding together, add ½ teaspoon xanthan gum.
Can I freeze them?
Yes! Freeze on a baking sheet first, then pop into a freezer bag. Reheat in the oven until hot and crispy.
What else can I add?
Chopped green onions, a pinch of Old Bay seasoning, or a little Dijon mustard are all amazing flavor boosters.
Storing
These salmon patties will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, stored in an airtight container.
Freezing
These patties freeze well too! Just freeze individually on a baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container or freezer bag. They will keep for up to 3 months and can be heated back up in the oven to temperature when ready to enjoy.
More Great Salmon Recipes To Try
- Firecracker Salmon
- Maple Mustard Glazed Salmon
- Easy Baked Salmon
- Honey Mustard Salmon
- Cilantro Lime Salmon
- Salmon Alfredo
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Salmon Patties
Video
Ingredients
- 15 ounce canned salmon ((3 cans 5 oz cans))
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup onion (grated)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs (such as Panko)
- ½ medium bell pepper (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- vegetable oil (for frying)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix until well combined.
- Shape Patties: Shape into patties, you should get anywhere from 8 to 10 patties.
- Fry: Heat about 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.Add the patties to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Don't overcrowd the patties, do this in batches.
- Serve: Serve with lemon wedges.
Equipment
Notes
- You could serve these with a dill dip, here’s what you’ll need: 3/4 cup sour cream, 3 tbsp chopped dill, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, salt & pepper.
- Be sure that the salmon is completely drained of liquid before adding it to your patty mixture, we want to achieve a perfectly crisp outside to our patties and excess moisture will interfere with this.
- I always prefer to grate my onion for these patties, this will ensure a nice, moist patty that has onion in every bite.
- I can’t stress enough how much I recommend using fresh ingredients for these patties! The fresh dill and lemon really make this dish, so I would not recommend using dried dill or bottled lemon juice for this one.
- Make sure the oil is nice and hot before frying the patties! Otherwise they will just absorb all that oil and become greasy.
- Don’t overcrowd your pan! When frying the patties, make sure to leave room to ensure they fry evenly.
- These salmon patties will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, stored in an airtight container.
- These patties freeze well too! Just freeze individually on a baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container or freezer bag. They will keep for up to 3 months and can be heated back up in the oven to temperature when ready to enjoy.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
