Skillet Fried Salmon Patties

These Skillet Fried Salmon Patties are golden brown and crispy on the outside with a flaked salmon center, mixed with creamy mayonnaise (or sour cream), lemon juice, garlic, diced red onion, and bell pepper.

Served with delicious dill sauce, tartar, tzatziki or spinach dip makes a perfect, no-hassle dinner. The best salmon patties you ever tried!

We love all kinds of fritters and patties for a quick weeknight dinner. From our Healthy Zucchini Fritters, Chicken Zucchini Fritters to our Vegetarian Patties With Broccoli and Cauliflower.

These moist and flavorful fish cakes are loved by all ages and make an ideal snack with your favorite dipping sauce, or as a light lunch served with a green salad and fries. 

There are so many of you, different readers, here at the Yummy Bowl - some of you like to get straight to the recipe ingredients and instructions, and some of you love reading the full information with tips and tricks that I provide for the recipe

There is a skip to recipe button in the top left corner along with a clickable table of contents list (just below) that will quickly take you to the part you are more interested in. Enjoy!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Baked Salmon Patties - Oven instructions.
• Recommended Equipment
• Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• Freezing And Storing Instructions
• FAQ
• Easy Salmon Recipes
• Skillet Fried Salmon Patties

Ingredients

My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!

The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.

• Salmon - For this salmon patty recipe I’ve used trimmed, skinless salmon but you can also use packaged or canned salmon instead. If using these, make sure that the meat is well drained before combining it with the other ingredients. Same cooking instructions can be easily applied to tuna or crab cake recipes too.

• Breadcrumbs - Make your own breadcrumbs or use your favorite packaged ones. For a more crunchy exterior, try Panko breadcrumbs instead. Since I’ve added my own seasoning to this recipe, I didn’t feel it necessary to purchase seasoned breadcrumbs but you could as a way to adapt the recipe for extra flavor.  

• Eggs - These help bind the salmon cake mixture to keep the cooked cakes from falling apart. Medium or large eggs.

• Vegetables - Diced red onion, diced bell pepper (either red or tricolor), and garlic are included in the salmon cake mixture to add delicious crunchy texture and flavor.

• Sour cream or Mayonnaise - Both of these options add tangy flavor and moisture to the salmon cakes. We love using a slightly healthier option such as Vegan Mayonnaise.

• Lemon juice - A touch of citrus is the perfect addition when it comes to fish and seafood. For the best taste, use the juice from a fresh lemon, not bottled lemon juice. Lime or orange

Instructions

This is an easy recipe for making both thick and thinner salmon patties to enjoy with your favorite garnishes or to serve inside burger buns. All these are delicious.

Prep. Dice the salmon fillets or fillet into small pieces (skin removed). Set aside.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, add olive or avocado oil. Saute diced onion and bell peppers. 

In a large mixing bowl make patty mixture adding salmon, bell peppers, onion, and the rest of ingredients. Season generously with salt and black pepper.

Form the mixture into 12 balls and flatten slightly. These patties are relatively medium sized, not as big as you'd serve in a burger.

Place patties in the same pan and cook over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Transfer the patties onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil from cooking.

Serve hot with chopped parsley, sliced green onions, lemon wedges or lemon zest and your choice of dipping sauce and garnishes.

We like mashed potatoes.

Baked Salmon Patties - Oven instructions.

You can also bake this patties in oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

For oven, follow the recipe instructions as they are but instead of skillet, transfer shaped patties onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Don't press down, leave them as they are shaped into balls and spray lightly with cooking oil.

Bake for 10-12 minutes and then flip. Spray with oil again. And bake for another 5 minutes or until patties have a golden brown exterior.

Recommended Equipment

Nonstick skillet - fish cakes tend to stick to the pan very easily and a good nonstick pan would be essential.

Measuring Cups and Spoons - measure like a pro! Easy to wash!

Tips

• This is a very simple recipe and it's a perfect way to use up that leftover salmon you have. Any leftover baked, grilled, or steamed salmon from last night's dinner is the best base for many recipes. There are so many things you can make with it - patties, salmon croquettes, served in a salad, buddha bowls, or in an omelet.

• Place your pan-fried salmon cakes on a paper towel for a minute or so that any excess oil is soaked up prior to serving.

• I recommend using an oil with a neutral taste and a high smoke point when pan-frying these salmon cakes. Something like vegetable oil or canola oil works really well. High-quality olive oil is perfectly fine here too.

• Serve these salmon cakes with tartar sauce, spinach dip, Tzatziki sauce, guacamole or fresh salsa. 

• You can add a kick of heat to these salmon cakes by including some cayenne pepper or red chili flakes in the salmon cake mixture. 

• It’s normal for the salmon cakes to lose some moisture once cooked, stored, and then reheated. And also important not to overcook the patties.

• Fresh herbs for patties. Anything such as finely diced parsley, green onion or scallion slices, cilantro, and basil is great here. Herbs add more flavor and freshness to the dish. For my son, I like to add just a little (a pinch) parsley but for the rest of the family, I usually add a lot more parsley or cilantro.

• Try this recipe for making delicious salmon burgers. Make a larger patty (cooking time will need to be adjusted in this case) to serve between scrumptious toasted burger buns and toppings. Fresh and healthy burgers as they come.

Serving Suggestions

Serve these salmon patties on their own with a dipping sauce and a side salad. To make it a main course, add portion of rice, Mashed Potatoes, or Fries (Sweet potato fries).

Green beans, asparagus and broccoli are excellent for serving with seafood too.

Dipping sauces. For dipping, we love guacamole, spinach dip, avocado crema, Pico de Gallo, dill sauce, or literally any creamy-based sauce works so good!

Side Salads. A healthy side dish we also love here is this Cabbage And Cucumber Salad or Mexican Coleslaw.

Family friendly. And kids love these patties with a side portion of sweet potato fries or regular french fries (with or without truffle oil). Homemade is best, especially if you have an air fryer!

For a quick lunch, serve these patties between gluten-free (if using) buns, with more toppings of veg like tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots. And cheeeese.

I like to toast the buns on the grill or oven adding a slice or two of melty cheese like Cheddar, Gouda or Colby jack cheeses.

Freezing And Storing Instructions

Store cooked but cooled salmon fish cakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

To freeze, do the same and freeze for up to 2-3 months. But, for best and more fresh results freeze uncooked patties instead (just cook how much you'll eat in one go).

Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the pan over medium heat with a little butter and cooking oil. Or alternatively, oven at about 350 F works well for reheating these patties. Usually, in a preheated oven it shouldn't take more than 10-12 minutes to reheat those.

FAQ

Easy Salmon Recipes

See our all our recipes in the Recipe Index here.

I hope you'll enjoy this fried salmon patties recipe, please leave a rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo of your food and tag me on Instagram @theyummy_bowl. I love seeing your creations!

Thank you for reading,

Love,

Julia