Salmon Cakes 3 ways
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I heart these salmon cakes. They are kind of like crab cakes but um… salmon. They are fresh, healthy, and so versatile! The three ways I make them are:
They are a light, fresh meal, and so good on top of a green salad with these dipping sauces. You could also serve them with some rice, especially the asian spice one.
The starting line-up for these salmon cakes is:
- Salmon – lots of protein!
- Eggs and Breadcrumbs – to bind it together
- Herbs and Spices – customize!
Salmon
These are one of the fastest dinners I make because I use
canned salmon
for these. The first time I used canned salmon, I thought it might be weird, but I bought a whole bunch at Costco. Go big or go home. Good thing we loved these, since I had so many cans of salmon! Now I make these all the time. They are soooort of like crab cakes except way cheaper and the texture is a little different than a lump crab meat crabcake. I love a good crab cake, but crab meat is not cheap!
These are a great, affordable way to get some healthy omega-3’s and protein from the salmon. You could also use salmon that you cooked and flaked, but this is one of my go to recipes because it is just so fast and easy to use canned salmon. Also nice in quarantine kitchen right now, when we’re trying to rely on pantry staples! Here’s a good article on finding a good canned salmon. I like the Costco one too – they have a Wild Alaskan canned salmon.
Eggs and Breadcrumbs
A couple eggs and some breadcrumbs for keeping these babies together! I always use Panko breadcrumbs – they are a Japanese style breadcrumb that has a courser, crispier texture than other breadcrumbs. They are AMAAAAZING. Perfect for breading literally anything- but they also pack some nice texture in a recipe like this where you’re using it as a binder.
Herbs and Spices
Now the fun part! There are so many ways you could make these, but the three ways I like to make them are Lemon Herb, Asian Spice, and Cajun. All of the recipes should have salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. After that, the sky is the limit!
Lemon Herb
For the lemon herb salmon cakes, add some lemon juice (fresh is really good here if you have it – if not, use some bottled lemon juice), and herbs like parsley and dill. Again, fresh is good, but to be honest, 9 times out of 10, I’m making these on a Thursday night when I’m already exhausted and maybe I don’t have fresh lemons and fresh herbs. Or you know what, MAYBE I DO HAVE THEM, but I can’t be bothered to get out a knife and cutting board. You can use dried herbs. It’s fine. You will still want to inhale these.
I like to serve these on a green salad (if it’s that tired Thursday night dinner, bagged salad mix, hi I love you) with some dipping sauce. For the sauce for these lemon herb salmon cakes, use some sour cream (or Greek yogurt or mayo) + lemon juice + garlic + herbs.
Asian Spice
The asian spice salmon cakes are also good on a salad or on some white rice with a veggie. Easy Peasy. For these, add some sriracha to the salmon mixture (1 t to 1 T or more, depending on your spice-o-meter tolerance) and some ground ginger. These are begging for some sauce – maybe a sweet and sour sauce or yum yum sauce (bought at the store!), soy sauce, or a sauce made of sour cream or mayo + sriracha + garlic.
Cajun
Last but not least, I love me some cajun salmon cakes. These might be my favorite. This recipe makes 6 big ones but honestly, I could eat them all and not share with Mr. Sloth. Add your favorite Cajun seasoning and some hot sauce– again, easy does it with the spice if you don’t love spicy food. If you do, go nuts. This one really needs a remoulade style sauce – either buy one at the store or make quick one with some sour cream or mayo + mustard + PICKLE JUICE + horseradish sauce + garlic powder + Cajun seasoning + hot sauce. Yummmm. Good with salad. Or French fries. Or both.
For these sauces, I like to mix them up directly in these little 4 oz mason jars. I use these plastic lids to store them- straight into the fridge and no extra bowls to clean up! I seriously love using mason jars and these plastic lids to store food- universal lid size, so I’m not hunting around with my last remaining shred of sanity, looking for the one lost lid to a random size container. And they’re pretty!
One last note on these sauces… TOO MANY INGREDIENTS?? (believe me, I get it. Especially on a Thursday). You know what else is good with these salmon cakes?? RANCH DRESSING. From a bottle. Or that dressing packet from your bagged salad mix.
Patty Cake Patty Cake
To cook these, heat up a few tablespoons of your oil of choice in a large skillet until the oil is glistening but not smoking. If it’s smoking, we’ve gone too far. Let it calm down.
Add the salmon mixture, one scoop at a time to the hot pan, pressing down to form a patty. It should form 6 large patties. Use the spatula to press any loose straggly bits against the side of the patty. Cook a few minutes on the first side and them flip over. They should release easily from the pan to flip – if it seems stuck, it might need a little longer to cook. They should be browned on each side and firm to the touch. Remove them from the pan and onto a paper towel lined plate or straight into your mouth!
If you don’t devour all of these the night you make them, they are Awesome with a capitol A the next day for lunch. Usually they don’t make it that far, but they are good both hot and cold as leftovers. To heat them up, they’re best heated up in an air fryer or the oven so they’re still crispy. Buuut I usually just eat one cold standing at the refrigerator. Yum.
Salmon Cakes 3 Ways – Lemon Herb, Asian Spice, and Cajun
Ingredients
Base Recipe
- 2 cans salmon (12 oz total)
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 t onion powder
- 1/2 t garlic powder
- 1 t salt
- 1/2 t pepper
- Oil for cooking
For Lemon Herb Salmon Cakes, add:
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 t parsley
- 1/2 t dill
For Asian Spice Salmon Cakes, add:
- 2 t sriracha sauce
- 1/2 t ginger
For Cajun Salmon Cakes, add:
- 2 t cajun spice
- 1 t hot sauce (optional)
Lemon Herb Sauce
- 1/3 c sour cream or mayo or greek yogurt
- 1 t lemon juice
- 1/2 t parsley
- 1/4 t dill
- 1/2 t garlic powder
- pinch of salt
Asian Spice Sauce
- 1/3 c sour cream or mayo or greek yogurt
- 1 t sriracha sauce
- 1/2 t garlic powder
- pinch of salt
Cajun Sauce
- 1/3 c sour cream or mayo or greek yogurt
- 1 t cajun seasoning
- 1 t pickle juice
- 1 t mustard
- 1/2 t horseradish sauce
- 1/2 t paprika
- 1 t hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
Salmon Cakes
- Drain and flake the cans of salmon, and then combine all ingredients for salmon cakes- canned salmon, eggs, breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add additional spices and seasonings of choice.
- Heat a pan with oil to medium high heat.
- Spoon salmon mixture into pan, forming 6 large patties.
- Cook for a few minutes on each side until browned and firm to the touch. Note- if the patty does not flip easily, give it a little more time to cook and it will release from the pan easily.
- Remove from the pan to a paper towel lined plate.
Sauce
- For the sauces, mix the sour cream (or mayo or Greek yogurt, or any combination of these) with the spices and seasonings. Store in an airtight container for several weeks.