These flavor-packed salmon patties, made with fresh or canned wild salmon, fresh herbs, and warm spices like paprika, coriander, and cumin, come together in under 30 minutes. Serve them with a zesty lemon caper sauce over a salad for a low-carb meal or as a delicious salmon burger.
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This quick and easy salmon patties recipe is one of my favorite ways to enjoy wild-caught salmon. It's a weeknight-friendly, versatile recipe that can be served as an appetizer, light lunch, or a delicious burger filling.
To take these quick salmon patties to another level, I make a quick lemon caper sauce to serve along!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
These salmon patties are on repeat in my home. Here's why:
- It's a versatile recipe that can be customized easily. My hubby and I enjoy these patties over slaw or a salad for a low-carb meal, and the girls turn these into delicious salmon burgers.
- Loaded with veggies. It's so easy to sneak in veggies like carrots and spinach in this recipe. It adds to the overall nutritional value and taste.
- Comes together in 30 minutes. I simply throw everything in a food processor, and blend. After that, whether I choose to cook them in a skillet or air fryer, dinner is on the table in 30 minutes, which is perfect for weeknights!
No food processor? No problem! Use canned salmon instead. Instructions and tips are mentioned below!
Ingredients- Notes & Substitutions
It takes a handful of ingredients to make this easy salmon patties recipe. Here's what you need:
- Salmon: I prefer to use fresh or frozen salmon for this recipe. But if you only have canned salmon on hand, you can use it following the tips mentioned below.
- For fresh fish, buy skinless fillets, or remove their skin by following the easy instructions below.
- If using frozen, thaw them overnight in the fridge and pat them dry well before using.
- If using canned, be sure to drain out any liquid they were stored in. If the mixture is too moist, you might need to use a few tablespoons of binding agents like breadcrumbs or almond flour.
- Vegetables & Herbs: I love adding spinach and carrots to this recipe for added nutrients and fiber. They keep the patty mix moist and add a subtle natural sweetness that compliments the taste of salmon. Feel free to switch those to veggies of choice, like zucchini or kale. Green onions, garlic, and dill add an aromatic base flavor to these patties. Not a fan of dill? Use parsley instead.
- Spices: I use paprika, coriander, and cumin, which provide earthy, floral, and citrusy flavors. You can use the seasoning of your choice instead, for example, taco seasoning or Italian seasoning, or simply season it with salt & pepper.
How to Remove Skin from Salmon
Skip this step if using skinless salmon. Here's how to remove the skin from a salmon fillet:
- Place the fillet, skin-side down, on a chopping board, tail end, or thinner side towards you. Hold the tail end with a kitchen towel to give you a firm grip and prevent it from slipping.
- Using a thin, sharp knife, make a cut between the flesh and skin and move the knife in the opposite direction, away from the tail end, in a sawing motion. Adjust the end closer to you and continue to cut along the length of the fillet. Remove and discard skin.
How to Make Salmon Patties
Let us take a look at how to make salmon patties from scratch using a simple skillet or in an air fryer. Gather the ingredients.
Step 1: Form Patties
- Cut salmon into 2-inch chunks.
- Add carrots, chunks, spinach, green onions, cilantro, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse it 10-12 times or until the carrots break down into finely chopped pieces.
- Now add salmon chunks, lime or lemon zest, juice, salt, and spices, and pulse until you reach a semi-fine texture (not pureed), taking 10-12 pulses. Remove the blade and roughly divide the mix into 4-6 patties (or more), depending on your preference.
- To make patties, you can wear food-handling gloves for a mess-free process. Wet your palms with olive oil. This prevents the salmon mix from sticking to your palms. Using an ice cream scoop for consistent portions, make burger-size patties and set aside on a tray.
Patties falling apart? Sometimes, the patty mix gets too moist (especially if using canned salmon), which prevents the patties from binding. To bind the patties, add a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs. To keep them low-carb, add almond flour instead.
Now, let's take a look at how to cook salmon patties. Cook the patties using one of the following methods:
Step 2: Cook Patties in a Skillet or Air Fryer
Heat a skillet on medium heat, add 1-2 teaspoons olive oil, and place the salmon patties. Cook them 3-4 minutes on first side, flip and repeat on the second side (total 6-8 minutes depending on size of patties).
Before flipping, lightly drizzle some oil over the salmon patties to crisp them up.
Alternatively, cook these patties in an air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 390°F for 2 minutes. Place 4-5 salmon patties in the fryer basket, leaving space between them.
Brush them with oil, flip, and brush oil on the other side as well. Air fry for 8-9 minutes or until light golden color on the outside.
Check for doneness: Insert a meat thermometer in the center of the patty without touching the pan. Salmon is fully cooked when it reaches 145 degrees F.
What to Serve with Salmon Patties
This salmon patties recipe is versatile enough to be served as an appetizer, lunch, or a burger. Here are a few serving suggestions:
Appetizer/ Snack: When making these for appetizers, I reduce the size of the patties or make round or oblong salmon cakes. I serve these alongside dipping sauces like lemon caper sauce, cilantro chutney, sriracha mayo, or a creamy avocado sauce.
Lunch: Toss a few baby greens or a spring salad mix, cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumber with your favorite dressing and serve these salmon patties over them for a satisfying and filling lunch.
Burger: Let's take a look at what to put on a salmon burger. Toast your favorite kind of burger buns with butter, and generously slather my easy lemon caper sauce or this sweet-spicy sriracha mayo over them.
Top with a slice each of lettuce, tomato, and red onion, followed by the salmon patty. Top that with pickles, followed by the bun. Serve with either regular french fries or sweet potato fries.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Salmon: You can make fresh, frozen, or canned patties. If using fresh, buy skinless salmon fillets, or remove the skin yourself following the tips above. If using canned salmon, be sure to drain out the liquids.
- Pulse, not Puree: For best results, when making the salmon patty mix in the food processor, remember to use the 'pulse' feature and not blend. For this reason, I do not recommend using a blender for this part.
- Make it low-carb: These salmon patties make a great low-carb meal when served with slaw or salad. Each salmon patty contains 6 grams of net carbs, including the corn and breading.
- Keto salmon patties: To make these patties keto-friendly, skip the corn and replace the breadcrumbs with almond flour or almond meal. After these two switches, each salmon patty contains just 2 grams of net carbs.
- Meal prep: It is best to cook and store the burgers for meal prep since uncooked patties may develop more moisture as they sit. Store cooked patties in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, simply microwave in 30-second increments or heat in a skillet on medium heat.
- Check for doneness: To confirm that Salmon is cooked through, insert a meat thermometer in the center of the patty without touching the pan. Salmon is fully cooked when it reaches 145 degrees F.
FAQ
If your salmon patty mixture has more moisture (especially if using canned salmon), your mix may fall apart. To prevent that, add more binding agents like eggs and breadcrumbs.
Yes, you can use canned salmon to make patties. Simply drain the canned salmon and use the flesh per this recipe's directions.
You can add the classic burger toppings like lettuce, tomato and onion. As for condiments, you can use tarter sauce, fry sauce, or the easy lemon caper sauce mentioned in this recipe.
More Burger Recipes on the Blog
📖 Recipe
Salmon Patties Recipe (Fresh or Canned Salmon)
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Wild Salmon Fillets, skin removed or two 8-oz cans
- 1 medium carrot peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic or 2 teaspoon garlic paste
- 2 green onions root trimmed, sliced
- 1 teaspoon lime zest + Juice of ½ lime (or lemon) (or lemon)
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 2 tablespoon chopped dill (packed) or cilantro or parsley
- 2-3 tablespoons corn (optional)- thawed if frozen
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil for cooking
- ¼ cup fine breadcrumbs or almond flour for low-carb coating
Spices
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoons coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
Lemon Caper Sauce
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon dill chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon capers roughly chopped
- 1 pinch salt optional- adjust to taste
Instructions
How to Remove Salmon Skin (skip this step if using skinless salmon)
- Place the fillet, skin-side down on a chopping board, tail end or thinner side towards you. Hold the tail end with a kitchen towel to give you a firm grip and prevent it from slipping.Using a thin sharp knife, make a cut between the flesh and skin and move the knife in the opposite direction, away from the tail end, in a sawing motion. Adjust the end closer to you and continue to cut along the length of the fillet. Remove and discard skin.
Form Patties
- Prepare and gather ingredients. Cut salmon into 2-inch chunks. Peel and cut carrot in ½-inch chunks. If using canned salmon, skip this step and drain the canned salmon.
- In a food processor add salmon chunks, carrot pieces, spices and garlic. Pulse it 8-10 times or until the carrots and salmon break down into a coarse mix. Be careful not to puree it.
- Now add green onions, dill, corn, spinach, lime (or lemon) zest, juice, salt and spices, and pulse 4-6 times till you reach a semi-fine texture (not pureed). Remove the blade and roughly divide the mix into 4-6 patties, depending on your portion preference.
- To make patties, wet your palms with olive oil. This prevents the salmon mix from sticking to your palms. Using an ice cream scoop for consistent portions, make burger size patties and set aside on a tray.
Cook Salmon Patties in Skillet
- Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and place the salmon patties. Cook them 3-4 minutes on the first side. Lightly drizzle oil on the patties, flip them and cook for 3-4 minutes on the second side.
Salmon Patties in Air Fryer
- Pre-heat air fryer at 390°F for 2 minutes. Place 4-5 salmon patties in the fryer basket, leaving space between them. Brush them with oil, flip and brush oil on the other side as well. Air fry for 8-9 minutes or until light golden crisp on the outside.
Lemon Caper Sauce
- Add mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, chopped dill and capers in a small mixing bowl. If needed, add a pinch of salt. Mix everything to prepare the sauce.
Notes
- Salmon: You can make patties with fresh, frozen or canned salmon. If using fresh, buy skinless salmon fillets, or remove the skin yourself following the tips above. If using canned salmon, be sure to drain out the liquids.
- Pulse not Puree: For best results, when making the salmon patty mix in the food processor, remember to use the 'pulse' feature and not blend. For this reason, I do not recommend using a blender for this part.
- Make it low carb: These salmon patties make a great low carb meal when served with slaw or salad. Each salmon patty contains 6 grams of net carbs including the corn and breading.
- Keto salmon patties: To make these patties keto-friendly, skip the corn and replace the breadcrumbs with almond flour or almond meal. After these two switches, each salmon patty contains just 2 grams of net carbs.
- Meal prep: It is best to cook the burgers and store for meal prep since uncooked patties may develop more moisture as they sit. Store cooked patties in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, simply microwave in 30 second increments or heat in skillet on medium heat.
- Check for doneness: To confirm that Salmon is cooked through, insert a meat thermometer in the center of the patty without touching the pan. Salmon is fully cooked when it reaches 145 degrees F.
Lucy says
Oh my gosh thanks for submitting this! Items and I mix up cans of salmon All of the time however typically eat it cold like a carrot salad, then this also seems fantastic
aneeshasg says
Hi Lucy, thank you so much, I'm glad you like this recipe. Give it a try, I would love to hear how you like it.
Pam says
I left it absolutely was superb!! Funny point tho -- I didn't possess some mayonnaise at the house, I moved on to make my very own lettuce however I did not possess some spirits! I made a Paleo version of avocado plus it was good of class it almost certainly substituted the calories and macros!! But it was an amazing eggless edition!
aneeshasg says
Hi Pam, Thank you so much for rating this recipe. I am super glad you enjoyed it so much!
Pam says
The dish looks terrific. Allow it to be easier with bean hollandaise. No faults. Tastes just as excellent. Can maintain refrigerator for 23 days and you also may serve it chilly. Just what a excellent universe.
Sandhya S says
I am confused on the recipe - when do you add the salmon to the mix. I see that you pulse the spices- what do you do with the big chunks of salmon.
aneeshasg says
Hi Sandhya, good catch and sorry for the confusion. Add salmon chunks to the food processor along with carrots and other ingredients. The video shows that and I have updated the recipe too. Thanks. Hope you enjoy them!