Salmon Cakes (or Salmon Patties) with Lemon Dill Aioli
These delicious salmon cakes are bright, fresh and packed full of healthy nutrients and protein. Mixed with a green salad, this is truly an easy 15 min meal. Gotta love that!
These salmon cakes can be made small and served as an appetizer or medium sized and served as a first course. They are crispy and delicious on their own with just the sauce. This is how we usually eat them.
Or… You could make them a little larger and eat them as a salmon burger! Served on a brioche bun with onions, a little crispy lettuce and a tomato, these are divine!
Tools You Need
You don’t need much to make these salmon patties, but one thing that will take them from good to great is that crispy crust on the outside! For the best crust you need to use a stainless steel pan or a cast iron pan. Non stick cookware, just doesn’t cut it after you have used better. Here are our favorites:
- stainless steel pans – Debbie and I both have these and they are amazing. These ones are also not as expensive as some of the other All Clad cookware. These pans are worth the investment and will last a lifetime.
- cast iron pan – another favorite of ours, especially for getting a nice crust on meat. These pans will also last a lifetime if they are cared for.
What Salmon to Use for Salmon Cakes
The best salmon to use for this recipe is fresh cooked salmon. This recipe is great for leftover salmon and that is what usually happen in our houses with leftover salmon.
Here on the West Coast, fresh salmon is readily available from April to September. Our favorites are the Chinook for the silky texture that melts in your mouth or the Sockeye for the deep red color and fantastic flavor.
That said, if you don’t have fresh (or frozen) salmon, you can use canned salmon for this recipe. We recommend RainCoast Trading canned salmon. It tastes way different than any other canned salmon we have had plus they only use sustainable fishing practices.
We are not sponsored by them, we just really like their products. You can sometimes find them on amazon too. I believe wild planet canned fish is good as well.
How to Make Salmon Patties
These cakes are so easy to make!
- Simply take your leftover salmon and break it up into small chunks.
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix them gently. Hands work great for this.
- Separate the mixture into balls about the same size and then form patties with your hands.
- Cook these salmon patties in a little bit of oil in a hot pan.
Tips to Make These Perfect
- make sure your pan is hot before adding oil. Otherwise your oil will smoke and create a mess. Add it 30 seconds before you put the salmon cakes in.
- make sure your pan is hot enough! If your pan isnt hot enough, you wont get a nice crust on your cakes. Medium heat is a good heat to use, but each stove is different.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I keep my salmon patties from falling apart?
We have never had an issue with this. The egg and the mashed potato works as a binder to hold them together.
Are salmon cakes healthy?
Yes! They have lots of protein and good healthy fat. These don’t even have too many carbs if you are watching your carb intake. But the potatoes are healthy carbs anyways.
What goes good with salmon cakes?
We like to pair these cakes with a salad for a light lunch or dinner, but you could also eat them as a burger. Here are a couple ideas:
- warm spinach salad
- cheesy stuffed zucchini
- grilled caesar salad
- summer corn salad
- pan fried brussels sprouts
- corn salad with peppers and black beans
Why are my salmon patties dry?
If your patties are dry, add a little more mayo to the mixture.
Is canned salmon cooked?
Yes! Canned salmon is fully cooked so if you use it for this recipe, you don’t have to worry about raw salmon.
We hope you love these salmon cakes as much as we do! If you are a salmon lover, then we’re sure you will!
Other Salmon Recipes You Might Like:
If you’ve tried this salmon cake recipe then we would love it if you could rate the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card and let us know how it turned out in the comments below. We love hearing from you!
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Salmon Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce
Ingredients
FOR THE LEMON DILL AIOLI
- 3/4 cup mayo
- 2 – 4 tbsp fresh dill chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 – 2 tbsp lemon juice
FOR THE SALMON CAKES
- 1 cup mashed potatoes
- 2 cups salmon canned or cooked
- 3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
- 1/4 cup green onion chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh dill
- 1 large egg beaten
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil for cooking
Instructions
MAKE THE SAUCE
- Mix all the lemon dill aioli ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill in the fridge till your ready to use it.
MAKE THE CAKES
- Chop the green onions, dill and sundried tomatoes in tiny pieces and place in a medium sized bowl. Mince or grate the garlic and place in there too. Add the lemon juice, egg, mashed potatoes and the salmon. Mix gently till combined. Your hands work great for this.
- Make patties by first separating the mixture into same size balls and then flatten and round the edges. Season the outsides of the patties with salt and pepper if desired.
- Heat a frying pan to medium heat, add olive oil and place patties in pan. Cook till nicely brown on one side and flip. Brown the other side. They will take about 2-3 mins each side, depending on your pan. Remember that everything is cooked already so you only need to brown the patties.
- Serve with a good dolop of the lemon dill aioli on top.
