One of my family’s all time favorite weeknight dinners is slow baked salmon. We make a simple compound butter with minced shallots and finely chopped herbs that slowly melts into the salmon as it cooks. The words that come to mind? Easy luxury. So it was a no brainer that those same ingredients would make one hell of a salmon patty! And thus, our salmon cakes were born.
Here’s how we like to serve them:
- on top of salads (baby spinach, a couple of salmon cakes, yogurt sauce, and lots of marcona almonds!)
- between burger buns (shoutout to salmon burgers — why are you so delicious?!)
- in a pita with lots of fresh veggies
But if you’re more of a ‘squeeze of lemon’ kinda guy or girl, that’s cool too! We just love how tender and flaky these salmon cakes are, without being weighed down from too much filler. And the flavor? It’s subtle and delicate, yet vibrant from fresh herbs and lemon!
If you love this recipe, be sure to try our Crab Stuffed Salmon or Salmon en Papillote next!
Ingredient Notes
For the salmon cakes
- Salmon fillet, seasoned with Kosher salt, black pepper, and unsalted butter
- Ritz crackers (finely ground) or traditional breadcrumbs
- Shallot
- An egg, beaten
- Greek yogurt
- Chives
- Dill
- Lemon zest
- Dijon mustard
We love to top our salmon cakes with capers, marinated or pickled red onions, fresh herbs, and micro greens! But the best part is definitely the yogurt sauce!
For the Greek yogurt sauce you’ll need: Greek yogurt (of course), fresh dill, half a lemon juiced, Kosher salt, black pepper, and a splash of white wine vinegar. Simply combine everything together in a small bowl, then whisk to combine.
You can also serve these with homemade tartar sauce or our easy dill sauce for salmon!
How To Make Salmon Cakes
- Cook the salmon. Preheat an oven to 375 F. Place salmon fillet on a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Pat the salmon lightly with a paper towel, then season with Kosher salt and black pepper. Dollop with butter, then bake until an internal temperature of 120 F is reached, about 12-15 minutes, based on thickness.
- Sauté the shallots. While the salmon is cooking, heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes, stirring often. Set aside.
- Flake the salmon. Allow salmon to cool for about 5 minutes, then flake with a fork. You can also use your hands to simply pull it apart into small pieces.
- Mix ingredients for salmon patties. In a large bowl, combine flaked salmon and remaining salmon cake ingredients. Mix lightly until well incorporated, trying not to break the salmon pieces down too much.
- Portion the salmon cakes. Use a large, double-size cookie scoop to equally divide the salmon mixture. For a ~2 lb salmon fillet, you should get ~10 patties. Use your hands to gently press down and form into uniform, round, flat cakes. (It helps to wear kitchen gloves or slightly wet your hands first.)
- Cook on a stovetop. Preheat oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook 5 salmon cakes at a time, for 2-3 minutes per side, until light golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate, then repeat with remaining patties.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with capers, marinated or pickled red onions, fresh herbs, micro greens, and of course Greek yogurt sauce!
Can You Freeze Salmon Patties?
Absolutely! The salmon is already cooked, so it’s easy to freeze the cakes (either before or after pan-sautéing).
If uncooked, simply place salmon burgers on a baking sheet or tray, making sure they aren’t touching, then freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Transfer to a freezer-safe storage container.
To freeze cooked salmon cakes, allow them to cool to room temperature first, then follow instructions above. Either way, use within 3 months.
Tips For The Best Salmon Cakes
- If you use wild Coho salmon, note that it is both thinner and leaner that Atlantic salmon, meaning it will cook quicker. A thermometer is the best way to gauge level of doneness.
- We recommend using Ritz crackers or traditional breadcrumbs instead of Panko breadcrumbs. Yes, you can use panko if that’s what you’ve got, it just alters the texture of the salmon cakes slghtly.
- Serve salmon cakes with something acidic or briny! We love to top them with capers and pickled red onions!
If you already love the flavors in our weeknight slow baked salmon, these salmon cakes are def for you! And talk about a meal prep-friendly lunch or dinner option. Yes, please!
To all my fellow fish cake lovers: make sure to check out our classic fish cakes made with cod fillets — so delicious, especially with homemade tartar sauce.
If you make this Salmon Cakes recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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For more seafood recipes, check out the following:
- Chilli bourbon glazed salmon
- Miso cod
- Spaghetti alle vongole
- Simple Thai curry with scallops and string beans
- Salmon escabeche
- Sous vide lobster tail
- Salmon piccata
Salmon Cakes Recipe with Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
For the salmon cakes
- 2 lb Atlantic salmon fillet skin on or removed
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 large shallot minced, about 2 Tbsp
- 1 cup Ritz crackers, finely ground (about 30 crackers) or 1 cup traditional breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp chives finely chopped, plus more for serving
- 2 Tbsp dill finely chopped, plus more for serving
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Optional, for serving
- 2 Tbsp capers
- Lemon wedges
- Quick pickled red onions
- Micro greens
For the Greek yogurt sauce
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp fresh dill
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- ½ lemon juiced
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- pinch freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the salmon. Preheat an oven to 375 F. Place salmon fillet on a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Pat the salmon lightly with a paper towel, then season with Kosher salt and black pepper. Dollop with 2 Tbsp butter, then bake until an internal temperature of 120 F is reached, about 12-15 minutes, based on thickness.
- Sauté the shallots. While the salmon is cooking, heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes, stirring often. Set aside.
- Flake the salmon. Allow salmon to cool for about 5 minutes, then flake with a fork, discarding the skin. You can also use your hands to simply pull it apart into small pieces.
- Mix ingredients for salmon patties. In a large bowl, combine flaked salmon, sautéed shallots, and remaining salmon patty ingredients. Mix lightly until well incorporated, trying not to break the salmon pieces down too much.
- Portion the salmon cakes. Use a large cookie scoop to equally divide the salmon mixture. For a ~2 lb salmon fillet, you should get 10 patties. Use your hands to gently press down and form into uniform, round, flat cakes. (It helps to wear kitchen gloves or slightly wet your hands first.)
- Cook on a stovetop. Preheat remaining 1 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook 5 patties at a time, for 2-3 minutes per side, until light golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate, then repeat with remaining salmon cakes.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with capers, lemon wedges, marinated or pickled red onions, fresh herbs, micro greens, and of course Greek yogurt sauce!
- Make the Greek yogurt sauce. Combine all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, then whisk to combine.
Notes
- Nutrition facts include salmon cakes and Greek yogurt sauce.
- To freeze uncooked: simply place salmon burgers on a baking sheet or tray, making sure they aren’t touching, then freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Transfer to a freezer-safe storage container.
- To freeze cooked salmon cakes, allow them to cool to room temperature first, then follow instructions above. Either way, use within 3 months.
- Feel free to use other crackers, finely ground! Start with 1 cup (based on a 2 lb salmon fillet).
Perfect!! Absolutely love it. I ate them alone & in a taco with spinach. Don’t skip on the sauce!!
Eating these in a taco sounds pretty fabulous! Agree, they go so well with the sauce!! xo, Ari
Just made these for our lunch today, perfect! I put them on a salad and they tasted amazing, so easy to make, wow! Love finding another way to have salmon on our salads besides a filet, so excited to find these, thanks! Added pickled onions on top too!
Aren’t they fabulous?! If you have any leftovers, they freeze and reheat beautifully! Perfect idea to add the pickled red onions on top, yum! xo, Ari