Salmon Patties
Published January 3, 2024
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 minutes, plus at least 15 minutes' chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 large egg
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 lemon, zested, and 2 tablespoons juice, plus more lemon wedges for serving
¼ cup finely chopped scallions (2 to 3 scallions)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or dill, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch of ground cayenne
1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 (6-ounce) cans boneless, skinless salmon, drained
¾ cup plain panko
¼ cup neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola
Preparation
- Step 1
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, scallions, parsley, mustard, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Add the salmon and panko and mix until combined, breaking up any large chunks of salmon. Refrigerate until the mixture is firm enough to form into patties, at least 15, preferably 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Using a ½-cup measure, scoop out mounds of the salmon mixture and form them into 6 (¾-inch-thick) patties.
- Step 3
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the patties and cook, pressing them lightly with a spatula, until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until browned, 2 minutes more, lowering the heat if necessary to avoid splattering and to prevent the oil from smoking.
- Step 4
Transfer the cooked patties to a plate lined with a paper towel. Serve hot with more dill and lemon wedges on the side.
Private Notes
Comments
Coincidentally I made my mom’s version of these, the one I grew up with and that still evokes waves of nostalgia, last night. She always used canned sockeye salmon—bones, skin, and all, a large, grated onion, beaten egg, parsley, matzah meal, and a secret ingredient—this will sound weird, but I promise it works—a dash of cinnamon, which subtly neutralizes any fishiness while not calling attention to itself. She called them croquettes and they never failed to come out crispy and light.
No need to avoid canned salmon with skin and bones unless you, or someone you're feeding, doesn't care for it. It's more nutritious and tastier than the skinless, boneless stuff.
@Robyn I always read the comments first. Sometimes I don’t prepare the recipe but I learn so much from readers’ tips and comments. And I truly enjoy the little personal stories that are often included in the comments. Thanks everyone for sharing!
Made as directed with regular canned salmon from Costco. They disintegrated immediately in the pan. Served with mayo and lemon. Everyone was happy with the pile of flavored, mostly fried salmon 😋
This was great - easy to put together and great tasting. I followed the recipe but followed two reader comments - use Salmon with skin/bones and add a dash of cinnamon. It made 6 1/2 cup patties. Next time, we may try seeing how 1/3 cup patties work. Our local store did not have the "skin & bones" version in 6oz cans. They did have that version in 3 oz packages and 15 oz cans so that is what I got. The 15 oz can had noticeable skin on the salmon but when you mashed it up, it dissappears!
These were really not tasty--no salmon taste and an overwhelming taste of dill. They did fry up nicely and looked good.

