Easy Southern Salmon Patties (Salmon Cakes) Recipe

I was never a huge fan of fresh salmon or other fish growing up but one seafood dish I always loved was my mom’s old-fashioned salmon patties.

There’s still something about frying them up in my own kitchen that takes me back to those days watching her cook.

I recently created my own recipe for easy Salmon Patties with simple ingredients, which I’ve been making for years now for my own family. Even the kids eat these up! It’s the perfect quick weeknight dinner!

There are never leftovers when it’s Salmon Patties for dinner (the kids call them Salmon Cakes). This southern classic recipe includes a little kick with added jalapeno (don’t worry – it’s not too spicy – if my four-year-old can handle it, you’ll be just fine)!

Ingredients:

• 20 oz salmon (I use the pink salmon in the pouches but you can substitute fresh salmon if that’s your preference)
• 1 medium jalapeno chopped
• 4 green onions chopped
• 1/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
• 2 eggs beaten
• salt & black pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

**Fill the bottom of a large skillet (I love my Stargazer cast iron!) with enough oil, tallow, or bacon grease (my personal favorite for this) on medium heat.

1. Empty salmon into a mixing bowl. I use the salmon that’s already been de-boned and skin picked out. I have painful memories of the canned salmon that my Mom always bought (no doubt because she was on a tight budget) and spending forever picking out all those bones from that can of salmon. Salmon in a pouch – it’s a God-send!
2. Chop up the jalapeno and green onion.

3. Add the jalapeno, green onion, bread crumbs to the salmon and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Beat 2 eggs in a separate dish, add it to the salmon and mix until it’s well incorporated.

5. Form Salmon into 8 patties. I turned one of my 8 into two because sometimes my 4-year-old can’t quite put a whole one away. Put patties into the fridge on parchment paper until they are ready to be fried.

6. Fry salmon patties in a single layer on medium to medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides – between 3 to 5 minutes per side. Try your best to only have to flip them once – if you end up flipping them back and forth multiple times you run the risk of them breaking apart.

7. Place fried salmon cakes on paper towels to drain and serve immediately with ketchup (sorry – West Virginia girl here), hot sauce, or homemade tartar sauce. We had no leftovers in our house tonight!

Recipe Notes and FAQ

Some people love the flavor of Old Bay. If that’s you, feel free to add a teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning to give a nice variation on the flavor of this salmon patty recipe. Alternatively, you could try adding some fresh herbs like fresh dill or parsley.

As I mentioned above, if you have access to leftover bacon grease, that’s my personal favorite for frying these. Often if I know I will be making them for dinner I make bacon for breakfast and save the grease for dinner. It tastes AMAZING!

I use regular breadcrumbs but you can substitute for panko breadcrumbs if needed.

If you have little ones and you are concerned that the jalapeno will be too much for them (although I promise it’s very mild), you can definitely substitute for bell pepper.

We usually keep ketchup on that table for the kids and hot sauce for the adults for these salmon patties.

For another variation on this recipe, put your leftover salmon patties on a bun for salmon burgers the next day!

Printable Recipe Card

Print out this recipe card so you can make this easy recipe next time you’re craving salmon or pin it to Pinterest.

Old Fashioned Easy Salmon Patties Recipe

Jennifer Crayne

This delicious old fashioned salmon patties recipe (or salmon cakes if you're from my area) is easy to make and a great way to encourage kids to eat seafood.

They are fried, crispy, and oh so good! This is the best salmon patties recipe I've ever tried!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Recipes

Cuisine American

Servings 8 salmon patties

Calories 196 kcal

Equipment

• Stargazer Cast Iron Skillet 

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 20 ounces salmon I use the salmon in the pouches
• 1 medium jalapeno chopped
• 4 green onions chopped
• 1/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
• 2 eggs beaten
• salt & pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

 

• First, you'll need to fill the bottom of your skillet (I love my cast iron skillet!) with vegetable oil and let your oil start to preheat on medium heat.
• Empty salmon into a large bowl.
• Chop up the jalapeno and green onion.
• Add the jalapeno, green onion, and the bread crumbs to the salmon and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  
  Beat 2 eggs in a separate dish, add it to the salmon mixture and mix until it’s well incorporated.
• Next, form salmon into 8 patties.
• Put patties into the refrigerator until they are ready to be fried.
• Fry the salmon patties in medium to medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides – between 3 to 5 minutes per side. Try your best to only have to flip them once – if you end up flipping them back and forth multiple times you run the risk of them breaking apart.
• Place the fried salmon cakes on paper towels on a baking sheet or plate to drain and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

I use the salmon that’s already been de-boned and skin picked out. I have painful memories of the canned salmon that my Mom always bought (no doubt because she was on a tight budget) and spending forever picking out all those bones. Salmon in a pouch – it’s a God-send! Of course, if you need to save some money at the grocery store too, the canned salmon is always an option, just make sure you pick out the bones and skin.

French fries always make a great side dish to go along with these cakes as your main course.

I find that it's often difficult to get children to try fish, but this recipe is a great way for kids to eat some seafood.

You could easily make this a gluten-free salmon patties recipe by substituting with gluten-free bread crumbs.

For best results and great flavor, don't overcook your patties.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 196kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 18gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 149mgSugar: 1g

Keyword dinner, main course, salmon, salmon cakes, salmon patties, seafood

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Are you looking for side dishes to go with your salmon cakes to make this a complete meal? We love having them with this skillet green beans recipe, this fresh butter biscuits recipe, a side salad, and/or these air fryer onion rings. My kids like their salmon cakes with a side of saltine crackers or Ritz crackers too. For dessert, try this Cherry Delight recipe. It’s delightful!