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Home » Dinner Recipes » Baked Salmon Patties

Baked Salmon Patties

Published: Aug 26, 2022 by Louisa Clements · This post may contain affiliate links

This post may contain affiliate links

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42 minutes 9 Comments

An easy, delicious and budget-friendly weeknight dinner; oven baked salmon patties made with sweet potato, green onions, capers and lemon zest and coated in panko bread crumbs. This easy dinner will become a family favourite.

Recipe was originally published on October 11, 2011 and updated on August 26, 2022.

A serving of salmon patties on a plate with broccoli, drizzled with tartar sauce.

I try to include a variety of foods into my dinner plans, and seafood, including salmon, is something that I try to have every week. Here’s the thing, salmon can get really expensive, so having a recipe made with canned salmon in your back pocket can be really helpful.

For canned fish I also love to make a white bean salad with tuna, kale and apples, and while that recipe uses tuna, you can definitely swap in salmon.

Why this recipe works

I’ve tested this recipe so many different ways and the key to these being as delicious as fried salmon cakes is in the bread crumb coating. The patties will still have that delicious crisp despite being baked in the oven.

I’ve shared the step-by-step instructions and photos below with my tried and true method of coating in bread crumbs so that your patties won’t fall apart.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Canned salmon you can use whatever kind your family likes, just be sure to drain all of the liquid. You can keep the bones in or remove them, if preferred.
  • Sweet potato adds bulk, delicious flavour and also acts as a binder. This gets cooked and mashed before assembling the patties.
  • Panko is used both in the patty mixture as well as for coating for a delicious crispy exterior.
  • Green onions add a bit of freshness.
  • Capers are a classic pairing with salmon (think your favourite smoked salmon bagel), they add some salty, briny flavour.
  • Egg is a key ingredient for binding so that your patties won’t fall apart.
  • Mayonnaise again will act as a binder and also add some fat.
  • Dijon adds a bit of bite and is a flavour pairing that works so well with salmon.
  • Garlic gets grated and mixed in. You could also mince it, but I find grating using a microplane helps it to spread evenly through the mixture.
  • Lemon zest helps keep these tasting nice and bright.

Expert tips

  1. For the perfect crispy coating, brown the panko bread crumbs in some olive oil. I find if you skip this step, the panko won’t brown enough and the patties will end up looking quite sad. Just heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently for about 3-5 minutes until the panko has browned. You’ll want to remove them right away from the pan so that they stop browning.
  2. Because the mixture is wet, you aren’t able to dip the patties in the bread crumb coating like you would a chicken finger. You can see my method below, the key is to scoop the mixture using an ice cream scoop and place it on top of the bread crumbs. Press down to adhere the bread crumbs to the bottom of the patty and then sprinkle some of the remaining bread crumbs on the top and press down lightly to adhere. This method will shape the patty and coat it in bread crumbs at the same time. Carefully transfer (using two hands!) to the baking sheet.
Step by step instructions for mixing the ingredients together in a glass bowl.

Step by step instructions for the mixture

  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook sweet potato until fork tender, about 10-12 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently until browned, about 3-5 minutes.
  3. Transfer to a large bowl and mash with a fork. Whisk in egg, mayonnaise, Dijon, lemon zest and salt. Fold in ½cup bread crumbs, capers and green onions until combined with sweet potato mixture.
  4. Stir in the chunks of salmon. The batter should be wet and resemble that of a meatball.
Step by step instructions for forming the patties and coating them in bread crumbs.

Step by step instructions for shaping

  1. Place remaining bread crumbs on a plate. Using a standard ice cream or cookie scoop, scoop salmon mixture, one scoop at a time and place on top of browned bread crumbs.
  2. Using hand, press down, adhering bread crumbs to the bottom of the patty while forming it into a roughly 3-inch, round patty. Sprinkle bread crumbs from plate on top of the patty, pressing down to adhere to the top. Using two hands, carefully transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining salmon mixture, you should have eight patties.
  3. Transfer to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until cooked through. Because we’ve browned the panko ahead of time, there’s no need to fuss with flipping the patties.
The finished salmon cakes on a plate.

What to serve these with

I love to serve them with a tartar sauce. They go well with salads or roasted veggies, I’d often pair them with Greek orzo salad or serve them on top of a kale avocado salad. In terms of veggie sides, pesto cauliflower or roasted delicata squash are great.

Closeup of a serving of salmon patties on a plate with broccoli and tartar sauce.

Baked Salmon Patties

Author: Louisa Clements
4.84 from 6 votes
An easy, delicious and budget-friendly weeknight dinner; oven baked salmon patties made with sweet potato, green onions, capers and lemon zest and coated in panko bread crumbs. This easy dinner will become a family favourite.
Pin Print
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 27 minutes
Total: 42 minutes
servings icon
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • ½ lb sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1" chunks (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups panko, divided
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 lemon, zest only
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp chopped capers
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 2 213 g cans of salmon, drained

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425F. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add sweet potato and cook until fork tender, about 10-12 minutes.
  • Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add olive oil followed by panko, cook until panko is browned, about 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully as it will burn quickly! Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mash the cooked sweet potato. Whisk in egg, mayonnaise, Dijon, lemon zest and salt. Fold in ¾ cup bread crumbs, capers and green onions until combined with sweet potato mixture.
  • Stir in the chunks of salmon. The batter should be wet and resemble that of a meatball.
  • Place remaining bread crumbs on a plate. Using a standard ice cream or cookie scoop, scoop salmon mixture, one scoop at a time and place on top of browned bread crumbs.
  • Using hands, press down, adhering bread crumbs to the bottom of the patty while shaping it into a roughly 3-inch, round patty. Sprinkle bread crumbs from plate on top of the patty, pressing down to adhere to the top. Using two hands, carefully transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining salmon mixture, you should have eight patties.
  • Transfer to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until cooked through. Because we’ve browned the panko ahead of time, there’s no need to fuss with flipping the patties.

Notes

  1. Don’t skip the step of browning the panko, otherwise you won’t have a crisp, brown coating on the outside of your patties. This also means you don’t need to fuss with flipping the patties halfway through. 
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + rating and let me know what you think!
Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, easy, Fall, fish, lunch, Winter
Nutrition Facts
Baked Salmon Patties
Amount Per Serving
Calories 341 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 88mg29%
Sodium 902mg39%
Potassium 464mg13%
Carbohydrates 34g11%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 8179IU164%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 238mg24%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any specific dietary concerns, please consult with your healthcare practitioner.

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Comments

  1. Nora

    March 30, 2022 at 11:49 am

    These are my favorite salmon cakes and are my go to recipe when preparing them! Thank you for posting this.
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
  2. Shirley Clements

    September 02, 2020 at 9:09 pm

    Must make this recipe again! It is sooo yummy! ???
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
  3. Ashleigh

    August 28, 2017 at 2:26 pm

    Hi there! I really love the idea of this recipe, however, I have never tried canned fish of any sorts (not even tuna!). Is there a certain brand that you would recommend?
    Reply
  4. Fiori

    July 16, 2016 at 9:55 am

    Loved these - thanks!
    Reply
  5. Ericka

    July 30, 2013 at 1:09 pm

    I love finding recipes and I found this one probably 2 years ago. I never made it until about 6 months ago. OMG!!!!! It is absolutely delicious! I've made it many times since then, sharing it with friends and family who love them! Thank you for sharing this delightful thing to do with sweet potatoes (which I didn't know until I grew up that they could be used for something other than pie) and salmon! This is one of my favorite things....
    Reply
    • Lou

      August 03, 2013 at 2:12 pm

      Hi Ericka! I'm so glad that you love this recipe - it's one of my favourites! Thanks for letting me know, I really appreciate it :)
      Reply
  6. Anna

    October 12, 2011 at 11:37 pm

    My hubby loves anything coming from the sea...( got me thinking I was probably a mermaid in my past life, since he loves me more than he loves seafoods! LOL!)This salmon treat will make my husband smile...I'm sure!
    Reply
  7. Shirley

    October 12, 2011 at 9:26 am

    I shall definitely be making these...I'll freeze what I don't eat & I'll enjoy them on another night without any effort...I think I'll cook an extra sweet potato & mash it with butter & some brown sugar & have it along with the broccoli...Hmmm...I think I am going to have this for my dinner tonight...Thanks, Living Lou...
    Reply

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Hi, I'm Louisa Clements & welcome to Living Lou. I've been creating simple, fresh & flavorful recipes for the modern kitchen for 12 years.
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