Easy and delicious salmon cakes are keto, paleo, and gluten-free. As long as you have canned salmon and eggs, you can whip them up anytime!
I make these gluten-free, paleo and keto salmon cakes about once a week. They are very easy to make, they taste great, and I always have the ingredients on hand.
The ingredients you’ll need
The only ingredients you must have are canned salmon and eggs. The rest of the ingredients are very flexible. These are the basic ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe (exact measurements are in the recipe card below):
- Canned salmon – use boneless skinless salmon, and drain it very well
- Large eggs
- Lemon juice
- Minced garlic
- Diced onion
- Chopped parsley
- Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Dried thyme
- Olive oil for frying
How to make salmon cakes
It’s a truly easy recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- Mix together drained canned salmon with eggs and various spices.
- Drop mounds of the mixture into hot olive oil.
- Fry until golden.
How to serve salmon cakes
They make a quick, easy meatless entree. I serve them for dinner with a dollop of homemade tartar sauce, keeping the sides very simple.
I like to serve them with caprese salad, with microwave cauliflower drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice, or with broiled tomatoes.
Is this a healthy recipe?
I believe it is. I used to think that fresh salmon was superior to canned. And I do love it – this broiled salmon is wonderful, for example.
But an article by Consumer Reports convinced me that canned salmon is actually very healthy.
I do recommend avoiding BPA in the cans, though, if at all possible.
Reviews of this salmon cakes recipe
I love finding reviews of my recipes on Pinterest! The good reviews make me happy, of course. And the not so good reviews make me aware of issues in my recipes and enable me to improve them.
Pinterest reviewers seem to like this recipe. Here’s a link to their gorgeous photos. And here’s what they say:
- Really nice and super simple.
- Excellent recipe! I fried mine in butter in a cast-iron skillet so they came out browned beautifully. Tasted out of this world!
- I cook these like once a week now!
- This is a great recipe! It’s a keeper and so quick and easy. Just serve with a simple coleslaw and voila! dinner is served!
- This is now a go-to meal in our house.
Should I add flour or breadcrumbs?
No. There’s no need for flour or breadcrumbs. There are only one or two Pinterest commenters that say their salmon cakes didn’t hold together. I’m not sure why.
In my experience, you don’t need a binder (such as flour or breadcrumbs or even almond flour) to hold these cakes together.
So why did they fall apart for a couple of people? Could be that the salmon was not drained or flaked well, maybe the eggs were too small, or perhaps the ingredients weren’t thoroughly mixed together.
What to do with leftover salmon cakes?
You can keep leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days.
Reheat them gently in the microwave on 50% power, or enjoy them cold straight out of the fridge.
I like them with Dijon mustard. In fact, I often make extra just to ensure I have some leftovers for the next day’s lunch!
More tasty seafood recipes
A similar recipe that I really like is this easy recipe for tuna cakes.
And these salmon muffins are delightful little quiches that are also very easy to make and keep well for several days.
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Salmon Cakes
INGREDIENTS
- 2 (7.5 oz cans) wild salmon, skinless and boneless, well-drained and well-flaked
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for frying
INSTRUCTIONS
- Drain the salmon thoroughly. Flake it well with a fork, into tiny pieces.
- In a large bowl, combine the salmon, eggs, lemon juice, garlic, onion, parsley, mustard, salt, black pepper, and thyme.
- Mix well, making sure the mixture is smooth and uniform. You don't want large pieces of salmon in there.
- Brush the olive oil over a double-burner nonstick griddle (or two large nonstick skillets). Heat over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes.
- Using a 1/4-cup measuring cup per cake, transfer the salmon cakes to the griddle. Gently flatten.
- Cook until well-browned and crispy, about 3 minutes on each side, lowering heat to medium if griddle becomes too hot. Serve immediately.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.