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Easy Salmon Patties (4 Ingredients!)

This easy Salmon Patties recipe has only four ingredients and happen to be gluten-free. It's a quick weeknight dinner that's super simple, healthy, and totally kid-friendly. These crispy salmon cakes are easy on the budget because they're made with canned salmon!

Stack of salmon cakes on a plate with fork showing inside texture of a patty.
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Salmon patties from canned salmon

These canned salmon patties are easy enough to make it into our easy weeknight dinner rotation, so I needed to share this recipe with you!

Canned salmon is a great source of calcium, thanks to the bones in the salmon. If you're thinking "ewwww" about the bones, please note that the tiny bones in canned salmon are really soft. They're totally edible, and you won't even notice they're there when they're mashed up with the rest of the ingredients.

Since these salmon patties are made from canned salmon, you can keep a few cans in the pantry and make them any time, without needing to have fresh salmon in the fridge, or without remembering to thaw frozen salmon.

I have lots of canned salmon recipes you can check out for more ideas!

Stack of salmon cakes on a plate

Related recipe: Lox and Egg Tartine Appetizer

Gluten-free salmon cakes

This recipe uses hash browns to make crispy, browned, delicious salmon cakes. The hash browns act like a filler instead of flour, making this a great gluten-free salmon patties recipe.

High protein kid-friendly recipe

These salmon cakes are great because they have a lot of protein from salmon and eggs.

The salmon also has healthy omega 3 fatty acids, which are good for brain development.

Salmon patty ingredients:

  • 15 oz canned salmon, drained through a colander to squeeze out all the liquid
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 cups frozen hashbrowns, thawed
  • 5 oz frozen spinach, thawed
  • 1-1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Ground black pepper, to taste
  • Olive oil, for cooking

Optional add-ins: Try stirring in ½ teaspoon garlic and/or onion powder, or paprika for more flavor.

Ingredients for salmon patties

Related recipe: One-pan Salmon and Orzo Dinner

Don't forget to thaw your ingredients!

The spinach and hash browns need to be thawed before you make the salmon cakes, so either put them in the fridge the night before, or thaw them on the countertop a few hours before you plan to cook.

If you forget to thaw them, you can place the closed, sealed packaging into a bowl of hot water and switch out the hot water until the ingredients thaw inside the package.

Instructions for making salmon cakes

Step 1: Squeeze water from spinach. Drain the canned salmon in a colander and gently press down with a spoon to squeeze out any excess liquid.

Step 2: Combine spinach, thawed hash browns, and drained salmon in a large bowl, using a fork to flake the salmon.

Salmon cake ingredients mixed together in a bowl

Step 3: Gently stir in eggs, salt, and pepper.

Step 4: Form salmon mixture into palm-sized patties and add to pan.

Step 5: Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over medium heat—the more oil, the crispier the salmon cakes. Sauté in batches, cooking for approximately 5-6 minutes on each side over medium-low heat, or until the hash browns have turned golden brown on the outside of the patty and are tender on the inside and the egg mixture inside is fully cooked.

Salmon cakes cooking in a pan.

Serve warm on their own, in a bun, or over a salad.

Tips for perfect salmon cakes

Make sure you do a good job of squeezing the water out of the salmon and the spinach so that the patties don't fall apart while they're cooking.

Sauté the patties in an oil-coated pan over medium heat for 5 minutes per side, or until golden on the outside.

How to freeze salmon cakes

These salmon patties are very freezer friendly if you have leftovers, or if you want to stock your freezer with some pre-made meals. Just cook them first and then freeze them after they've cooled.

Thaw the patties in the fridge and reheat in the microwave, toaster oven, or oven when you're ready to eat.

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!

Stack of salmon cakes on a plate

Easy Salmon Patties

This salmon patty recipe is so easy to prepare, quick to cook, and delicious to eat! Just 4 ingredients! Just make sure to thaw the spinach and hash browns beforehand.
4.60 from 52 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Servings: 10 patties
Calories: 164kcal
Author: Kate

Ingredients

  • 15 oz canned salmon well drained
  • 5 oz frozen spinach thawed
  • 3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes thawed
  • 4 eggs beaten
  • 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt use less if your hash browns have added salt
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or other cooking oil

Instructions

  • Squeeze water from spinach. Drain the sanned salmon in a colander, squeezing out extra liquid with a spoon.
  • Combine spinach, hash browns and drained salmon in a large bowl, using a fork to flake the salmon.
  • Gently stir in eggs, salt, and pepper.
  • Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over medium heat.
  • Form salmon mixture into palm-sized patties and add to pan.
  • Saute over medium-low heat in batches, cooking for approximately 5-6 minutes on each side, or until the hash browns have turned golden brown on the outside of the patty and are tender on the inside and the inside is fully cooked.
  • Serve warm over a salad, in a burger or slider bun with some tartar sauce, or on their own.

Notes

Depending on the brand of frozen hash browns that you use, you may need to add more or less salt than recommended. Some frozen hash browns are pre-seasoned while others are not. The best way to make sure you've got the right amount is to make a small test patty before you cook the whole batch, or add the salt before the egg and give the mixture a taste.
These salmon cakes are also great shaped into nuggets for kids.

Nutrition

Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 560mg | Potassium: 394mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 1785IU | Vitamin C: 5.9mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 1.5mg
Recipe Rating




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Little Tree

Friday 19th of January 2024

I have made salmon patties many times. But I will surely try yours. Looks yummy. Thank you so much. Us cooks need help at times and new ideas.

Ken

Friday 1st of December 2023

I am still making/enjoying these. (My comment below is from 2017 when I first tried them.)

Tips:

After mixing up a batch, I put a piece of wax paper on a small plastic cutting board. I put a round metal cookie cutter on the wax paper. I then fill the cookie cutter with the mixture. I then lift the cookie cutter, put another piece of wax paper on top of the patty and slide the patty into a freezer bag. A large spatula can help with this. I usually freeze a batch of uncooked patties for later. When I pull a frozen batch out of the freezer, I put it on a plate in the fridge for a day or two to thaw them.

Cooking:

I melt a pat of butter on a pan before adding a patty. When I flip the patty, I put another pat of butter down first. I also sometimes add Panko bread crumbs while cooking them. This gives a patty a nice crunchy coating. And, the butter helps the crumbs stick.

Just before a patty is finished cooking, I pour on one of the following barbeque sauce, General Tso's cooking sauce, sweet & sour sauce, or just about any Asian sauce like tikka marsala sauce.

I then put the patty on a nice bun. If I used barbeque sauce, I add one or two slices of cheese to the patty. I have also tried adding caramelized onions before adding the cheese.

If it's not clear: I really like these patties. They are a really nice basic recipe/meal that allows me to add on extras.

Charlene Wilcoxen

Thursday 14th of September 2023

I like salmon patties with creamed peas and mashed potatoes

Kimberly Wilson

Friday 1st of May 2020

This recipe was delicious and healthy. I will use this one often! Also, I added a tablespoon of mayo.

Alyssa

Friday 1st of May 2020

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! The mayo is a great idea.

Adriana

Saturday 31st of August 2019

Sockeye salmon is my favorite and loved that you used it canned. These patties look so good and very easy to make. I will definitely add this to my recipes to cook next week.

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