Summers in Austin, Texas, are hot, humid, and oh so long. One afternoon, deep in the triple- digit days, a frosty package arrived on my...
Read MoreOven-Fried Salmon Cakes
http://www.MelJoulwan.com/2014/11/10/oven-fried-salmon-cakes/
I’ve been a naughty girl. I know that to manage my blood pressure I need to meditate every day, drink hibiscus tea, eat cold-water fish and potassium-rich foods, and pay attention to my stress level. I know these things! But over the last few months, I’ve been feeling so good, I thought I could get away with skimping on those good habits. You can probably guess what happened: My blood pressure skyrocketed.
[Insert here: self lecture on how I know better.]
So now I’m back to all my good habits, and my blood pressure is returning to a less worrisome range.
Which is all a long way to say: Friends, make sure you get enough Omega-3 fatty acids.
These salmon cakes are a delicious, easy way to do that. I’ve been eating them a lot! They’re fast – less than an hour from pantry to plate — and they use ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now. They’re great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and, like a favorite little black dress that makes you feel good and goes with everything, they’re easy to adapt to your mood and what’s in your kitchen.
For more on how to lower your blood pressure, these two articles from Chris Kresser are helpful:
How (and Why) To Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturely
6 Ways To Lower Blood Pressure By Changing Your Diet
Oven-Fried Salmon Cakes from Well Fed 2
Serves 2-4 |Prep 25 min | Cook 30 min | Whole30 approved
Ingredients:
1 (14.75 ounce) can wild-caught pink or red salmon
1 cup cooked (or canned) sweet potato, mashed
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 scallions, white and green, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
zest from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons ghee, melted
garnish with any of these:
minced fresh parsley
Directions:
1
Preheat the oven to 425F and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2
Drain the liquid from the salmon and using your fingers, crumble the fish into a large mixing bowl, removing the bones and flaking the fish. Add the sweet potato, eggs, almond flour, parsley, scallions, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, hot pepper sauce, paprika, black pepper, and lemon zest. Mix well and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
3
Brush the parchment paper with some of the melted ghee, then use a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop the cakes and drop them onto the parchment. The patties should be about 2 1/2 inches wide and about 1 inch thick. Brush the tops of the cakes with ghee, then bake for 20 minutes. Carefully flip each patty with a spatula and return to the oven. (Brush with more ghee if that tickles your fancy.) Bake an additional 10 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and your sauce of choice.
You Know How You Could Do That?
Replace Old Bay Seasoning with these spices…
Indian: 2 teaspoons curry powder (I like Penzeys Maharajah.)
Middle Eastern: 2 teaspoons cumin; top with Tahini Dressing
Mediterranean: 2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves; tip with diced tomatoes
Tropical: 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger, 1 clove crushed garlic; top with diced mango and Olive Oil Mayo
Asian: 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder and a splash of coconut aminos
Tex-Mex: 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, lime zest; top with Lizard Sauce
Jerky: 2 teaspoons Jerk Seasoning
Still hungry? Try these
February
15
Posted by
Paleo Tod Mun Chicken Cakes
Our favorite Thai joint back in our Austin days made a version of these crispy, spicy cakes that they served with a refreshing cucumber relish....
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No reason to pick out the bones! Just crush them up with your fingers and they mix right in. They’re so soft you will never notice them!!
I gotta disagree — the bigger, round, hollow bones (I think they’re the spine) stay too crunchy for my taste. But if the bones don’t bother you, there’s no harm in eating them.
I highly recommend breaking, blending, or pureeing the bones and eating them. They are a great source of calcium (One of the best non-dairy sources by far). I’m 57 and was just diagnosed with osteoporosis in my lower spine so I just researched this.
These cakes are delicious and I love the idea below about using avocado mayo as a sauce.
I know this is an old comment but I just have to say-my kids love the bones. It’s like a treasure hunt to find out who gets the most.
Always a top choice in our house! I especially love the Indian twist.
The easiest way to handle bones that I’ve found is using my hand-mixer or blender to puree the salmon. It also gives the patties a lovely creamy texture!
Rrrrrealllyyyy… I never would have thought of blending the salmon. The bones/skin are my biggest gripe about using canned salmon. I may just have to give this a try. I know I absolutely could not stomach eating the cakes with the bones in. I’m a texture girl.
Yup. The extreme heat from the canning process makes the bones disintegrate easily and the bones are a good source of calcium. A food processor would break all that down even more efficiently if you’re really worried about it. Now if it’s fresh salmon, that’s a whole other thing.
These look wonderful! Are they Whole30 compliant or does the almond flour disqualify them til after Whole30? Thanks very much for all you do!
They are Whole30 approved, so feel free to enjoy them during and after your Whole30. YAY!
These are delicious!! I decided to make these late last night so I could have them for breakfast… topped with a little avocado mayo.. I think these will be a weekly staple. Thank you!!
These are incredibly yummy. Do you think I could make enough for leftovers, and be able to keep them crispy when I reheat? Any tips?
As always, thanks much for your help and inspiration!
I’m glad you like them!
They store well in the fridge and the freezer. To reheat, you have two options:
Stovetop: I usually bring about 2-3 tablespoons water to boil in a skillet then add the cold salmon cakes. When the water is evaporated and the cakes are almost heated through, I plop a little fat in the pan and re-crisp them.
Oven: Wrap in foil and reheat at about 350F until hot, then open the foil to the cakes can get crisp, about 5 more minutes.
Thanks for the tips! I’ll definitely give these a try!
How many 6oz cans of wild plant skinless boneless salmon do you think equate to one 14.74oz can of salmon with bones and skin? I love salmon cakes and really want to try these!
Two and a half cans would be exact, but that’s annoying. I think two cans will work just fine because once the large can is drained, it’s probably about 12 ounces anyway. Or you can go the other way: use 3 cans of salmon and add another egg. It doesn’t have to be exact — I mess with the ingredients all the time based on what I have around, and they work just fine.
Don’t mean to sound like Charlie Brown but because of budget I made only four and sliced my finger on the salmon can in the process. So I was shaping them with one hand. They came amazing though. Thank you Melissa! Here’s a photo: http://instagram.com/p/vo3pT7xGr7/
I made the middle eastern version last night with the Tahini sauce and they were delicious! I can’t believe how cheap they are with the canned salmon from Trader Joe’s.
Right on! Glad you liked them. I’m started making a batch every week — just rotate through the different flavors. You can use tuna and white potatoes, too, if you want to change it up!
We had these today, and hubby really liked them! I substituted pumkin instead of sweet potatoe & 1/4 tsp. Of the following:Nutmeg, Cayenne pepper,dry mustard, & ginger. (I didnt have Old Bay Seasoning) We started our Whole 30..Dec. 1st enjoy your post muchly! 🙂
I made these Salmon Cakes this week for lunch. Amazing! This recipe will be a new staple in my house; as are many of your recipes. You have a brilliant talent for creating healthy and delicious food. Thank you a million times over for sharing your gift with the world.
OH My Stinkin Heck these are FANtastic!!! Finally got around to making them (bookmarked first day I got your cookbooks mind you) and needed to clean out the pantry this week.
YOU are a genius Melicious! I started out with the can of salmon and thinking “wtfudge, bones? are you kidding me??” and after deciding to pick out only the big vertebrae ones, we went to town making them (ok Hubby went to town!) We substituted the almond flour with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free (allergic to almonds) and instead of the egg (another allergy) used your cream of tarter+baking soda trick from the meatballs, and wow were they good! Never thought I’d want to eat a salmon cake for breakfast, but these are that deelish…
When is Well Fed 3 coming out, and sign me up!!! Thank you so much for ridiculously wonderful recipes that no one ever knows all the other crap they eat is really missing from these meals! (Still waiting on the Schwetty Balls btw!) :^D
Best,
Johanna
These look so delicious and easy Melissa!
Can crabmeat be substituted? I miss crab cakes!
Yes, but make sure it doesn’t include added sugar if you’re being strict paleo/Whole30. And use real crab, not crab sticks because they usually include gluten.
Do you have a calorie or ww point on these wonderful recipes
I don’t do calorie calculations on my recipes. If you’re curious, you can use a calculator like this one: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
I just made those. Delicious! Easy, fast, healthy.
Forgot to add- I used chestnut flour instead of almond. Didn’t have it. I am planning to make them with the almond flour next time to compare:)
Hi Melissa, I am in Australia and have not heard of Old Bay Seasoning are you able to tell me what this ‘blend’ is please 🙂
These are the spices in it: celery salt (salt, celery seed), spices (including mustard, red pepper, black pepper, bay [laurel] leaves, cloves, allspice (pimento), ginger mace, cardamom, cinnamon), and paprika.
thanks so much – will check it out 🙂
Old Bay is originally a product of the state of Maryland in the US. If you know anyone there, or anywhere in the US at this point, they may be able to send/bring it to you!! I believe the central ingredient is the bay leaves. Enjoy!
I’m originally from Maryland and old bay is huge out there. I now live out west and you can find it out in the seasoning isle. It’s amazing. 🙂
Here is a recipe here for it to make your own Peta. http://www.food.com/recipe/old-bay-seasoning-copycat-189447
Am absolutely in LOVE with these!!! However, I have noticed that perhaps the almond flour is bothering my stomach. Melissa, can you recommend a substitute for the almond flour in these little yummy gems???
I’ve used coconut flour (use 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup), and honestly, you could probably leave it out and replace it with additional sweet potato without anything going kerfluey.
I love that you used the word “kerfluey” – perfection! I understand completely! Ha!
Sorry, forgot to ask if the almond flour substitute can also be whole 30 compliant
Yes, it’s OK for Whole30.
Can I use a fresh salmon as opposed to canned salmon? I have some in the fridge I bought and would love to make these.
Yes, that will work great.
Great thank you for replying so quickly.. Trying to make small lifestyle changes so eventually my whole way of eating is different … It geat to have website/blogs like this.. Thank you and look forward to more recipes that are easy and not intimidating. 🙂
For those of us new to this creative cooking process, can you tell me what I would have to do to the fresh salmon in the fridge in order to be able to use it for the patties? And would small yellow potatoes work with the salmon as well? I’m planning to make it Indian style. Thanks!
Just flake the salmon with a fork and follow the instructions in the recipe — and yes, you can replace the sweet potatoes with any variety of white. You’ll need to boil or microwave the potatoes until tender, then mash with a fork.
I used the 6oz can of salmon that was already de-skinned and boned and just cut everything in half- Delicious!
I am in love with these! My husband and I are loving our Whole30 and these have been a staple. However, I am suspicious that I have an egg sensitivity. Could you recommend a substitute? I was thinking of simply adding more sweet potato as a binder.
Thanks! You are an amazing resource and so wonderful to share your passion with us!
Here’s what I suggest: Make a batch without egg, then cook just one cake in the oven and see if it holds together. If it does, you’re good to go to bake the rest. It should work without the egg, I think — just flip very carefully. If that doesn’t work, try adding 2 tablespoons arrowroot mixed with 2 tablespoons water. That should do the trick.
This was probably my favorite thing that I’ve made all month while on Whole30! I subbed tuna for the salmon, Lebanese Seven Spice for the Old Bay, and a small diced red onion for the scallions… it was so, so scrumptious. Thank you! 🙂
If I used fresh salmon do I cook it first?
Nope. You can either flake it with a fork and mix with the other ingredients, or put everything into the food processor and pulse until it’s combined.
I made this tonight and am in love!! I’m diabetic and my doctor & nutritionist recommend that I count carbs. Any idea what the carbs count is in these cakes?
I’m so glad I came up on this site! Thank you.
I don’t calculate the nutrition info for my recipes, but you can always plug my recipes into a recipe calculator like this one http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp if you prefer to know specifics.
Hope you like the recipe!
Ditch the canned salmon and use fresh pink boneless skinless salmon from Sam’s club. Simply grind in a food processor and I promise you will not be disappointed!!!
I made these for dinner last night. They were fantastic and I can’t wait to make them again. I had thought about leaving out the sweet potatoe but chose not to. Boy am I glad I left it in. Yummo!
I made these two nights ago and my family loved them!! I put all of the ingredients in the food processor and that made everything so easy! My family said they would like this weekly and that made this mama so proud! Thank you for such a great recipe!!
Lush! I made these with canned pumpkin instead of sweet potato as I had some hanging about and I have no clue what Old Bay Seasoning is so I just put extra chilli in! Awesome recipe thank you.
I cannot wait to try these! If I am making ahead and freezing them….should I cook them first? Or can I freeze the prepped patties before cooking then defrost and cook as per the directions?
Thank you!
I think cooking, cooling, freezing, defrosting, reheating is the best order of operation 🙂 Let them cool after cooking, then stack them with a piece of parchment paper in between each layer. When you’re ready to eat, defrost in the fridge and reheat in a covered pan on the stove over medium-low heat or pop into the oven wrapped in foil. You could also microwave to reheat if you’re in a hurry,
What can be used in place of sweet potato or pumpkin? Picky eaters around my house! Or is it subtle enough they might not notice?
It’s very subtle, so I’d be surprised if they noticed. But you can use white potato instead — you don’t really taste it. It’s more for texture and to take the place of the breadcrumbs usually used in fish cakes.
So I feel dumb asking this but what is ghee? And can this be made without the flour? As I only have all purpose and self rising, at the moment I don’t have the money to go by it. I am trying to go healthy and want to make these!
Not dumb at all!
Ghee is butter that’s been clarified. That means it’s been melted to separate the fat from teh proteins. You drain off the proteins and are left with just the healthy fats.
Having said all that, you can use whatever cooking fat you like in all of my recipes. So if you don’t have ghee, you could use coconut oil, pastured lard, duck fat, etc.
You can omit the flour, but you might want to add an additional 1/2 cup of sweet potato to make up for it. Enjoy!
These little salmon cakes look great and you right in saying they will go with anything. Will be nice on a bed of salad. They sound very light to eat so you won’t have that full/bloated feeling after eating them. Not too sure on the hot sauce though!
Can you use regular flour rather than almond flour?
You can leave the hot sauce out if that’s not your thing and yes, you can use regular flour, but then it’s definitely not paleo.
Hmmm good point! How about gluten free flour? Sorry I’m a little bit new to this eating paleo
You can use gluten-free flour, but most gluten-free flours are also not paleo. They’re usually based on rice and corn.
Your options, if you don’t want to use almond flour, are coconut flour, tapioca starch, or arrowroot — or you can just leave the starch out completely.
I will give them a go without the starch and see how they turn out. I think they should be ok without it. But if not I will use coconut flour. Thanks for your help.
Hello, I swear you have the absolute best recipes. My family loves every single one of yours I have tried. My two year old is now meatball obsessed. Anyway, two questions: 1. If I leave out the hot sauce so the kiddos can eat them do I need to replace that moisture with something else? 2. Could I roll these into meatballs instead of cakes? If so what size would you make them and what would be the best cooking method? Thanks!
1. No need to replace the hot sauce; it’s for flavoring only.
2. You could make them into balls! I would say either 2 tablespoons (kind of small) or 1/4 cup (golf-ball-ish). Baking would be best, probably 10-15 minutes.
Not sure which hot sauce you used that is whole30 compliant? Don’t most of them have sugar?
There are lots of hot sauce brands that contain just vinegar, peppers, and salt. Just read the labels and you’ll be fine. If you want to skip the hot sauce issue, you can just add a little more cayenne instead.
How amazing were these salmon cakes!!! I used chinese five spice instead of the Old Bay and they were just magnificent. I had some leftover too so I heated one up this morning and put my scrambled egg on top, so it was like unbelievably yummy toast. Thanks for the great recipe
YAY! Glad you like them!
This was soo good! We had left over salmon that we had barbecued on a cedar plank so I used that instead of the canned salmon. This is one of our favorites! Thank you!
We’re on our third week of our first Whole 30. You’re site has been so helpful through the experience. This has been our favorite recipe, I just made our third batch! They work perfectly for my husband to take with him to work and eat cold (if they make it that long)! Thanks so much for sharing your recipes.
Congratulations on Whole30-ing! I’m really glad you’ve found my recipes helpful. And yeah, I like the salmon cakes cold, too. GRAB AND GO! 🙂
These were great! Could you make them with crab meat instead to have crab cakes? 🙂
Absolutely. You might want to use white potato instead of sweet potato with crab, since crab is already fairly sweet. Enjoy!
Linda, did you try this with crab? I love crab cakes! I’d love to know how it turned out!!
I’ve heard from some folks that crab works great!
I love these! I’ve been making them every week since you posted them. They are perfect anytime of day and they hold together so well. Sometimes I use tuna and sometimes I substitute 1T of coconut flour for the almond flour and they turn out just as great.
It’s great to know they’re so forgiving, right?! I’ve used just about every time of paleo-friendly flour, as well as white potatoes instead of sweet. So happy you like them!
Mel, these are SO DAMN GOOD! A total winner, winner, salmon cake dinner! Boys loved it, I loved it. I have enjoyed all of your recipes but this one totally rocked my world. AND, it was my very first time making the mayo. I completely geeked out on it. It was such a cool little sciencey thing!
Kitchen science is fun, right?! Glad these were a hit!
Do these freeze well?
They freeze great! Cook them, then let them cool and wrap in aluminum foil. I usually do a serving (2-3 cakes) in each packet. Defrost in the fridge, then either reheat in the oven, microwaved, or in a non-stick skillet.
Thanks! Love these so much, still have to try the variations!
I’m so glad! Definitely try the variations — they’re pretty fun!
Would this work egg free?
I haven’t tried making them without the egg, so I can’t guarantee the results. HOWEVER, I have made salmon burgers with canned salmon — without egg — and they worked just fine. So… I think these will work without the egg, although you might want to blitz the whole thing in a food processor to make more of a paste to help them hold together minus the egg. Let me know how it turns out!
I’m not paleo or Whole30, but I wanted to give these a try. Fried salmon croquettes are a soul food staple here in the South, but frying can leave your house smelling like greasy fish for a week! Baking them was an awesome alternative. They were so flavorful and filling. Mine were pretty dense, so next time I will make them thinner and smaller. Yum-o!
Glad you enjoyed them! Happy new year.
I just made these and love the taste but for some odd reason mine did not crisp despite following the directions 🙁 Not sure what I might have done wrong besides being a horrible cook.
Without being in the kitchen with you while you’re cooking, there’s no way for me to know what might the issue might be. But here are some maybes… maybe your oven doesn’t run as hot as mine; try increasing the temp by 25F. Maybe they just need to bake longer. Maybe they need a little more ghee on the outside. Hope these suggestions help! (If you have a broiler, give them a few minutes under the broiler to crisp them up!)
My prep day is usually on Saturday, and I would like to prep these for Monday night. Since we are at the gym so late, I’d love to come home, warm up the oven and cook them. Do you think I can pre-form these on a try, then stick them in the oven Monday, or do you recommend just going ahead and cooking them, then reheating?
Either method will work. If you want them crisp(iest) when you eat them, wait until Monday to bake. They’re still good when you bake and reheat, but they’re a little more crispy the first time around.
Awesome 🙂 Thanks for the quick reply!!
Just a quick update! They turned out delicious (as usual), but they were a little…wet. They seemed to be less sturdy than usual, but it didn’t affect the taste at all. My husband even made up a song about how much he loves “fish cakes.” These are always my go-to when I am stuck for something quick, and I love knowing I can add them to my prep day!!
I just made these and we loved them thank you. Hubby doesn’t even like salmon but he ate 4 and asked for more 😉
I made them without egg and used coconut instead of almond due to allergies. It worked just fine, but you do need to be careful when you flip them.
I have both of your books and looking forward to the next.
That’s so awesome! Glad they were a hit! Thank you for buying our cookbooks — can’t wait for everyone to see the new one!
Making these tomorrow for Valentines Day. 🙂 I’m not a huge fish fan so I’m a little scared. I only like one seafood item and that’s crab lol. I’m going to use frozen salmon instead and bake the samon, then in a bowl I’m going to take two forks and run them through it. I’m also subsitiuting the almond flour for a gluten free flour since there wasn’t almond flour at the grocery store. I’m hoping they are good, just a little scared. I do love crab cakes so I’m hoping to love this!
I hope you enjoy them! That’s pretty bold making a recipe that you’re pretty sure you won’t like 😉
I heard salmon tastes good and isn’t fishy and read the comments that it taste good. Plus, old bay is an amazing seasoning. I’m trying to make more recipes that aren’t processed or have too much processed ingredients in them since I have celiac disease and need to eat healthier foods then the gluten free foods, so I need to expand my horizons on food. 🙂
I just made them and for me not being a fish fan or a sweet potato fan these were really, good! Next time I’m leaving the lemon zest out though…I didn’t have a grater so I used a paring knife and it added small chunks of lemon so when eating it in the salmon cake it wouldn’t taste good. Will make again. 🙂
Just wanted to thank you for this recipe. We make a salmon patty recipe that we were really missing while being on Whole30. I was going to try to substitute some of the ingredients to make them compliant, but I stumbled upon your recipe and figured it was worth a try. I have never been able to enjoy sweet potato, so I was a little nervous. Wow, these were AMAZING!! I might never make our old recipe again. These were so good, we made a double batch and ate them over salad mix for days after. MMMMmmm. I did leave out the Old Bay just as a personal preference.
Hooray! I’m glad they solved your salmon cake problem! If you want, you can replace the sweet potatoes with white, too.
I planned on making these today but I can’t get my hands on any ghee. Is there anything you would recommend as a substitute ?
You can use any fat you like; I chose ghee because the buttery flavor is nice, but extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil would also be great. Enjoy!
Melissa you’re so awesome!
Day 1 of my very first whole30 today. I made these yesterday and heating them up today and had them with lizard sauce for tea. SO MUCH YUM! I’ll be honest, when I was making them I was not convinced but I was so wrong and these are just fab.
Thank you thank you thank you! I have more of your recipes on the menu this week and will definitely be buying your books!
Happy Whole30-ing! I’m glad you enjoyed the salmon cakes! Wishing you an awesome month of clean eating.
Melissa, I have such a funny story for you, centered around these most delicious salmon cakes! My husband and I started our Whole30 exactly 30 days ago today, and we have been relying heavily on your recipes – thank goodness for your site!! Well, I made these salmon cakes the first weekend and my whole family loved them so much, they asked me to make them again the next weekend. So I did, but that time, I doubled the recipe – I thought, “hey, that’s great – we’ll have them again tomorrow and I won’t have to cook!” Well, 2 batches made 18 cakes and they were ALL GONE by the time I got home from work the next day. My 11 year old and my 13 year old sons both had them for breakfast, took them in their lunches for school, and had them as after school snacks that day. So much for not having to cook that night! So I made them AGAIN the next weekend, and AGAIN this past weekend. And nobody is sick of them – they are on the meal plan AGAIN for this coming weekend as well. THAT’S how wonderful they are!! I have never made any recipe that has been constantly requested every week by my family until now. Thank you so much for the recipe and for making my Whole30 delicious!!
Also, quick question: i was thinking about making these in appetizer form for a cook-out next weekend. If I made them using a 1/8 cup measuring cup for a scoop, how long do you think they’d need to be in the oven before flipping?
This story is SO great! Thank you for sharing it with me! I love the idea of your kids eating salmon cakes as snacks… that’s amazingly awesome. I’m very happy this recipe is such a hit with your family.
Appetizer-size salmon cakes sound adorable! I think maybe 5-7 minutes on the first side, then flip and do another 5 minutes, then they’ll probably be done. Check them at 5 minutes because that’s pretty small, and they might not need much time to get browned.
Thanks for the quick reply on the mini-cakes. I’m going to give it a shot this weekend and I’ll let you know how they turn out!!
So I made these this weekend and they were a HIT!! I used 1/8 cup measuring spoon, so there were a bunch of them! I simply took them out of the oven, and took them to the party. They were really close to room temperature by the time we go there, but as you know, they are delicious even when cold. Served with your homemade Paleo Ranch and a homemade paleo citrus vinagrette (no one had any idea!) and they were gobbled up!
Right on! Glad they were a hit. Now I kind of want to make them tiny next time just for fun… my own lunchtime cocktail party!
Any thoughts on using whitefish instead of salmon? I have a bunch left over and love this recipe, and wonder if it would be a good substitute?
White fish will work, but you might want to replace the sweet potatoes with cooked white potato instead. I think the flavors will meld better. Enjoy!
Hi! What’s the serving size for this recipe? I know it says serves 2-4 but if I’m scaling it up to feed a group of 20 with a few big eaters I’m trying to get a better idea of how much to plan for. Thank you!
I usually eat three for a meal, so if you’re feeding 20 people, you’ll want at least 60 cakes. Each batch makes about 9 salmon cakes, so you’ll want to make about 7 batches, I think.
Perfect! Thank you so much, this is exactly what I needed!
Hi! I just wanted to check back in with an update! I made a ridiculous amount (I think 8 batches) because I’m just that kind of person. I baked and froze them beforehand, so the day I served them I just thawed and reheated them in the oven . So easy. We served them with coleslaw and cornbread, and people were over the moon about them. So much so that the leftovers were happily gobbled up the next day with fried eggs for breakfast, and even room temperature as a portable easy snack while drinking beer and lounging at the lake. Really, they were the hit of our annual friend family vacation. Thank you so much for a foolproof, super delicious recipe!
I love this story! I’m glad the salmon cakes were a hit — and your vacation sounds just perfect. Hope you have tons of fun memories!
What kind of canned salmon are you guys buying that has bones in it?? I love these, no bones in my cans, goes great with foolproof homemade mayo! Good with eggs too. I also always use cilantro.
Just made these. I made half with salmon and sweet potatoes, and half with crab and Yukon gold potatoes. They were both yummy, but the salmon cakes were by far the better cake. I mixed up 2Tb of homemade compliant mayo with the juice of 1 lemon and a bunch of chopped parsley for my sauce. Thank you Melissa for the recipe and inspiration!
So glad you’re enjoying them and having fun playing with the recipe!
If eggs are a no-go (due to allergies), would there be a substitute you could use (and still be whole30 compliant)?
The egg helps hold them together, but you can leave the egg out and just be very gentle when you handle and flip them. You should be just fine!
I left out the eggs and was very gentle in flipping – turned out amazing!!
I’m so happy that worked for you!
I’ve just pulled another batch of salmon cakes out of the oven. Some day I’d like to try all the variations, but I’m delightfully stuck on the Middle Eastern ones, with NINE-Spice Lebanese Seasoning – why go with seven when you can use nine?
It still amazes me that I can get four meals of two cakes each out of one can of salmon, plus they’re so delicious (with Tahini Sauce) and filling that, paired with a big salad and/or some steamed broccoli, I’m pleasantly full for hours. You’re right, Melissa – I always have the ingredients on hand, so I’m ready to roll whenever I get a salmon jones. Thank you!
I’ve been meaning to make these for awhile and they were good but I need to tweak (or add the suggested spice options). I used Whole Food canned salmon and it didn’t have any bones. I threw it all in my food processor and maybe that’s where I went wrong. There wasn’t enough texture and I expected it to be more like a crab cake. However, they were still good and I easily had this for a meal for three of us and used a sauce that I made From the WellFed cookbok last week. Definitely worth making these but need to spice it up more for our tastes.
Yes, the food processor will dramatically change how these look and feel in your mouth. If you want my recipes to come out the way they’re intended, you need to follow my instructions—I test my recipes a lot to get the best texture, flavor, etc.
It’s also worth noting that crab cakes are generally made from lump crab meat, which is much larger chunks and a firmer texture than flaked salmon. If you want a more crab cake-like texture, you should use salmon fillet that’s been broken into chunks with your fingers, lightly tossed with the other ingredients, and cooked—definitely not pureed in a food processor. Regarding the taste, crab is far sweeter and less fishy than salmon, so if you want a taste like crab cakes, you really need to use crab (or shrimp is closer in flavor to crab than salmon is).
Made these a couple of weeks ago for my sister’s family and they were devoured by everyone (including the two year old and 7 month old!) I’m wondering if I could make (but not bake) the mixture a day or two in advance and just have it ready in the fridge for an easy throw-in-the-oven dinner. Any thoughts?
Yes, you can store the uncooked salmon mixture in the fridge for 2-3 days before cooking. These also freeze great, frozen or uncooked.
These are delicious and I make them quite often. However my boyfriend is allergic to nuts and seeds so I can’t share them. Is there any other kind of flour that can be used instead of almond flour?
You can use 1/4 cup coconut flour or 1/2 cup cassava flour.
Melissa,
These are great, but my salmon cakes came out super salty. I used Trader Joe’s Wild Salmon. Was I supposed to rinse the salmon?
Nope, if you needed to rinse, I would definitely have included that in the directions. Now that you know the Trader Joe’s is on the salty side for you, skip any additional salt in the recipe next time.
I don’t know HOW I haven’t actually commented yet, because this is one of my all-time favorite recipes. Seriously. I’m planning on making them tonight with canned sweet potatoes because that’ll make them even easier. Seriously, whenever I get asked about Whole30 Approved recipes, I ALWAYS tell people this one. Even if you aren’t a “fish” person, these are just so.damn.good. Oh also, I’ve used tapioca flour or coconut flour and both have worked fine in a pinch.
Hooray! I’m really glad you like them. They are kind of like a screwdriver or a band-aid: the perfect tool for the job 🙂
I’m sure this recipe doesn’t need another comment, but I’ve been making it regularly for a few years and wanted to drop a compliment (great! saved my Whole 30!) and a tip. There are already a lot of steps, and I found the cooking/peeling/mashing sweet potatoes sent this into “too much” for me too often. I tried it with canned pumpkin. Great! But I found I was throwing away the extra pumpkin from the can because I couldn’t use it fast enough. So now I make these with a can of TJ salmon — pulsed in the food processor enough to break up the bones and skin — plus a whole can of pumpkin. I do everything else to recipe and they turn out great, maybe even a bit lighter than the original. Just a hack for anyone who needs it.
Great hack! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I made these again the other day and I just want to say that these are now a staple in my house! I double the batch because my daughter will take them to school for lunch, eat them for breakfast (they are awesome with a fried egg or sunny side up on top), and for snack! I always make an avocado sauce of some sort to go with them, or serve with some olives. I love how easy they are to make and even more how incredible healthy and delicious these are. I love all of your recipes!
YES! I love to eat them for breakfast, too! Avocado sauce? Genius.
Hi! I’m cooking for both myself and my boyfriend, trying to stay whole30 approved. Do you think I could substitute almond flour for sunflower seed flour? He’S allergic!
I’ve never used sunflower seed flour, but I can’t think of any reason why it wouldn’t work—that should be just fine! Let me know how it turns out!
Made these last night for Valentine’s Day, with a homemade mustard-based aioli sauce and bacon-wrapped asparagus and they were great! I think they would have been better if I’d added the mashed sweet potato/yam (I literally didn’t have time to make it), as they came out pretty dry. :/
But this was honestly probably THE fastest and easiest Whole30 meal I’ve made to date (and I’m Day 24 and OMG I’M SO TIRED OF COOKING. That says a lot for someone who LOVES to cook too!). I also got over my aversion to canned food with the fish and surprised the boyfriend with the compliant aioli sauce. I think I may give these another whirl this weekend with the added mashed yams, but I can’t wait to have last night’s leftovers in my lunch salad with avocado today!
Oh! You are going to like them so much more with the sweet potato in them. I can imagine they were very dry without the binder to make them softer. And I hear you: There is SO MUCH COOKING involved in eating well. Hang in there!
Just finishing up my first whole 30 of the year and this is by far my most favourite recipe. The texture and taste is above and beyond what I had expected. Thank you so much, this will be on rotation even after my whole 30!!!
Congratulations on Whole3-ing! Glad you find a keeper recipe 🙂
Made these last night and they are absolutely delicious! I used the curry powder mod and could not get over how good the flavors are. I think next time I might try a Spanish flair with green olives and smoked paprika. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I’m really happy that you like them and that you’re inspired to experiment with the flavors. It *is* a very flexible recipe—have fun! I love your idea for smoked paprika and olives. So smart!