Easy Salmon Patties with Creamy Lemon-Garlic Sauce
Posted: 02/29/24
Updated: 01/28/25
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This simple salmon patty recipe is a quick and easy way to use fresh, frozen, leftover, or canned salmon, with delectable results. The creamy lemon-garlic sauce is the perfect compliment to the crisp salmon patties, and this entire recipe can be thrown together in just 10 minutes.
What We Love About This Recipe
- This is maybe the easiest and definitely the BEST recipe for homemade salmon patties you’ll ever try! It’s super quick, super delicious, and a great way to utilize leftover or canned salmon.
- The patty mixture is beautifully balanced, not too bready or crumbly, not too wet or dense.
- Speaking of the patties, they’re FULL of amazing flavor, from the onions and parsley, garlic, lemon, black pepper, sea salt, and even the nutty almond flour.
- The creamy, savory lemon-garlic sauce is the perfect salmon patty complement. Tangy and rich, yet light and bright, it amplifies the ingredients in the patty mixture while adding a little something more.
Chef’s Tips
- If you’re using canned salmon, be sure to drain the excess liquid first! If you don’t, your salmon patties may be too wet to hold together properly. They also won’t crisp up as well.
- Be careful that your oil isn’t too hot or too cool. Oil that’s too hot will burn the outside of the patties without cooking the insides, making them mushy in the middle. If the oil’s not hot enough, though, the patties will soak up the oil instead of frying, making them dense and greasy with no crisp outer layer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you freeze salmon patties?
Yes! I recommend forming the patties and then freezing them before you cook them. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper, lay the formed salmon patties on the paper in a single layer, and freeze them for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, you can transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container, then just keep them frozen until you’re ready to cook them! They’ll keep up to 3 months if frozen properly.
Why are my salmon patties falling apart?
If there’s not enough moisture in the patty mixture, the patties won’t hold their shape and will fall apart when you cook them. If that happens, you can add a little mayo to each patty, roll the patty into a ball between your palms to incorporate the mayo, then reform the patty shape and cook as intended.
Why are my salmon patties rubbery?
You most likely had the heat under your skillet too high or cooked the salmon patties too long. Overcooking fish can give it a dry, chewy, rubbery texture.
Other Recipes You Will Love
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Quick & Easy Tuna Salad Recipe
- Creamy Dill Sauce
- Lemon Garlic Salmon (Whole30, Paleo, Low Carb, Keto)
- Seafood Jambalaya
- Baked Fish with Lemon-Garlic Butter
- Fish Taco Sauce
- Air Fryer Frozen Fish Sticks
- Salmon Meuniere
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Easy Salmon Patties with Creamy Lemon-Garlic Sauce
Savory, flavorful salmon patties with a rich garlic sauce, all ready in less than 10 minutes!
salmon patties
Ingredients
For the Lemon-Garlic Sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley plus more for garnish
For the Salmon Patties
- 16 ounces cooked salmon or 1 14.75-ounce can canned salmon
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ⅔ cup fine almond flour
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt more or less to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper more or less to taste
- neutral oil approximately 2-4 tablespoons as needed
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- chopped fresh parsley
- lemon wedges
Equipment
- Small mixing bowl with lid, or plastic wrap to cover
- spoon or silicone spatula
- medium mixing bowl
- Fork
- 2-ounce disher (size 16) or cookie scoop with release handle
- Parchment paper or baking sheet
- Large skillet
- large plate lined with paper towels
Instructions
For the Lemon Garlic Sauce
- Add ¼ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, and 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley to small mixing bowl.
- Stir all ingredients together until well incorporated. Cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the Salmon Patties
- Using fork, flake 16 ounces cooked salmon (approximately 4 cups loosely packed) into medium mixing bowl.
- Add 2 large eggs (lightly beaten), ½ cup chopped onion, ⅔ cup fine almond flour, ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt, and ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper to mixing bowl with flaked salmon. Stir ingredients together until fully combined.
- Use disher to scoop 2-ounce portions of salmon mixture from bowl. Roll portion of salmon mixture between palms of hands to form smooth ball, then gently press ball into evenly-thick patty shape.
- Place salmon patty on parchment paper and repeat process until entire salmon mixture has been formed into patties.
- Place large skillet on stovetop over medium heat. When pan is warm, add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and swirl or tilt pan to distribute oil across entire surface. Continue warming pan until oil is hot and shimmery.
- When oil is ready, place salmon patties in skillet in single layer, being careful not to overcrowd pan. Work in batches as needed.
- Cook salmon patties 5 to 6 minutes or until golden-brown on bottom, then flip patties over. Continue cooking salmon patties approximately 5 minutes more, until golden-brown on both sides. Be careful not to overcook patties.
- Once both sides of salmon patties are fully cooked, transfer pan-fried salmon patties to large plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until all patties have been pan-fried, adding oil to skillet as needed.
- Once all salmon patties have been pan-fried, transfer patties to serving plates. Spoon prepared lemon-garlic sauce over salmon patties. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and lemon wedges, then serve immediately.
Notes
- Salmon: If using canned salmon, be sure to drain the excess liquid from the can first or your salmon patties may be too wet.
- Flour: We only tried this with almond flour; we do not know the success rate with white wheat flour.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1 salmon patty with sauce | Calories: 214kcal | Protein: 16g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Total Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Net Carbs: 3g | Vitamin C: 6mg | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 130mg | Potassium: 353mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Delicious! WAAAYYY better than the salmon patties mom made. I added about 1/2 tsp dill to the sauce, it was delicious! The sauce made our rice pilaf amazingly delicious!
Ooh, that sounds delish! Thanks for sharing, Dana!
I love making salmon cakes, and Iam going to tey this recipe soon. I have a question though, can these be baked so I can use less fat?
We haven’t tried that, so we can’t say for sure. Be sure to let us know if you try it! 😊
I just use Self Rising flour!
Perfect! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Frances!
To have 4 cups of loosely packed salmon, wouldn’t I need more than 1 can of salmon? 4 cups seems like a lot.
Hi, Jennifer! If you’re using canned salmon, we recommend using one 14.75-ounce can. For freshly cooked salmon, the recipe calls for 4 cups loosely packed salmon, 16 ounces total. I hope this helps!
Delicious!!! I do have one question, can you freeze these?
We haven’t tried freezing them, so we can’t say for sure! We’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
Is there something I can replace the Greek yogurt with? My husband does not like Greek yogurt. Maybe sour cream?
We haven’t tried subbing with sour cream, so we can’t say for sure. I don’t see why it wouldn’t! Let us know if you try it!
I made these tonight with regular APF instead of almond (1/2 cup) then once I had formed the patties I added some old bay seasoning to some Italian panko and dredged them. So crispy and yummy. My 7 year old loved them
Ooh, the seasonings sound delicious! Thanks for sharing, Rachael!
Can these be done in the air fryer?
We haven’t tried cooking them in the air fryer, so we can’t say for sure. So sorry!
Delicious! I’m allergic to almonds so used breadcrumbs instead of the almond flour & they were amazing. Didn’t have any issues with them falling apart or being too sticky. The sauce is delicious & with some extra lemon these are just wonderful. Will definitely make again!
Ooh, I’m so glad to hear breadcrumbs worked out! Thank you for sharing!
Salmon is a delicious and healthy way to enjoy fish, and many different sauces can be served with them to add flavor and moisture.
Absolutely the best patty and the dressing!! I double the lemon juice and it tastes amazing
So glad you enjoyed them, Alyssa! Thanks for sharing!