Quick and easy Homemade Salmon Patties with Crackers make the best lunch, dinner or appetizer recipe. Try it with delicious Dill Sauce!
Fish cakes are a nostalgic taste of my childhood. I've added sautéed vegetables and fresh herbs to introduce some flavor complexity to this quick meal.
But the saltine crackers bring home the classic salmon patties of my youth. Hope you love them!
What you need to make this recipe:
Before we get into the step by step instructions, a few notes about the ingredients:
Salmon: because canned salmon is uncommon in Portugal, I use fresh salmon that bake gently and flake. But this recipe works well using canned salmon or tuna.
Veggies: celery and onion are classic pairings for a fish cake. If you prefer carrots, leeks or shallots, feel free to substitute.
Herbs: fresh dill and flat leaf parsley add flavor and freshness to our recipe. Substitute fresh chives, if you prefer. For dried herbs, substitute dried dill (just 2 teaspoons).
Step by step instructions:
1. Cook vegetables
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add finely diced celery and onion to the hot oil. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Sauté 4-5 minutes, until tender. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a small bowl and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
3. Prep salmon patties
In the meantime, combine eggs, mayonnaise, diced fresh dill and parsley, Dijon mustard and lemon zest in a bowl. Mix well.
Add flaked salmon, saltine cracker crumbs and cooked vegetables to a medium bowl. Pour seasoned egg mixture over the salmon. Stir gently to combine.
Use ⅓ cup measuring cup to shape the salmon mixture into 6 patties.
Lightly dredge top and bottom in fine breadcrumbs. Place salmon patties on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Cook salmon patties
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Fry patties gently for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown.
4. Garnish and serve
Once cooked, move each batch to a rimmed baking sheet and keep in a 200℉ oven until all the salmon patties are cooked and ready to serve.
Serve homemade salmon patties with lemon wedges and Creamy Dill Salmon Patty Sauce.
FAQ's and Serving Suggestions:
Absolutely. For tuna, I would use canned tuna (not fresh) in this recipe - 12-16 ounces.
Dried herbs will also work here. A good rule of thumb in substituting dry for fresh herbs is 1:3. So if the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, you would substitute with 1 teaspoon of dried. In this salmon patty recipe, just reduce the 2 tablespoons each of dill and parsley to 2 teaspoons of each herb, dried.
The saltine cracker crumbs, paired with the mayo / egg / Dijon mixture make up the tasty glue that holds our salmon patties together.
Ritz crackers, panko breadcrumbs, seasoned breadcrumbs or even homemade breadcrumbs made from the bits and bobs you’ve saved in your freezer would work great as substitutes.
I often chop up one of the salmon cakes and serve it over a salad for my lunch the next day with a little salmon patty sauce as dressing. Another great way to repurpose leftovers is to make salmon burgers by plating the patties on brioche buns with tomato, lettuce, sliced onion, pickles and the infamous salmon patty sauce.
Be sure to make Easy Salmon Patty Sauce to make these dynamite salmon patties even more delicious.
For veggie and carb options, consider:
Savory Slaw
Lemon Dill Rice
Au Gratin Potatoes
Tossed Salad
Baked French Fries
Hush Puppies (the southern classic!)
To store leftover salmon patties, transfer to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, cook in microwave for 45-60 seconds until warmed through.
Homemade Salmon Patties With Crackers
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 patties
Description
An updated classic, perfect for using leftover salmon or the pantry staple of canned fish. Don't forget the salmon patty sauce!
Ingredients
1 cup celery, finely diced
1 cup red onion, finely diced
¼ cup olive oil, divided
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh dill
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Zest of 1 lemon (cut and serve lemon wedges with salmon patties)
36 crushed saltines
2 cups cooked, flaked salmon (from 1 pound of cooked fresh salmon, or canned salmon)
½ cup fine bread crumbs, for coating
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add finely diced celery and onion to the hot oil. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Sauté 4-5 minutes, until tender. Transfer the sautéed vegetables to a small bowl and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
- In the meantime, combine eggs, mayonnaise, fresh dill and parsley, Dijon and lemon zest in a large bowl. Mix well. Add 2 cups of flaked salmon, saltine cracker crumbs and cooled sautéed vegetables to the seasoned egg mixture. Mix gently until combined. Use ⅓ cup measuring cup to shape patties, then lightly dredge top and bottom in the fine breadcrumbs. Place patties on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
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Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Fry patties gently for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Once each patty is cooked, move it to a rimmed baking sheet and keep in a 200℉ oven until all patties are cooked and ready to serve.
-
Garnish with lemon wedges and easy salmon patty sauce
Notes
Use cooked and flaked fresh salmon, canned salmon or canned tuna for the seafood in this recipe.
To substitute dried herbs for fresh herbs, use 2 teaspoons dried when the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons fresh.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Seafood
Anton D.
YUMMY! I am making this one tonight! Those pictures themselves made me hungry. Great job!