Salmon Patties (gluten-free, paleo)
These salmon patties (salmon cakes) are incredibly moist, delicious and flavorful – they’re also gluten-free, paleo and low carb. I’ve made them with fresh salmon, but you could also use canned salmon for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
While I love many different types of fish (especially halibut and tuna), salmon is hands down my favorite and the one I eat most frequently. I usually just bake salmon in the oven (easy peasy), but to keep things interesting I’m always dreaming up new and creative ways to enjoy it.
Now, let’s be very clear that salmon patties (also known as salmon cakes) are not new, nor creative, by any means. I mean, I had salmon patties as a kid. But in all honesty, I haven’t had a non-breadcrumb, gluten-free, paleo salmon patty since going gluten-free nearly 6 years ago. And one that tastes this darn amazing. Ever!
Watch this quick video of my Salmon Patties recipe
This recipe is easy to make, but it always helps to watch the step-by-step video tutorial below.
Which Type of Salmon Should You Use for Salmon Patties?
I’ve made this salmon patty recipe with fresh, wild caught salmon – and I feel the flavor enhancement is worth the splurge. But I also totally understand substituting canned salmon if it’s a weeknight and you want a quick, healthy meal to throw together.
When I first made this recipe I used King Salmon – and oh my word. I’d forgotten how indulgent King Salmon is. King Salmon is the highest in Omega-3’s and usually the most expensive salmon you’ll find at the fish monger. It’s thick, moist and buttery smooth texture makes it feel like you’re eating dessert, rather than dinner. It also means your salmon patties are naturally tender and moist inside. A splurge for sure.
But I’d probably recommend using Coho or Sockeye Salmon in this recipe, for a standard home-cooked dinner. It’s a bit cheaper, flavorful, light and flakey. And still packed with tons of healthy Omega-3 benefits.
If you opt for canned salmon, look for wild Alaskan salmon and avoid Atlantic Salmon, which is full of pollutants, antibiotics and other toxins. My favorite brand of canned salmon is Wild Planet and its sustainably caught in Alaskan waters.
How to Make Salmon Patties (That are Low Carb)
As I’m sure you’ve gathered, there’s no breadcrumbs in this recipe. I do use a little bit of almond flour, but it doesn’t overpower the salmon flavor the way I feel breadcrumbs do in a traditional salmon patty recipe. If I’m making salmon patties, I surely want it to taste like salmon and not bread. Here’s how you make them:
- Bake up a pound or so of salmon and while that’s baking dice an onion and red bell pepper. You can use any color, I just like the vibrancy of the red bell pepper. Then, sauté both of those in a little olive oil until translucent and tender and let cool.
- Once your salmon, onion and bell pepper have cooled, add them to a bowl along with some almond almond flour, mayo, dijon mustard, garlic, an egg, fresh parsley and fresh dill. Use your hands to mix everything together and form little patties. Don’t go big on these as they’ll be harder to flip and will break apart.
- Heat some olive oil or avocado oil in a sauté pan and cook them in batches, for about 4-5 minutes each side or until golden.
- Serve them up with a simple lemon dill mayonnaise (I use my homemade mayonnaise recipe as the base). But feel free to serve with your favorite sauce or aioli.
More Fresh Seafood Recipes
Looking for more tasty ideas? Check out these recipes!
- Dijon Baked Salmon
- Baked Tuna Meatballs
- Citrus Shrimp Ceviche
- Roasted Branzino with Citrus Pesto
- Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Garlic Shrimp
- Baked Halibut with Herbed Mayonnaise Crust
Salmon Patties (gluten-free, paleo)
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh salmon
- 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp homemade mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
Lemon Dill Mayonnaise (optional)
- 1 cup homemade mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.
- Drizzle the salmon with a tablespoon of olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10-13 minutes, or until just cooked through.
- While the salmon is cooking, dice the onion and bell pepper and chop the fresh dill and parsley.
- Remove the salmon from the oven and cool in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.
- While the salmon is cooling, add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large pan and sauté the onion and bell pepper for 6-8 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Use your hands to flake the cooled salmon (removing the skin) into a large mixing bowl. Add the cooled onion and bell pepper along with the dill, parsley, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, almond flour and eggs. Combine all ingredients with your hands until well mixed.
- Form the salmon mixture into small patties with your hands and place them to the side.
- Heat several tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan on medium heat and cook the salmon patties for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the salmon patties to a paper towel lined plate.
- Serve the salmon patties with the lemon dill mayonnaise.
Lemon Dill Mayonnaise
- Add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Lisa's Tips
- To bake these in the oven rather than pan fry: spray a baking sheet with oil spray (my favorite is avocado oil) and bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes each side.
- King Salmon has a high oil content and is naturally a more moist fish. You may only need one beaten egg if using King Salmon.
- Canned Salmon can be dryer than using fresh salmon. You may want to double the amount of mayonnaise, to 1/4 cup, to keep your salmon patties nice and moist.
- I've made a large batch of these for meal prep and they're delicious. They freeze and reheat beautifully.
Fabulous!!! I made these last night using frozen, boneless, skinless king salmon pieces I buy from Vital Choice Seafood. I thawed in refrigerator before hand and followed Lisa’s directions for cooking except lowered the cooking time to around 8-10 minutes. I used gluten-free breadcrumbs since I can’t have the almond flour. I used 1 egg but next time I will add the 2 eggs for the extra binding. I did have to look up the “cup” equivalent to a “medium” onion. LOL It’s around 2 cups for reference. I followed the recipe as written for everything else. It took a little trial and error flipping the first 2 patties, but after that there were no problems. Adding the 2nd egg next time should give extra flipping assurance. :) Served on a bed of butter lettuce and fresh sliced heirloom tomatoes. Whatever you do…DON’T skip the Lemon Dill Mayo!!! It took these salmon patties over the top! Unfortunately, I’m allergic to shellfish, but these salmon patties were the closest thing to the crab cakes I’ve been missing! Definitely a “make again” as my family said. We also love Lisa’s Carrot and Cannellini Bean Fritters with Herb Yogurt Sauce from her cookbook and will be batch cooking both of these recipes from here on out!
Glad these salmon patties turned out great Amy! :)
Lisa, what sides do you recommend with this recipe other than the lemon dill mayo? I’m thinking my son would love some potato wedges (like from your cookbook) or sweet potato fries. :)
Any side will work honestly! The potato wedges will be perfect :)
Hi! So we get the wild sockeye salmon from Whole Foods (frozen) will that work instead of fresh ? I would use a fillet that is closest to 1 lb.
Also, would avocado mayo work? I cannot use your the homemade recipe for mayo due to the raw egg
Yep, you can use frozen salmon! Just make sure to thaw before cooking. As for the avocado mayo – that works just fine.