I never ate canned salmon until my recent years. I didn’t even know you could get quality salmon in a can, but you can! See what I did there? Let’s learn more about why salmon is amazing and you need more of it in your diet… especially in the form of these crispy salmon cakes!
Slammin’ Salmon
Wild Caught canned salmon is actually quite affordable and I like to keep some on hand for this times when fresh wild caught salmon prices soar, you know into the $20+ a pound range. Yeah, no thanks. Yet salmon is delicious and oh-so-good for you. Rich in omega-3 fatty acids (700 mg per serving) this pink flesh fish is an ideal keto diet protein. Essential fatty acids aren’t used for energy however, these bioactive amino acids are used for functions like blood clotting!
Both omega 3 and omega 6 are essential fatty acids, however high levels of omega 6 can be inflammatory. Ideally, we would all be eating a diet with a 4:1 ratio of omega 3 to omega 6, but in most industrialized countries (yes, that’s us) the ratio is more like 1:4. Seed-based and hydrogenated vegetable oils have a lot to do with that. Yuck!
Another reason is the lack of sea animal in your diet. Fish and seafood are among the most nutritious animal protein on the planet yet way under-consumed.
Where To Find Canned Salmon
I got a 6 pack of Wild Alaskan Salmon at Costco, from their Kirkland brand, surprisingly you can also buy these on Amazon. Vital Choice and Wild Planet are two really well respected and vetted brands, but slightly more expensive. You can get them on Amazon as well or at Whole Foods. Be sure to buy boneless, skinless canned salmon!
These Whole30, Keto and DELICIOUS CRISPY SALMON CAKES!
They’re simple to make, fry up super crispy, store and reheat well and aren’t fishy at all! A great meal prep dish, serve them up with lettuce cups or over salad, dunk them in mayo and enjoy!
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Crispy Salmon Cakes – Whole30 – KETO – PALEO
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 16
- Total Time: 26
- Yield: 5 cakes 1x
- Category: entree
- Method: fry
- Cuisine: seafood
Description
Delicious, nut free, Whole30 and keto salmon cakes!
Ingredients
- 2 cans wild-caught salmon (12oz total)
- 3 sprigs fresh cilantro, minced
- 3 sprigs fresh oregano, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons flax meal
- 2 tablespoons duck fat or lard for frying
Instructions
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Open and drain the cans of salmon, crumble the salmon in to a large bowl.
- Add in the minced herbs, lemon zest and juice, cumin, pepper, onion, salt and olive oil. Mix well.
- Mix in the eggs and then the flax meal until the mix makes a nice dough. If the mix is too wet you can add more flax meal.
- Shape 6 even-sized patties. Cook as many as will fit in the skillet without over crowding, usually 4, at a time.
- Cook for 4 minutes each side or until golden brown.
- Remove from the heat set on a cooling rack to drain or paper lined plate.
- Cook the remaining salmon cakes and enjoy!
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Heat in the toaster oven or in a skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
Recipe Notes:
- For 5 patties, per patty:For 5, per cake: Calories 223, Fat 16g, Carbs 4, Fiber 2, Protein 17g
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cake
- Calories: 223
- Fat: 16g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 17g
Keywords: crispy salmon cakes
Megan Stevens says
Oh I love the cumin in these! Salmon cakes have been a staple in our home for always; even when i was a little girl, my granny made them! But i haven’t used cumin before, yum!
Jean says
Heck yes, these look so flavorful, and I love how fast they come together. Definitely my kinda recipe!
Renee Kohley says
Hands down the most kid friendly prep for fish 🙂 My babies loved fish cakes, and my big kids still get excited about them! I love your spice blend! yum!
tina says
Wow! This looks and sound so delicious!
A Girl Worth Saving says
I love love love Salmon cakes and I never thought to add cumin, but I can see how the flavor would pair amazing in this.
Kari - Get Inspired Everyday! says
I’m always on board for anything crispy, and budget friendly is a great added bonus!
Katja says
YUM! I tried these, and they were amazing. The whole family was happy.
Cristina says
Awesome! Thank you Katja!
Jessica DeMay says
Yes, please! THese look so crispy!!
Melissa @Real nutritious living says
Such a simple and tasty way to get in more salmon. Thanks for the great recipe!
Emily @ Recipes to nourish says
yum!!! We are huge salmon lovesr in my home. These would be a huge hit! I love that these are cripsy too, my favorite!
ChihYu says
Totally love salmon cakes ! One of my favorite ways to enjoy salmon for sure !
Becky Winkler says
I’ve never used canned salmon or tried salmon cakes, but you’re making them look really good!
Rachel says
I’ve been searching for something to help me use up my fresh oregano, this looks like the thing. Kudos for recommending these be fried in lard… I love that lard is coming back!
Nadia says
These were absolutely delicious!!! first time I had a salmon cake that was actually a salmon cake. most end up just being a salmon hash,,still delicious but I want that crispy cake exterior. I had my doubts mixing it up that it would stay together so I was very happy. Great combo of flavour (even though I always use recipes as a “guide”…might be why I never get salmon cakes)
Cristina says
Yeay! So glad you loved these!
Amelia says
Can you Cook in ghee too?
Cristina says
Sure!
Sarah says
These are so fantastic! i have to stop myself from eating all of the because they are just so dang tasty! i love the cumin and the lemon in these. Even my 15 month old loves them! these will be a staple for meal prep for sure!
★★★★★
Cristina says
Awesome!!! We Love them too!
Cheryl Hansberry says
I purchase salmon directly from Alaska, flash frozen at the bay. Can you offer suggestions on how to substitute it for the canned? Would it work to cook the salmon and then dice it? I don’t know what the texture and moisture content are of canned salmon.
Cristina says
just mince up the fresh salmon meat to almost a paste and then make the patties as is.
Hannah says
Hi, love your blog and cookbook and use them ALL the time! Excited to try this recipe, but I’m eliminating eggs at the moment. Do you think adding a little Vital Proteins gelatin with water would do the trick to bind them?
Cristina says
Hmmm… I don’t know. Fish cakes without eggs is hard. The gelatin won’t bind until it cools, so flipping them might be hard
Elizabeth Kauffman says
Made these tonight and put over a salad. Super easy and super quick! They held together and crisped up perfectly.
★★★★★
Cristina says
yummmm
Courtney says
I made these the other night, and they were a huge hit! The recipe and execution couldn’t have been simpler – definitely adding these salmon cakes to my regular rotation. Thank you!
★★★★★
Cristina says
Yeaayyy!!
Emily Gleghorn says
These were so tasty! The only problem we had was that they were very wet, which meant they didn’t fry up nice and thick, they were more like pancakes. Still trying to trouble shoot what went wrong on our end. One area might have been the amount of salmon we used. Is it supposed to be 2 12oz cans (24 oz total) or 2 6oz cans (12 oz total). We were a little confused and complete guessed on this part.
Thanks for a yummy and healthy recipe!
★★★★
Cristina says
Hi Emily, Thanks so much! So it is 12 ounces total, but you need to drain the salmon well before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. I suppose how wet the salmon is may vary, I edited the instructions to say to add more flax meal as needed.
Lisa V says
How do you think these would cook in an air fryer instead of skillet?
Cristina says
great!