These super easy-to-make paleo salmon cakes are crispy and full of flavor. They’re not fishy at all and cook up perfectly without falling apart. You’re going to love this recipe and it’s ready in less than 20 minutes!
Table of Contents
Why You Need To Make This Recipe
I never ate canned salmon until 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!
Wild Caught canned salmon is actually quite affordable and I like to keep some on hand for this time 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! (source)
Another reason is the lack of sea animals in your diet. Fish and seafood are among the most nutritious animal protein on the planet yet are way under-consumed. (source)
Let’s Talk Ingredients
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 for these paleo salmon cakes.
- A quality canned salmon is best, and there are many afforable option out there, like these:
- The flaxseed works well, but you can use 1/2 a cup of tigernut flour or 3 tablespoons coconut flour too.
- The herbs are also flexible, if you don’t like cilantro use basil or parsely or tarragon!
Step By Step Instructions
- Drain your salmon cans and then flake the meat into a bowl. USe a fork to break it up.
- Add on the herbs, garlic, and seasoning.
- Add in the lemon zest and juice then the egg and flour and mix well.
- Shape 5-6 salmon cakes and cook on a hot skillet in oil.
- Flip after 4-5 minutes and cook another 4 minutes.
- Serve hot or store for meal prep.
Frequently Asked Questions
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!
Yes, you can use 1/2 cup tigernut or almond flour or 3-4 tbsp coconut flour.
Yes! Store in tupper ware in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat just pan fry for 2 minutes a side.
I have not tested that, so I can’t say.
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Paleo Salmon Cakes
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 16
- Total Time: 26
- Yield: 5 cakes 1x
- Category: entree
- Method: fry
- Cuisine: seafood
- Diet: Gluten Free
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 into 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 overcrowding, 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 2 minutes a side.
Recipe Notes:
- For 5 patties, per patty:For 5, per cake: Calories 223, Fat 16g, Carbs 4, Fiber 2, Protein 17g
- Sub 1/2 cup tigernut flour or almond flour instead of flaxseed
- You can use any fresh herbs you have on hand!
- Recipe works great with canned tuna too!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cake
- Calories: 223
- Fat: 16g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 17g
Brooke says
This is a staple recipe for our family. I make it as written except for omitting the flaxseed and cilantro. I also use garlic powder (1/2 tsp) and dried oregano (1 1/2 tsp) to make it even easier. After frying our cakes, we top them off with homemade mayo. Thanks so much for another delicious recipe!
Cristina Curp, FNTP says
Amazing! Thanks Brooke!
Lisa V says
How do you think these would cook in an air fryer instead of skillet?
Cristina says
great!
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.
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!!
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
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
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.