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Easy Salmon Cakes

By Andrea Geary

Published on June 12, 2013

Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Easy Salmon Cakes

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus ¾ cup panko bread crumbs 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 4 teaspoons lemon juice 1 scallion, sliced thin1 small shallot, minced1 teaspoon Dijon mustard ¾ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper pinch cayenne pepper 1 (1 ¼ pound) skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces½ cup vegetable oil

Before You Begin

If buying a skin-on salmon fillet, purchase 1 1/3 pounds of fish. This will yield 1 1/4 pounds of fish after skinning. When processing the salmon it is OK to have some pieces that are larger than 1/4 inch. It is important to avoid overprocessing the fish. Serve the salmon cakes with lemon wedges and/or tartar sauce.

Instructions

  1. Combine 3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons minced parsley, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 4 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 thinly sliced scallion, 1 small minced shallot, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¾ teaspoon table salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and pinch cayenne pepper in bowl.
  2. Working in 3 batches, pulse 1 skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces, in food processor until coarsely chopped into ¼-inch pieces, about 2 pulses, transferring each batch to bowl with panko mixture. Gently mix until uniformly combined.
  3. Place remaining ¾ cup panko bread crumbs in pie plate. Using ⅓-cup measure, scoop level amount of salmon mixture and transfer to baking sheet; repeat to make 8 cakes. Carefully coat each cake in bread crumbs, gently patting into disk measuring 2¾ inches in diameter and 1 inch high. Return coated cakes to baking sheet.
  4. Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place salmon cakes in skillet and cook without moving until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip cakes and cook until second side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer cakes to paper towel–lined plate to drain 1 minute. Serve.

Easy Salmon Cakes

Save

Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 scallion, sliced thin
1 small shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1 (1 ¼ pound) skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup vegetable oil

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 scallion, sliced thin
1 small shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1 (1 ¼ pound) skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup vegetable oil

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 scallion, sliced thin
1 small shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1 (1 ¼ pound) skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup vegetable oil

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted our salmon cakes recipe to be simple to prepare, so we broke out our food processor. Pulsing small pieces of salmon allowed for more even chopping and resulted in small, discrete pieces of fish. We also found a way to ditch the egg and flour steps of the breading process in our salmon cakes recipe. Instead, we coated the salmon cakes with panko, which we also used to bind our salmon cakes.

Before You Begin

If buying a skin-on salmon fillet, purchase 1 1/3 pounds of fish. This will yield 1 1/4 pounds of fish after skinning. When processing the salmon it is OK to have some pieces that are larger than 1/4 inch. It is important to avoid overprocessing the fish. Serve the salmon cakes with lemon wedges and/or tartar sauce.

Instructions

  1. Combine 3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons minced parsley, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 4 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 thinly sliced scallion, 1 small minced shallot, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¾ teaspoon table salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and pinch cayenne pepper in bowl.
  2. Working in 3 batches, pulse 1 skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces, in food processor until coarsely chopped into ¼-inch pieces, about 2 pulses, transferring each batch to bowl with panko mixture. Gently mix until uniformly combined.
  3. Place remaining ¾ cup panko bread crumbs in pie plate. Using ⅓-cup measure, scoop level amount of salmon mixture and transfer to baking sheet; repeat to make 8 cakes. Carefully coat each cake in bread crumbs, gently patting into disk measuring 2¾ inches in diameter and 1 inch high. Return coated cakes to baking sheet.
  4. Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place salmon cakes in skillet and cook without moving until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip cakes and cook until second side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer cakes to paper towel–lined plate to drain 1 minute. Serve.

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