Crispy Sockeye Salmon Cakes Recipe with Lemon Herb Aioli

Why I Made Crispy Sockeye Salmon Cakes

After having success with the Lemon Butter Pasta & Rockfish last week, I dove back into the freezer for another piece of fish. This time I pulled out the only salmon we’d brought home — a 15.6 oz. piece of sockeye that, even cut in half, gave me two large fillets. So I decided to do a little recipe developing, which isn’t something I normally do. After considering the fish, I settled on pairing it with a Shrimp Louie, since all I needed to round that out was a lemon and an avocado.

The last few times we’ve had salmon, it was baked or pan-seared with a glaze or sauce. Blackened salmon tacos made the short list, as did teriyaki salmon rice bowls and a creamy lemon dill salmon pasta — all dishes I’ve made with great success, but none of them sounded right as a side for the Shrimp Louie. With nearly a pound of sockeye on hand, I decided to make crispy sockeye salmon cakes instead. The only drawback was having to shallow-fry them in avocado oil. It ended up being a three-step recipe: bake the salmon, mix up the salmon cake base, and whip up a light sauce for dipping.

Crispy Sockeye Salmon Cakes

Makes about 10–12 cakes

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh or frozen sockeye salmon, thawed
• 1 egg
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, plus more for coating
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp finely diced onion or shallot
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or dill
• 1 tsp Old Bay or your favorite seafood seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper
• 2–3 tbsp olive oil or butter, for frying

Lemon Herb Aioli Ingredients

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chopped dill or parsley
• 1 tsp caper liquid
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• Black pepper

Directions

1. Cook the salmon. Starting with fresh or frozen salmon rather than canned, gently bake it at 400°F for 10–12 minutes, just until cooked through. Don’t overcook it.
2. Cool and flake. Let it cool enough to handle, then break it into fairly large flakes — you don’t want salmon mush.
3. Make the mixture. Combine the salmon, egg, panko, mayo, Dijon, onion, herbs, seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Form the cakes. Shape into 10–12 patties (about 46 grams each), roughly ¾-inch thick. Refrigerate for 60–90 minutes.
5. Coat. Lightly press each cake into additional panko for a nice crunchy exterior.
6. Pan-fry. Heat the oil or butter over medium heat and cook 3–4 minutes per side, until golden brown and heated through.

Notes & Tips

• You can make larger cakes — I went with smaller, two-bite cakes since these were a side for the salad.
• Don’t worry if the mixture looks a little wet from the panko; chilling the cakes for 60–90 minutes helps them bind.
• Make the sauce ahead of time. You can swap dill for parsley or stir in some chopped capers — just let it chill before serving.

What’s Next: Sockeye Salmon Sliders

The salmon cakes turned out great — I ended up frying 11 cakes, roughly 2.5″ in diameter. Tonight I’m planning to turn the leftovers into salmon sliders on King’s Hawaiian rolls. I’ll stir some sriracha or hot sauce into the aioli for a bit of heat and top the bottom bun with a little cabbage.