Salmon Patties with Tartar Sauce (Video)
Salmon Patties with Tartar Sauce are an inexpensive and delicious meal that’s a fun childhood memory for me. And through the years I’ve adapted my mom’s Salmon Patties into a version that’s low-carb and gluten-free.
PIN Salmon Patties to try them later!
I don’t remember my mom ever cooking fresh fish for our family, except for the very occasional time when my dad would go fishing and bring home Utah Rainbow Trout, which mom would pan-fry whole and we’d eat them with lots of lemon juice. However, I do have fond memories of my mom making Salmon Patties, made from canned salmon, and fried until they were crispy on the outside. Some other kids in the family would turn up their nose at Salmon Patties for dinner, but I always loved them.
Years ago I posted a recipe for my mom’s Salmon Patties, but through the years I’ve been adapting her recipe nearly every time I made them, ending up with these delicious and Salmon Patties with Tartar Sauce! And these new low-carb salmon patties are also gluten-free.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- canned salmon
- Almond Flour (affiliate link)
- Hemp Seeds (affiliate link) (see notes)
- green onion
- Capers (affiliate link)
- Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) (or other fish rub of your choice)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper
- eggs
- olive oil
How did I make the salmon patties low-carb and gluten-free?
In this updated version of salmon patties I switched bread crumbs for a combination of Almond Flour (affiliate link) and Hemp Seeds (affiliate link), which added lots of nutty flavor.
What else did I change to add flavor to the updated salmon patties?
In the new salmon patties recipe I also increased the amount of finely chopped green onions and added some finely chopped capers, probably an ingredient my mom never heard of. And my upgraded low-carb Salmon Patties have a little of my favorite Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) for even more good flavor. These salmon patties may not compare with fresh wild salmon, but they’re a frugal pantry meal that’s healthy and very tasty.
What if you don’t have Almond Flour or Hemp Hearts?
I know some people won’t want to buy Almond Flour and/or Hemp Hearts, although you might be able to find both of them at Costco. Another option for the binding ingredient is Flaxseed Meal (affiliate link), or you could use oat bran (affiliate link) or Gluten-Free Rolled Oats (affiliate link) that’s been ground in a food processor, although those will add more carbs. But if you can possibly acquire the combination of Almond Flour and Hemp Hearts that I used, I think you’ll love the nutty flavor they add, and if you’re not familiar with Hemp Seeds (also called hemp hearts), they are also very nutritious!
What Sauces would be good with the Salmon Patties?
These Salmon Patties are great with Double-Dill Homemade Tartar Sauce, but you could also eat them with Cucumber Dill Sauce, or Tzatziki sauce. And some people might enjoy them with Sriracha Dipping Sauce as well!
How to Make Salmon Patties with Tartar Sauce:
Scroll down for complete printable recipe including nutritional information.)
- Drain the canned salmon into a colander placed in the sink, break apart with a fork and let it drain well.
- While salmon drains measure the Hemp Seeds (affiliate link) and Almond Flour (affiliate link) and finely chop the green onion and capers.
- Put drained salmon, almond meal, hemp seeds, chopped green onion, chopped capers, Fish Rub (affiliate link), salt, and pepper into a bowl and add 2 eggs. (Bad photo, but there is another egg under there!)
- Mix together with a fork until all ingredients are moistened.
- Shape the salmon mixture into 6 patties and put them on a small baking sheet. Use parchment paper sheets (affiliate link) if you have some, which will prevent sticking.
- Chill the salmon patties in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
- Then heat olive oil over medium-high heat in the biggest non-stick frying pan you have.
- Cook the salmon patties about 3-4 minutes per side, or until they’re golden brown and cooked through.
- Serve hot.
More Tasty and Healthy Ideas with Salmon:
Roasted Lemon Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal
Baked Salmon with Pesto and Tomatoes
Greek Salmon with Tzatziki Sauce
Salmon Patties with Tartar Sauce
Salmon Patties with Double-Dill Homemade Tartar Sauce are a recipe that has fun childhood memories for me.
Ingredients
- 2 6 oz. cans salmon, well drained (see notes)
- 3 T Almond Flour (see notes)
- 3 T Hemp Seeds (see notes)
- 3 T chopped green onion
- 1 T capers, drained well and finely chopped
- 1 tsp. Szeged Fish Rub (see notes)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- 2 eggs
- 2 T olive oil (or slightly more, depending on your pan)
Instructions
- Drain the salmon in a colander placed in the sink, breaking apart with a fork.
- While the salmon drains, measure the almond flour or Almond Meal and hemp seeds. Chop the green onions, and drain and finely chop the capers.
- Put drained salmon into a mixing bowl with almond meal, hemp hearts, chopped green onion, chopped capers, fish rub, salt, and pepper.
- Add 2 eggs; then use a fork to gently combine the mixture until all the salmon is moistened with eggs.
- Use your clean hands to form 6 patties and put them on a small baking sheet (with parchment paper if you have some.) Put salmon patties in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill. (Probably optional, but this definitely helps them hold together better.)
- After 15 minutes chilling, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick frying pan. Cook salmon patties about 3-4 minutes per side, or until they're golden brown and cooked though. Lift up an edge to see when it's time to turn them, and turn carefully!
- Cooking time will vary depending on your pan and how hot medium-high is on your stove, so watch for that golden brown color.
- Serve hot, with Double-Dill Tartar Sauce. These would also be delicious with Cucumber Dill Sauce, or Tzatziki sauce.
Notes
You can also use or one large 14 3/4 oz. can of salmon if that's what you have.
I used Almond Flour (affiliate link) but Almond Meal will also work for this recipe.
Hemp Seeds (affiliate link) were a delicious flavor boost, but you could use Flaxseed Meal (affiliate link) if that's what you have.
I love the flavors in Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) but any fish rub will work.
For the tartar sauce, I love using my favorite dill pickles.
Nutritional information does not include Tartar Sauce or other sauces.
This recipe was first posted as my mom's Salmon Patties, and adapted many times through the years to this keeper version.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 232Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 190mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 17g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Salmon Patties with Double-Dill Tartar Sauce are suitable for any low-glycemic or low-carb diet, including any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Denny Family Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You can also Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2007! It was updated with better photos in 2018 and was last updated with more information in 2021.
63 Comments on “Salmon Patties with Tartar Sauce (Video)”
These were delicious!! I was looking for something quick & needed to go to the grocery store. This fit the bill. I had the one bigger can & used 2 tbl of almond flour & 1 flax meal plus the 3 of hemp hearts.
Hi Debbie. So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
2 T ??? Deux tasses
In my recipes T = tablespoon and tsp. = teaspoon.
What happened to the Asian Flavored Wild Salmon Patties with Sesame Lime Mayonnaise recipe? This was my go-to recipe for salmon patties, I’m sad that it has been replaced with this recipe 🙁 Any chance you can please post it again?
Hi Gabby,
Sadly we now live in an age when search engines will penalize a site for having two recipes with similar keywords or things that they call “unimproved content,” so I am having to remove some of my oldest recipes. But I will e-mail you the printer-friendly version of the recipe. Glad you have enjoyed it!
Hi! I wonder how these would be in an Air Fryer with a light mist of olive oil on them?
I haven’t tried this exact recipe but I tried something similar and wasn’t excited about the result. I like the crispy fried edge from pan-trying. But I’d love to hear how it works if you try it.
I love making salmon or mackerel patties for supper. It’s a quick, easy and tasty meal.
I do add a few things, though.
I usually fine dice a small red bell pepper for both taste and looks. The bits of bright red in the patties adds to the visual appeal and the pepper brings a little sweetness to the meal.
My second addition is a little more exotic. I’ve been married to a Filipina the past 44 years and have gotten used to many of the ways of southeast Asian cooking and ingredients.
One of the best is “fish sauce” — a thin, salty liquid that is potent and versatile. Before I put the eggs in the mixture I beat them with a teaspoon of fish sauce. It adds a depth of great flavor and taste that must be experienced to believe. If you use it, don’t add any extra salt.
The dish looks terrific. Allow it to be easier with bean hollandaise. No faults. Tastes just as excellent. Can maintain refrigerator for 23 days and you also may serve it chilly. Just what a excellent universe.
Personally I love the tartar sauce I serve it with, but your choice of course.
Thank you, Kalyn! I’ve experimented to find the best fillers for keto fish patties, and this is the most successful recipe I’ve tried. I’ll likely make them like this from now on.
Just a heads-up for any other keto followers, I bought Szeged fish rub specifically for the recipe, but I won’t be using it because the ingredients seem to have changed recently, and it now contains sugar and soybean oil. The ingredients on my canister (purchased from Amazon in June 2018) are “Salt, sugar, dehydrated onion, orange juice powder, lemon peel, orange peel, lemon juice powder, spices (including paprika and celery seed), tarragon, cilantro, liquid smoke, soybean oil, less than 2% of calcium stearate and silicon dioxide added to prevent caking.” Nonetheless, the patties were great with different seasoning!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the tip about the fish rub. WHY would they do that? Fish Rub doesn’t need sugar. It sounds like a completely different recipe than the one I have loved.
should I used 6 tablespoons breadcrumbs instead of the flaxseed and hemp
is it a 1 to 1 switch
thanks
If you don’t want to use any of the other options mentioned, 6 tablespoons breadcrumbs will work.
Thanks ☺
looks like a good option to add in for dinner
and I like the capers
OH MY! These are SO much better than the recipe from the SB book that I've been using for years! The almond meal was a wonderful addition that really made these true salmon patties! They actually did remind me of my mom's salmon patties (except hers always had those little "bones"). I'm adding these to my rotating menu! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks Debbie! You might like these Asian-flavored Wild Salmon Patties that start with fresh salmon. You could adapt that one to use the seasonings in this recipe if you prefer it. I also have a new recipe coming this week with Salmon Burgers made with raw salmon (really good!) if you can wait for that one. But I would make the patties with raw salmon if you have it.
Kalyn~ How can I substitute fresh Salmon for the canned? Should the fish be cooked or raw? Love the Blog!! Keep up the good work 🙂
How nice that we both have memories of our mom making something like this!
Okay, I can't wait to try this recipe! My Mom (RIP) made salmon patties all the time (served w/rice). This was one of my favorite dishes of her and she had many. The almond meal as an alternative sounds delightful. I'm a nut lover so this is right up my alley! Will be sure to come back & comment how it turns out. Btw, I LOVE the Costco canned salmon, it's so tasty–and best of all, no bones! As a kid, I loved crunching on the bones, but as an adult, I find removing them t-e-d-i-o-u-s! I believe the brand is called Kirkwood. Thanks again for another great recipe. I'm sure it's going to be fantastic! =D
Sheila, glad you enjoyed them!
I'm not a huge fan of salmon, but somehow I ended up with a can of it in my pantry (I live alone so I'm not quite sure how that happened…) and I didn't want to let it go to waste. I reluctantly decided to try this recipe and now I have to admit, I'm going to have to buy another can so I can make them again!
I live in a tiny town so almond meal isn't easy to come by, but I had slivered almonds in my freezer that I used a rolling pin to grind up and it worked perfectly. I didn't have a fish rub either (since as mentioned I'm not usually much on fish) so I substituted by adding some paprika, garlic powder, thyme, and oregano in addition to the salt and pepper.
The leftovers even made a great sandwich for lunch the next day with spinach on whole wheat bread rounds.
Thanks for making a believer out of this salmon sceptic!