Today I am sharing Asian-inspired salmon cakes that can be made into large cakes for a main dish or small cakes for an appetizer to share with friends. They come together quickly so you can have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.
Fish cakes are one of my favorite ways to eat seafood, especially when said seafood is leftover. I used to think fish the next day was just not very appetizing (i.e. too fishy!), but then one day I turned our leftovers into fish cakes, and I have never looked back.
Asian Salmon Cakes
Today I am sharing Asian-inspired salmon cakes that can be made into large cakes for a main dish or small cakes for an appetizer to share with friends. They come together quickly so you can have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 cakes
Ingredients
Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons cilantro (plus extra for garnish)
Fish Cakes
- 1 pound salmon (cooked or leftover and shredded with a fork (make sure the grey part of the salmon and the skin are both removed))
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 2 tablespoons green onions (minced)
- 2 tablespoons sour cream (helps hold the cake together prior to cooking)
- 1/3 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- olive oil (for cooking (or use ghee, aka clarified butter))
Instructions
Dipping Sauce
- In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream, soy sauce, lime juice, and cilantro for the dipping sauce. Cover and refrigerate until the salmon cakes are ready.
Salmon Cakes
- In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine the cooked, shredded salmon with the eggs, green onions, sour cream, bread crumbs, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
- Begin forming the cakes by taking a handful of the mixture into your hands. Squeeze it together and discard any excess liquid that comes out. Flatten the cake and place it on an empty plate until all have been formed.
- Set a large sauté pan over medium-low heat and add a thin layer of olive oil or ghee. Once the pan is warm, cook the fish cakes (in batches if necessary) until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Serve warm with dipping sauce and extra cilantro for garnish.
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Asian Salmon Cakes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 282
Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 159mg53%
Sodium 572mg25%
Potassium 636mg18%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 28g56%
Vitamin A 395IU8%
Vitamin C 3.4mg4%
Calcium 58mg6%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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I was not a fan and I like a lot of Lisa’s recipes. Not even good enough for me to eat a whole one. My boyfriend found it edible though. All of the Asian ones I have found on this site have missed the mark, this included. I don’t think I did anything wrong…just not exploding with a lot of flavor, Asian or otherwise and I even added salt and pepper, which it didn’t even call for. Looking back, I wish I would have added garlic. Definitely needed.
Thank you for the feedback. Sorry to hear it wasn’t a hit for you. – Nicole
I have made these twice and double the recipe the second time. They are the moistest salmon cakes I’ve ever made!
Would love to get recipes
These look great and sounds absolutely delicious. I’ve never thought to use sour cream to hold fish cakes together. Great idea! Will have to give this a try.
I’m thinking canned salmon could also work. Any comments please?
Yes, it will. Drain it well.
I made these today and they were soooooo good!
Tried this recipe tonight & it was AWESOME!! I’m not much on seafood but loved salmon patties as a child so I gave it a try! Since I’m not very experienced in cooking fish, I subbed canned salmon, and they were great! My 3 year old even tried them!
Can I substitute rolled oats for the breadcrumbs? Thanks!
I’m also wondering if these could be frozen?
Hi there. We’ve not tried that substitution but let us know if you give it a shot. These can be frozen. :)
These were such a hit in my house. My husband loved them and my 16 month old gobbled them up – all of them – no leftovers last night! Thanks for all of your amazing recipes – its my go to for dinner time :)
Hi Lisa,
Love the recipe! Also, you can mix leftover fish with mayonnaise (add onions, garlic, chopped herbs, etc) to make filling for sandwiches too!
I made these tonight and they were awesome. So much better than the salmon patties from my childhood. My one year old couldn’t get enough!
These look so good. Can’t wait to try them. I love crab cakes and am almost positive I will love these. Salmon is my mom favorite fish. I will have to make them when I have my parents over for dinner.
Please forgive me if this has been answered and I missed it, but I wondered if you have baked these before rather than sautéed. If so, at what temperature and for how long? I made up a double batch to cook tonight, would love to have them all baking at the same time so I can be hands-free for something else.
Thank you so much for a wonderful website! You have helped me get foods into my kids that I didn’t think I could. :-)
Hi SB. Sorry, we are rarely able to answer recipe questions in real time. We’ve not tried baking this recipe. If you do/did, let us know how they turned out for you. :)
You people afe nuts to use any food from the western Pacific or from China!
if the poison and pollution don’t get you, the radiation will!
Really, really good. My local fish vendor sells pieces of salmon for significantly less $. It’s perfect for these!
Could canned organic salmon be used in this recipe? If it can be used, would I just buy enough cans to equal 16 ounces of meat? Thank you!
Hi Amber. Yes, other readers have used canned salmon. ~Amy
We all love these! My 3-year-old and 1-year-old included. I substituted mayo for the sour cream because that’s what I had. And I served them for dinner when we had professional chefs for company–my guests asked for the recipe!
I also don’t care for cilantro so I used finely chopped cucumber for the dipping sauce. It was great!
Instead of sour cream, could you use plain greek yogurt instead?
Yes, that should work! :)
Made these today for lunch…delicious!! Definitely adding to my regular rotation! Thanks for this fabulous recipe :)
Hello. I am new to this web site, my daughter Ashley just gave birth to a healthily baby boy, he is now 5 months, and ashley is nursing, her diet is a extremely important part of her life,so this web site is a great source of info.
I have problems with wheat, i like your fish cake recipe, when i was a young lacy, my uncle made fish cakes,
He used mashed potatoes instead of bread crumbs, try it you will love the texture .and if you have gluten issues,the potatoes,wont hurt you.
I just made these and they were amazing! I only had regular sesame oil so I used a 1/4 tsp, but I think I’ll use a 1/2 tsp next time b/c I love sesame oil. I usually make the Barefoot Contessa’s Salmon Croquettes and was nervous to try a different recipe, but this was fantastic!!
These sound awesome! I make crab cakes every so often but never think to make anything with leftover fish – what a great idea! Can’t wait to try these!
I made this tonight, and it was great! I used Trader Joe’s canned wild pink salmon, and it worked very well. Thank you for another great recipe!