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–+ servings
Four golden-brown salmon cakes garnished with parsley are served with lemon wedges and a small bowl of creamy dipping sauce on a rectangular white plate.

Tender Salmon Cakes with Almond Flour

Yield: 8 salmon cakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Resting Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
These salmon cakes are an easy and delicious dinner recipe. They are made with fresh salmon and almond flour, which makes them wonderfully tender.

Ingredients

Salmon Cakes

Instructions 

  • Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the salmon, almond flour, parsley, salt, pepper, green onions, egg, and lemon zest in your food processor.
    1 ½ lb salmon, 2 tablespoons minced parsley, 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper, 2 green onions, 1 large egg, Zest from ½ lemon, ½ cup almond flour
    image for recipe instruction: A food processor bowl containing ingredients for salmon cakes—raw ground meat, chopped herbs, lemon zest, an egg, and breadcrumbs—rests on a beige surface.
  • Pulse several times, until the salmon is mixed but still chunky. DO NOT over process the salmon or it will turn into a paste. You want it to look chopped. (See notes for making this without a food processor)
    image for recipe instruction: A food processor bowl containing a mixed blend of shredded vegetables and herbs—perfect for making salmon cakes—sits on a light-colored countertop.
  • Transfer the salmon to a bowl and mix well. Form the salmon into eight patties and place them on the baking sheet. Put them into your fridge, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
    image for recipe instruction: Eight raw salmon cakes are arranged on a parchment-lined baking sheet, ready to be cooked.
  • Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the salmon cakes to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, until golden on the bottom. Carefully turn the salmon cakes over and cook for another 4-5 minutes on the other side until they are golden and cooked through.
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    image for recipe instruction: Four golden-brown salmon cakes cook in a black frying pan with a metal handle, with oil shimmering on the surface.
  • Serve the salmon cakes with minced parsley on top, lemon wedges on the side, and some tartar for dipping.
    Lemon wedges, minced parsley, and tartar sauce
    A white platter with crab cakes and salmon cakes, garnished with parsley, lemon wedges, and a small bowl of creamy dipping sauce.

Notes

Salmon: I love using Steelhead as it's high in fat (so it stays tender) and has a mild flavor. Spring Salmon is another good option for the same reasons. Both are less expensive than other varieties. Coho is a decent option, too. Any salmon variety will work with this recipe if you don't have different options available. 
Almond flour: If needed, you can substitute quick oats or breadcrumbs. 
Remove the skin: You can sometimes ask your fishmonger to do this for you, but it is fairly easy to do it yourself. Here is my detailed tutorial on how to remove skin from salmon!
Make it crispy: If you'd like to add a little crunch, you can coat the salmon cakes in cornstarch (for a bit more crunch) or panko (for even more crunch) after they rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. 
No food processor? No problem! I often chop the salmon by hand to avoid having to wash my food processor. If I'm honest, I like the result a tiny bit more when it's hand-chopped. But the patties are harder to work with, so use a very gentle hand so they don't fall apart. Simply mince the salmon as small as possible and mix it with the other ingredients.
Serving: 1 salmon cake with tartar sauce, Calories: 299kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 85mg, Sodium: 384mg, Potassium: 466mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 475IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 77mg, Iron: 2mg