Growing up my grandmother and mother made salmon patties and they were always a favorite of mine (yes… my grandmother was from the south… where the best food comes from!).  Every time I ask my mom for the recipe I get “Oh!  It’s easy… you use breadcrumbs, salt…” and about there I tune out because I know I’ll never, ever remember all of that.  It always amazed me that my mother and grandmother hardly ever used recipes.  They just instinctively knew how to cook.  Since I doubt I’ll ever get my mother to write me an ACTUAL recipe, I searched the interwebs for what I thought to be a “decent-looking” recipe, so here it is!  I had success with it (meaning my husband loved it and even our toddler ate more than a bite, which I would call a win), even though they were a little crumbly.  If you like this one, take a look at a few more recipes at FIVEheartHOME.

Salmon Patties

Ingredients

• 2 (7.5 oz) cans canned salmon (Alaskan wild-caught and boneless/skinless), drained
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs, divided
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 3/4 tsp. garlic salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• a few dashes hot pepper sauce (such as Tobasco)
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. butter

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together drained salmon, eggs, 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, garlic salt, pepper (to taste), and hot pepper sauce (to taste).
2. Divide the mixture into four equal balls and form into 3/4-inch thick patties.  Place patties on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place remaining 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs in a shallow dish and press both sides of each salmon patty into breadcrumbs.
4. Heat a large saute pan over medium to medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and butter to pan; once melted, swirl pan to coat.  Add the salmon patties and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown.  Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and serve warm with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Recipe Review

This is a great upgrade to a normal salmon patty recipe and it has a lot of flavor.  I never use hot sauce in my recipe because I feel there is already enough flavor and hot sauce would ruin an otherwise good thing this recipe already has going on.

The only drawback I can see to this recipe is… it’s so good there isn’t enough of it to go around!  It makes four decent-sized patties, but I always cook to feed a small army because, well, I’m a fan of leftovers.  If you’re cooking for several people I would definitely double the recipe.  To me, this isn’t a drawback, it’s a sign that this recipe is SO good that you always need more!