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Canned wild salmon is a staple in our pantry. It is the ultimate “real food“. It is much less expensive than frozen or fresh, it has a good amount of dairy-free calcium due to the bones and it makes throwing together a quick dinner fairly simple. For all of these reasons I make salmon cakes at least every other week.
There are a few different flavors I use in making salmon cakes – from Thai “fish cakes” to these more Italian-flavored cakes. The addition of the lemon-caper butter not only adds a lot of flavor, but makes them very satisfying.
A green salad, simple stir fried cabbage and a roasted sweet potato are a great accompaniment to these salmon cakes. Sauerkraut or kimchi make a great, nutritious condiment as well.
A note on ingredients:
- I usually buy the wild Alaskan canned salmon at Trader Joe’s. It is both good quality and a great price.
- Capers are the brined bud of a flower, which I also buy at Trader Joe’s. I only recently was introduced to these tangy, salty little treasures and they are delicious. A bit like an earthier pickled cucumber.
- Instead of the traditional breadcrumbs or flour I use coconut flour or psyllium husks as a binder. If you are eating grains feel free to substitute breadcrumbs or flour, but you will need a bit more due to the high fiber content of the coconut flour and psyllium.
Salmon Cakes
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
2 eggs
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro (or 1 tablespoon dried)
1 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon, ~1-2 tablespoons
10 dashes of hot sauce or 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne
2 (14.5 oz) cans of wild salmon, drained
3 tablespoons of coconut flour or psyllium husks
coconut oil or butter for frying
Directions
Zest the lemon and set aside to use in the lemon-caper butter. In a medium bowl beat the eggs. Mix in the onion, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, lemon juice and hot sauce. Once all of your “wet” ingredients are well incorporated, add the canned salmon (bones included) and mash it into the other ingredients using the back of your fork. The bones are so soft that you will not notice them in the final product, plus they add a good amount of calcium. Feel free to pick them out if you prefer.
Once the salmon is incorporated into the wet ingredients you can add in the coconut flour or psyllium. Heat up a large frying pan over medium-low heat while the coconut flour absorbs the liquid in the salmon mixture. If the mixture is too moist add a bit more flour or psyllium.
Once your pan is good and hot, add either coconut oil or butter and allow to melt. Form medium sized “burgers” and place in pan. Do not move them! Allow them to cook on one side for about 5-7 minutes, or until you can get underneath them with a spatula. Flip them over and cook them for another 5 minutes. You are looking for a deep, dark golden brown.
While these cook you can prepare the lemon-caper butter.
Lemon-Caper Butter
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
8 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon of lemon zest (zest of one lemon)
2 tablespoons of capers, drained and rinsed
Directions
Melt the butter with both the lemon zest and capers. Mix well before spooning over the salmon cakes. Be sure to evenly distribute the capers amongst the number of servings, as they will fall to the bottom of the melted butter.
33 Responses to Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Butter
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This looks delicious. Your presentation is beautiful. As soon as I can find some salmon and capers, I’m going to try it. Thanks for posting!
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Wow – this presentation is amazing!! My husband and mom LOVE salmon and I have never made it. This gives me hope that I could possibly do it.
Thanks for linking up for Tasty Tuesday. If you’d add in the URL somewhere in your post so people can find our parade of foods, that would be great, especially since we’re moved to a new home.
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This looks fantastic! I love capers (word to the wise – do NOT buy them at Costco. You will never, ever finish the jar! Even though it is a much better price per ounce!
and am always looking for ways to use them . . . we always have a can or two of Wild Alaskan salmon on hand and this looks like a perfect easy dinner.
Thank you!
Best,
Sarah
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I have never made salmon cakes but this recipe makes them look so easy. I want to try them.
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My mom used to make something like this, and she’d always hand me the bones for a before-dinner snack. No one else liked them, but I thought it was the coolest thing to eat BONES!!
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This looks great and how wonderful that it’s low-carb to boot!
Do you pick out the skin from that canned salmon? I usually buy the boneless/skinless packs, but it’s so darn expensive! The one time I accidentally bought regular, I was pretty grossed about by the bones & skin. Maybe because I wasn’t expecting it and it was my first time buying canned salmon?
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Shannon, thanks for the info. How funny about the window. I certainly did not eat anything “smelly” when I was preg. I remember passing by the butcher case and almost having to run out of the store because of the “blood” smell. yuck!
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Woo! That looks SO yummy. I love canned salmon (wild of course) too. It’s so economical.
Can’t wait to try your recipe.
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These look great! My husband is not a big salmon fan, but I am. I am going to give this one a try and see if he likes it!
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The recipe looks great, but right now, I’m jealous of those awesome pictures…someday maybe I’ll get better at that…
Thanks for joining in!
Kelly
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Wow, this looks good! You really used canned salmon?! I am so inspired to try it, now.
My husband used to have a boat, and we had a deep freezer STOCKED with freshly caught salmon. Now, no boat = no salmon. ; (
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I saw this this morning for the first time and just had to try it. I also cooked the simple stir-fried cabbage to go with it. It was “fabulous”! Thank you!
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I made this recipe for supper tonight. It was wonderful. Recipes for easy, real food made with pantry ingredients are priceless. Thank you!
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Two of my favorites – capers and salmon. I’ve saved the recipe and will be giving it a go soon. Thank you for sharing the information on canned wild salmon and the recipe.
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Bravo! I am chewing my salmon cake as I am typing this, and I HAD to get back on here and say how delicious this recipe is! That lemon in the mix is the perfect touch. I made it without the topping and it still came out tasty
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[...] Paleo Challenge Resources Salmon Cakes – Nourishing Days – Thanks [...]
Everyone loved these… my 1 yr old, my 3 yr old, my husband, and myself. Easy recipe and so lemony delicious. I served it with the Massaged Kale salad from Cynthia Lair’s book, Feeding the Whole Family. Good pairing!
Thanks for the recipe, we’ll be eating these again.
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These look really good and I love salmon, but I wonder about eating canned salmon… my Naturopath told me to avoid canned wild salmon because of the nickel content. Thoughts on this?
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Shannon Reply:
May 21st, 2010 at 8:17 am
Simone – I have never heard this before, but would imagine it is from the can. I don’t think canned is ideal, but it is a frugal way of obtaining the nutrients from salmon.
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[...] Salmon cakes w/lemon caper [...]
[...] Salmon Cakes, Potato Latkes w/ sour cream, cortido, steamed broccoli with [...]
Made these yesterday and they were great! I used a food processor to puree everything before frying, otherwise my husband would not eat it (because of the bones, etc.)
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[...] is a characteristic that needs challenging on a regular basis. S. is my inspiration and this recipe is one she has encouraged me to try numerous times. Finally, I did. I am sorry it took me so [...]
Just wanted to let you know that this dish has become a family favorite! We make it often. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
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Shannon Reply:
August 17th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Nancy – Glad you like it!
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scrumptious. we served them on a slice of a german-johnson tomato and loved it!
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[...] Pork steaks cooked in crockpot with jalapeno jelly, creamed corn from the freezer Thursday: salmon cakes, broccoli Friday: (Jason out of town) curried lentils and sweet potatoes Saturday: Grandma and Papa [...]
hi shannon! thanks for all your great recipes. question for this salmon cake recipe: what should the inside consistency be? mine is quite “gooy” still, although seem to still taste great. should it be more cooked through? i just don’t want to make any of my family sick:) also, what heat to you fry on? thanks again!
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[...] Based on salmon cakes with lemon caper butter [...]
Delicious! My whole family loved it-especially the kids!
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Motherhen68 – I do not pick out the skin or bones from the salmon. I am with you – the first time I opened it up I was grossed out. After opening at least 4 cans per month I am over it and just mash everything up like I would in tuna salad.
Of course during my last pregnancy I distinctly remember sticking my head out the window while I forced my husband to make this very recipe
.
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Lauren – So glad you liked them. I’ll be making them again next week!
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Simone – Good point. Generally we do try to avoid canned foods due to the metals and the BPA. You could go ahead and use cooked, flaked salmon fillets for this and I am sure it would be even tastier with the fresh fish.
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