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Air Fryer Salmon Cakes are made with wild Alaskan flaked salmon, red bell pepper, fresh chopped parsley, and the perfect blend of seasonings. It’s an easy, but delicious air fryer appetizer, side dish, or simple dinner!
WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPE
I love a good appetizer or healthy dish, and these salmon cakes have a huge amount of protein. If you’re like me and looking for new ways to get that extra protein, this is an excellent recipe!
You might also enjoy our air fryer salmon bites, air fryer honey mustard salmon, or you can even make salmon straight from the freezer with this air fryer frozen salmon recipe!
Plenty of ways to get the extra protein.
You might also enjoy this post where we share 21 Low Carb Air Fryer recipes.
Here are a few of our FAVORITE recommendations.
Cosori Dual Blaze Air Fryer – Digital Meat Thermometer – Air Fryer All Day
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Air-fried salmon patties are full of protein and easy to make. They are the perfect appetizer or side with your favorite seafood meal. Canned pink salmon makes them easy to fill.
You can also use fresh fish for this recipe. This salmon patties dish adds the salmon along with other simple ingredients to make mouthwatering salmon cakes.
INGREDIENTS
- canned salmon– lightly cooked
- eggs
- mayonnaise
- red bell pepper
- bread crumbs
- fresh chopped parsley
- garlic powder
- black pepper
- kosher salt
HOW TO MAKE SALMON PATTIES IN THE AIR FRYER
STEP 1
Preheat air fryer to 390 degrees F.
STEP 2
While the air fryer is preheating, in a medium bowl, combine the salmon, eggs, mayo, bell pepper, breadcrumbs, parsley, and the remaining seasonings. Stir together until all ingredients are well combined.
STEP 3
Use a measuring cup to scoop out 1/2 cup of the salmon mixture. (This scoop helps shape too)
STEP 4
Shape the mixture into patties, about 1 inch in thickness.
STEP 5
Lightly spray the preheated oven or basket with oil or nonstick cooking spray. In a single layer, place salmon patties in air fryer basket. Very lightly spray the tops of the patties with the cooking spray or a spritz of olive oil spray, so they crisp on top.
STEP 6
Air fry salmon patties at 390 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden brown. Turn the patties over halfway through cooking time.
NOTE: This recipe was made with a Cosori 5.8 Air Fryer. Depending on the size and wattage of your air fryer, the time and temp may need to be adjusted by a minute or two.
VARIATIONS
- Use drained canned tuna or crab meat in place of the salmon.
- Add extra flavor to salmon patties by adding chopped green onion, fresh chives, or other crispy vegetables instead of bell peppers.
- For an easy dinner idea or fast lunch, serve patties in between buns to make a delicious sandwich.
- For spicy flavor, add a tablespoon of hot sauce to the mixture before shaping.
EXPERT TIPS
- Cook the salmon lightly first before making the salmon patties to ensure you get the cake-like texture. You can use raw salmon, but the texture will be more like a salmon burger.
- When serving, garnish with lemon wedges or fresh parsley.
- When using canned salmon, make sure you remove the bones first before creating the salmon cakes. If using fresh salmon, use forks to shred salmon into flakes.
- To make sure you have crispy exterior, shape the salmon cake mixture into evenly sized patties. Once they are shaped, spritz the patties with olive oil cooking spray. (or an avocado oil spray)
- Don’t stack or overlap the patties in the air fryer.
Are you new to air fryers? If you are, we have a great article about What is an Air Fryer. It talks about what you can make, how to use it, and more.
Looking for the BEST accessories to use with your air fryer? We’ve put together this list of our favorite Air Fryer Accessories.
STORING AND REHEATING
Store leftover cooked salmon cakes in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat refrigerated salmon cakes, place them in the air fryer and cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 3-5 minutes, or until heated thoroughly.
FAQs
Yes, unless you want to eat the bones (at your own risk!) for the extra calcium. The canning process does make the salmon bones softer and easily mashed and edible.
This recipe uses regular breadcrumbs, but for extra flavor, you can use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs.
Salmon cakes are perfect for meal prep. You can make these ahead of time and freeze until you are ready to eat. You can also use store-bought frozen salmon patties.
Serve with dill sauce, Dijon mustard, simple tartar sauce, remoulade sauce, fresh lemon juice, or your favorite sauce.
Cooking the salmon first allows you to flake it easily and ensures it’s fully cooked inside the cakes. You’ll also have more control over the texture and flavor. You can also skip cooking the salmon before flaking, but it will retain more moisture and have a more burger-like texture to it, versus a salmon cake texture.
MORE AIR FRYER SEAFOOD RECIPES
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Air Fryer Lobster Tails
Dinner
Air Fryer Breaded Shrimp
Dinner
Air Fryer Crab Legs
Dinner
Air Fryer Scallops
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Air Fryer Salmon Cakes
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 14.75 oz salmon, canned, deboned
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2 bell pepper, red
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tsp olive oil, spray
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 390 degrees F.
- While the air fryer is preheating, in a medium bowl, combine the salmon, eggs, mayo, bell pepper, breadcrumbs, parsley, and the remaining seasonings. Stir together until all ingredients are well combined.
- Use a measuring cup to scoop out 1/2 cup of the salmon mixture.
- Shape the mixture into patties, about 1 inch in thickness.
- Lightly spray the preheated oven or basket with oil or nonstick cooking spray. In a single layer, place the crab cakes in air fryer basket. Very lightly spray the tops of the patties with the cooking spray or a spritz of olive oil spray, so they crisp on top.
- Air fry salmon patties at 390 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden brown. Turning the patties over halfway through cooking time for 4-5 minutes cooking time on each side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you store un cooked salmon cakes
Yes, you can make these a day ahead of time and place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or two before making them.
This recipe is 5 STARS!!! So moist and delicious! Cooking time was PERFECT! I used a 1/3 measuring cup to portion my cakes and I added a little less than 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, which made the cakes less carbs–made 6 cakes. I didn’t have red peppers, so I used mushrooms instead and cooked them a bit with the onions. I will absolutely make this again! Thanks for this delicious recipe!!
So glad you liked this! It’s one of my favorites. 🙂
Can’t wait to make this. Why do you need to precook fresh salmon? Thanks
That’s a great question and I updated the post to answer that for others as well. In short, it’s the texture of the patties. If you use raw salmon it will be more of a salmon burger textures versus a salmon cake texture. Hope that helps!