Moist and fall apart salmon cakes made with fresh roasted salmon and protein-packed quinoa. This recipe is an easy way to transform leftover salmon into a next-day meal!
Serve these warm as a main course or enjoy them cold over a salad, such as Roasted Beet Salad with Avocado.
Salmon Quinoa Cakes
Salmon cakes or salmon patties are quite possibly the best way to give leftover salmon a second chance. It’s an absolutely different twist on leftovers that I look forward to eating every single time. These cakes are wonderfully easy to make.
With simple ingredients such as salmon, quinoa, green onions, parsley, Dijon mustard, and paprika.
Slightly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Serve them cold over a green salad or warm with roasted veggies.
They are filling and store really well in the fridge. So you can prepare them over the weekend to enjoy throughout the week.
What Goes into Salmon Quinoa Cakes
Traditional salmon cakes are normally made with breadcrumbs but I replaced the breadcrumbs with cooked quinoa. Quinoa is a great source of protein and is naturally gluten-free. It’s delicious and gives a really nice texture to the cakes.
Next, you need cooked salmon. You could use leftover steamed, poached, grilled, or baked salmon. If you don’t have any cooked salmon handy, simply use canned salmon.
Lastly, green onions, parsley, mayo, Dijon mustard, paprika, and eggs.
How do I serve Salmon Cakes?
Just about any way you like. Seriously. These are so versatile and taste delicious hot or cold.
For lunch, you can throw a couple of cakes over a veggie salad, such as Creamy Zucchini Corn Salad, Greek Chickpea Salad, or Avocado Caesar Salad with Cucumbers.
Serve a salmon cake on a crusty piece of bread with your favorite fixins’ for an open-faced sandwich. Or stuff into a pita pocket with lettuce for a speedy lunch.
For dinner, warm them up in a non-stick skillet to serve alongside roasted veggies, Vodka Sauce pasta, or Pasta Primavera , or just about any meal you want to add protein to.
How to Make Salmon and Quinoa Patties
Step 1: Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool slightly. You can cook the quinoa ahead of time and keep refrigerated for up to one week.
RELATED: How to Cook Perfect Quinoa
Step 2: In a bowl, combine the quinoa, salmon, green onions, parsley, mayo, mustard, eggs, lemon juice, and paprika. Form the mixture into 12-13 patties, about 1/4 cup each.
Katya’s TIP: Shape the cakes into slightly larger patties and you have some great salmon burgers ready to go.
Step 3: Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add few tablespoons of olive oil or avocado oil to the pan and when hot, add salmon cakes in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. Repeat with remaining patties.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the salmon quinoa cakes before serving.
Tips for Success
- If the salmon mixture is too wet or sticky, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so the quinoa can absorb some of the moisture.
- If the mixture is too dry or falls apart when you try to form into patties, add an extra tablespoon of mayo.
- If the salmon and quinoa patties brown too quickly, reduce the heat even further.
- After you form the salmon mixture into patties, pan fry them right away and don’t let them sit for too long. They tend to dry out and easily break during cooking.
- If the salmon quinoa cakes break during cooking it could also mean they are overcooked. Keep an eye on them and check for doneness. You want the outside lightly golden and crispy.
More Leftover Salmon Recipes
- Creamy Asparagus and Salmon Pasta from Foodie Crush
- Greek Salmon Salad Bowls from Gimme Some Oven
- Dill Salmon and Eggs Scramble from Fit Foodie Finds
- Salmon Fried Rice from Simply Recipes
If you try Salmon Quinoa Cakes, don’t forget to leave feedback and a rating.
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Moist and fall apart salmon cakes made with fresh roasted salmon and quinoa. This recipe is an easy way to transform leftover salmon into next day meal! Serve these warm or cold as a sandwich, main course or over a salad.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry quinoa
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 lb. leftover cooked salmon, flaked apart
- 1–2 green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice, plus extra for serving
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- Olive oil or avocado oil, for cooking
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Combine quinoa and water in a small saucepan. Cook according to package directions. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Mix to combine quinoa, salmon, green onions, parsley, mayonnaise, mustard, eggs, lemon juice, and paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Form into 12-13 patties, about 1/4 cup each.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of oil and when hot add the salmon patties. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. Reduce heat if patties brown too fast. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining patties, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Before serving, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the patties.
Notes
- Salmon – You could use leftover steamed, poached, grilled, or baked salmon. Canned salmon works too.
- Leftovers – Salmon cakes will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- To Freeze – Place cooked salmon cakes on a lined baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour. Remove from the freezer, wrap individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and store in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a nonstick skillet to retain crispiness.
- More Tips – Mixture too wet, dry, or falls apart? See post for all the solutions.
- Original Recipe – original recipe for these salmon quinoa cakes was published in October 2015. Since then we have taken all the notes, questions, and issues regarding this recipe from you the readers and re-tested and perfected the recipe with minor changes.
Keywords: patties, salmon patties, leftover salmon
Originally published in Octobers 2015, updated January 2020 with new photos, rewritten post, and additional information.
Lucy @ Salmon Recipes says
Oh my gosh thanks for submitting this! Items and I mix up cans of salmon All of the time however typically eat it cold like a carrot salad, then this also seems fantastic
Katya says
Thank you Pam!
Vanessa says
The fish cakes were really delicious ????. A good recipe for leftover salmon. Oh! And very filling. Yum yum yum ????
★★★★★
Katya says
Thank you Vanessa! So glad you enjoyed it.
Adrienne says
These are delicious! Used leftover salmon that I had and broiled instead of pan fried. Thanks for the great recipe!
Katya says
That’s so great Adrienne! So glad you enjoyed them. Thanks so much for your feedback.
Madonna says
I tried these tonight and they were uh-making! Two thumbs up from my hubby also, If anyone else runs into the problem of them crumbling, I would suggest measuring out the cooked quinoa. I made what I thought would yield 1 1/2 cups, but it was actually closer to 2 + cups. That could have made them more crumbly. Or maybe add another egg?
Horacio says
Katya, I do not have a word to describe something better than delicious! So yummy, crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. With all honesty , I ended up adding a little bit of bread crumbs to help solidify the mixture. I loved them and I am so happy to have made my very first recipe from Little Broken. Keep up the good work and awesome recipes!
Katya says
Thank you SO much Horacio! I’m so happy you got a chance to try these. Thank you for your feedback and encouragement.
Christi says
4 out of 5 members of my family enjoyed this and, even though he didn’t like them, my picky eater finished them. Thank you! This was very timely, as I had leftover salmon, leftover quinoa and green onions that needed to be used up. Sorry no pictures, we were to hungry to wait on photography.
★★★★★
Katya says
That makes me so happy Christi! 4 out of 5 is a win in my house with one picky eater too so I can totally relate. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Teresa says
I just cooked these tonight and they did not stick together while cooking. It just broke. Did I do something wrong and is there a tip you can give me?
Other than that the recipe was absolutely delicious!
Katya says
Hi Teresa, the cakes will break if they’re too dry before cooking or overcooked during the cooking process. That’s the only thing I can think off. You can always adjust the mayo in the recipe slightly and cut down on the cooking time. I’m glad they tasted good though. Thanks so much for your feedback. Have a great weekend!
Steph says
Yum!!! Theses are so good!
Katya says
Thanks Steph!
Meagan says
Would it be possible to use salmon I’m a tin/can?
Katya says
Hi Meagan, honestly I’m not really sure as I’ve never tried salmon out of a tin. I think as long as it’s cooked salmon without any weird seasoning you should be fine. If you try it though, let me know how it turns out.
Amarens says
Looks good…but whats leftover salmon? 😉
Katya says
You can use leftover salmon for this recipe or roast a fresh batch
Marina. N. says
Made these for dinner today with mashed potatoes and some asparagus…wow! They were delicious. So good! Thank you.
★★★★★
Katya says
That sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed them Marina.
Lana says
Those are super delicious! Very versatile, would make nice burger patties or just on a salad. Great Recipe, thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Katya says
Thank you Lana! I love the idea of them on the salad. That sounds so good. Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback.
Olivia says
These look great! Do you know if they freeze well?
Thanks!
Katya says
Hi Olivia, honestly I’m not so sure. I only tried making them fresh.
Sarah says
I know this comment is old, but for any new readers- I freeze these all the time. Better cooked first, then frozen.
Sarah says
These freeze very well! I shape patties then freeze on a cookie sheet. Once frozen I vacuum seal in a seal a meal bag. Quick pan fry of thawed cake and a salad makes a fantastic dinner in minutes! So good I make huge quantities when my husband gets lucky fishing ????
★★★★★