These easy salmon fishcakes are made with a mixture of poached fresh salmon fillets and freshly prepared mashed potatoes coated in crispy breadcrumbs. They are quick to make but if you are in a real hurry you can whip them up using tinned salmon and leftover mash instead.
Fresh homemade fishcakes make a delightful supper. I think everyone loves the combination of flaky fish and creamy mashed potatoes. And when you coat them in crispy breadcrumbs they're even tastier.
I've been meaning to post this easy salmon fishcake recipe for ages. It's pretty similar to my other recipe for homemade fishcakes with a crispy coating - but I've added some dill and parsley to this recipe. I think the combination of dill and salmon tastes amazing.
For this recipe, I've used salmon fillets which I poached lightly in milk, and freshly mashed potatoes. However, nothing is stopping you from using tinned or leftover salmon and/or leftover mashed potatoes to speed things up.
Coating the fish patties in egg and breadcrumbs can be quite a messy business so I've got a little trick to share with you that will help prevent your fingers from getting the dreaded build-up of egg and breadcrumbs.
Because these salmon cakes contain potatoes I wouldn't recommend serving them with chips. I find a helping of minted smashed peas and a fresh green salad is all you will need, with perhaps a dish of tangy seafood sauce (bonus recipe included below) on the side.
So let's get on with the recipe.
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Ingredients
This recipe will make 8 salmon cakes.
**You can find the exact measurements for all the ingredients on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
- Salmon - I used fresh salmon fillets which I poached in milk for a few minutes. You can substitute fresh for tinned salmon.
- Milk - this is for poaching the salmon. Obviously, if you are using tinned salmon you won't need this.
- Potatoes - I used Maris Piper potatoes, but any potatoes that you would normally use for making mash will be fine. If you are making fresh mash you will also need a knob of butter to mash with the potatoes.
- Eggs - the eggs are used both for binding the patties and also for coating them.
- Flour - lightly seasoned with salt and used for coating.
- Panko breadcrumbs - I recommend using Panko breadcrumbs as they are extra crispy. You can use fresh breadcrumbs if you prefer, but I recommend toasting them in a dry frying pan for a few minutes to crisp them up a bit. Keep your eye on them if you do this - they burn easily.
- Parsley - fresh chopped parsley is essential - don't use dried parsley - you won't get the same flavour. If you don't have fresh parsley either leave it out or substitute it with finely chopped spring onions (green onions).
- Dill - this can be either dried or fresh. If you use fresh dill you will need three times the amount of fresh as dried. Dried herbs are far more concentrated than fresh.
- Sunflower oil (not pictured) - used for frying.
Instructions
In a nutshell, there are the steps you will go through to make these easy salmon fishcakes:
- Poach the salmon and let it cool.
- Boil and mash the potatoes and let them cool.
- Form and coat the fishcakes.
- Rest them in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Fry the fishcakes.
And here are the detailed steps:
Peel the potatoes, cut them into large chunks and place them in a pan of cold lightly salted water. Bring them to a boil and cover the pan with a lid. Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes or until they are soft enough to mash. Drain the potatoes and mash them with a knob of butter and a splash of milk.
Place the salmon fillets skin side down in milk in a frying pan over moderate heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully turn the salmon over and continue to simmer until the salmon starts to flake (3 to 5 minutes depending on thickness).
Allow the salmon to cool then remove the skin and discard. Flake the salmon with a fork.
Place the potatoes and salmon into a mixing bowl and add the parsley, dill and the egg. Season lightly with salt to taste.
Using a fork, mix gently to combine. Try not to break up the flakes of salmon too much.
Prepare 3 bowls, one containing flour seasoned with salt, one containing beaten egg, and the third containing the panko breadcrumbs.
Take a tennis ball-sized handful of the mixture, press it together gently in cupped hands and flatten it slightly. Coat it in the seasoned flour.
Here's my trick for keeping your fingers relatively clean. Take the floured fishcake in one hand and use a pastry brush to brush it with beaten egg. Place the patty egg side down into the breadcrumbs and brush the other side with beaten egg. Use your fingers to press the breadcrumbs all over the patty.
Transfer the coated fishcake to a large plate. When all the patties have been formed, cover the plate with plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator for half an hour to let them firm up.
Fry the fishcakes
Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan on low to moderate heat. Add the fishcakes and fry them gently for 4 to 5 minutes until they are golden on the underside.
Using a spatula, turn the patties over and fry for another 4 to 5 minutes to brown the other side.
Tips for a perfect result
Here are my top tips to ensure your fishcakes turn out perfectly:
- If you are using fresh salmon fillets run your fingers along the fillet to check that all the small bones have been removed from the fish.
- I haven't included this step in the instructions, but you may find it easier to form the patties if you place the mixture in the refrigerator for half an hour before coating them with the egg and breadcrumbs.
- Don't skip the step of refrigerating the fishcakes once they have been formed as this helps ensure that they don't break up while they are being fried.
- When coating the fishcakes, coat them in flour then carefully lay a fishcake onto the fingers of your outstretched hand. Using a pastry brush, brush it with beaten egg taking care not to get any egg onto your hand. Then carefully tip it (egg-side down into the breadcrumbs) and brush with more beaten egg. Use your dry hand to pat the breadcrumbs onto the fish patty.
- If you prefer to use your fingers to dip the fishcakes into the beaten egg this will be perfectly fine, but you will find a lot of egg and breadcrumbs sticking to your fingers.
- When frying, fry the fishcakes on moderate heat so they have time to cook in the middle before the outside gets too brown. Resist the temptation to turn them before they have fried for at least 4 minutes.
- Don't pack the frying pan too full - leave enough room so that you can turn the fishcakes easily.
- Keep the first batch warm in a dish in the oven while you fry any subsequent batches.
Tangy seafood sauce
This is how I make a tangy seafood sauce to serve with the salmon fishcakes.
Mix the following ingredients in a small bowl:
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Half a teaspoon Tabasco sauce (more or less to taste)
Leave it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
To make a larger batch, keep to the ratio of one part tomato ketchup to two parts mayonnaise and increase the Tabasco drop by drop to your taste (Tabasco is HOT so be careful not to overdo it).
You can store this in a clean sealed jar in the refrigerator for as long as you would store mayonnaise.
Equipment
These are the main items of equipment you will need:
- Saucepan - for making mashed potatoes
- Frying pan - both for poaching the salmon and for frying the fishcakes.
- Mixing bowl - for combining the mixture.
- Three plates or flat dishes for holding the coating ingredients.
Storage
The salmon fishcakes can be frozen either uncooked or fried.
To freeze uncooked fishcakes - place them on a baking tray and open-freeze until solid. Then transfer them to a suitable freezer container and freeze for up to 2 months.
To use - allow them to defrost and then fry according to the recipe instructions.
To freeze cooked fishcakes - allow them to cool and place them in layers in a suitable freezer container, separating the layers with baking parchment or greaseproof paper. Freeze for up to 2 months.
To use - place the frozen fishcakes on a baking tray in a hot oven (200C / 400F) for about 10 minutes until heated through.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a hot oven for 5 to 6 minutes.
Save for later
If you would like to try this recipe, why not save it to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
Here are a few of my other popular salmon recipes you may like to try:
You can find many more salmon and other fish recipes on my fish and seafood recipes page.
📋The recipe
Easy salmon fishcakes
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Frying Pan
- Mixing bowl
- 3 flat plates or dishes
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 pound / 450 grams fresh salmon fillets or equivalent tinned salmon
- 1 pound / 450 grams potatoes or approximately 2 cups mashed potatoes
- 2 teaspoon butter optional (for mashing potatoes)
- ½ cup / 120 ml milk for poaching salmon
- 1 teaspoon salt for boiling potatoes
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 small egg
- 3 - 4 tablespoons sunflower oil for frying
Coating
- 2 - 3 tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup / 60 grams Panko breadcrumbs
Bonus recipe - easy seafood sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon Tabasco more or less to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Place them in a pan of cold lightly salted water and bring them to a boil. Cover the pan with a lid and boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes or until they are soft enough to mash. Drain the potatoes and mash them with a knob of butter and a splash of milk.1 pound / 450 grams potatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon butter
- Place the salmon fillets skin side down in milk in a frying pan over moderate heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully turn the salmon over and continue to simmer until the salmon starts to flake (3 to 5 minutes depending on thickness).1 pound / 450 grams fresh salmon fillets, ½ cup / 120 ml milk
- Allow the salmon to cool then remove the skin and discard. Flake the salmon with a fork.
- Place the potatoes and salmon into a mixing bowl and add the parsley, dill and an egg. Season lightly with salt to taste.2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon dried dill, 1 small egg
- Using a fork, mix gently to combine. Try not to break up the flakes of salmon too much.
- Prepare 3 bowls, one containing flour that has been seasoned with salt, one containing beaten egg, and the third containing the panko breadcrumbs.2 - 3 tablespoons flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 large egg, 1 cup / 60 grams Panko breadcrumbs
- Take a tennis ball-sized handful of the mixture, press it together gently in cupped hands and flatten it slightly. Coat it in the seasoned flour.
- Take the floured fishcake in one hand and use a pastry brush to brush it with beaten egg. Place the patty egg side down into the breadcrumbs and brush the other side with beaten egg. Use your fingers to press the breadcrumbs all over the patty.
- Transfer the coated fishcake to a large plate. When all the patties have been formed, cover the plate with plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator for half an hour to let themeeeeee firm up.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan on low to moderate heat. Add the fishcakes and fry them gently for 4 to 5 minutes until they are golden on the underside.3 - 4 tablespoons sunflower oil
- Using a spatula, turn the fishcakes over and fry for another 4 to 5 minutes to brown the other side.
- Repeat until all the mixture has been used. You may need an extra splash of sunflower oil for each new batch.
Bonus recipe - seafood sauce
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, ½ teaspoon Tabasco
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- If you are using fresh salmon fillets run your fingers along the fillet to check that all the small bones have been removed from the fish.
- I haven't included this step in the instructions, but you may find it easier to form the patties if you place the mixture in the refrigerator for half an hour before coating them with the egg and breadcrumbs.
- Don't skip the step of refrigerating the patties once they have been formed as this helps ensure that they don't break up while they are being fried.
- When coating the fishcakes, first coat them in flour then carefully lay the fishcake onto the fingers of your outstretched hand. Using a pastry brush, brush it with beaten egg taking care not to get any egg onto your hand. Then carefully tip it (egg-side down) into the breadcrumbs and brush with more beaten egg. Use your dry hand to pat the breadcrumbs onto the fish patty.
- If you prefer to use your fingers to dip the fishcakes into the beaten egg this will be perfectly fine, but you will find a lot of egg and breadcrumbs sticking to your fingers.
- When frying the fishcakes, fry them on a moderate heat so they have time to cook in the middle before the outside gets too brown. Resist the temptation to turn them before they have fried for at least 4 minutes.
- Don't pack the frying pan too full - leave enough room so that you can turn the fishcakes easily.
- Keep the first batch warm in a dish in the oven while you fry any subsequent batches.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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