Dinner, Food, Lunch, Recipes, Seafood

Salmon Cakes with Homemade Ginger Mayo

After I made these yesterday I sent my husband a text message telling him that I just made the best salmon cakes ever.  He replied back, “ever??” And my reply was, “EVER!!”

Now that you have a glimpse into how truly boring my life is and how excited I get about the little things like really great salmon cakes, I will happily share the recipe with you.

Salmon Cakes

3 6 oz cans of wild caught Alaskan Salmon

3 omega 3 enriched eggs

4 diced green onions

1 tbsp dried dill

1/2 tsp ground ginger

a few shakes of red pepper flakes

about 1 tsp fresh ground pepper

a pinch of sea salt

about 1/4 cup coconut oil

3 tbsps of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Shredded green and purple cabbage

Drain the water from the canned salmon and dump into a large mixing bowl.  Add the eggs, green onions, dill, ginger, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt and mix well.  In a large skillet heat the coconut oil over medium to medium high heat – make sure there is more than enough to cover the bottom of the pan.  You’ll know the oil is hot enough when it crackles after flicking some water into the pan – but do not get the oil so hot that is smokes.  Form the salmon mixture one at a time into patties or “cakes” and place gently into the oil.  Fry for 3 minutes on each side.  IMPORTANT – do not mess with the patties once they are in the pan.  Let them go for the full 3 minutes before you touch them or flip them or they will stick or fall apart.  Serve the patties over a bed of the shredded green and purple cabbage with a lemon wedge and the ginger mayo.

Ginger Mayo

2 omega 3 enriched eggs

2 tbsps apple cider vinegar

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

2 cups light tasting olive oil

In a blender or food processor place all ingrediants except for the oil.  Cover and blend on low while you count to 5.  Continue to blend while you slowly, VERY SLOWLY add the olive oil.  Once all the oil is in continue to blend while you again count to 5.  Shut the blender or processor down at this point, and ta-da: home made ginger mayo for your best salmon cakes ever!!

Enjoy!

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Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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90 Comments

  1. Looks awesome! Forwarding to my wife now. 🙂

  2. Patrick Walsh says:

    looks great and can’t wait to try it. one question, why the grapeseed oil?

    Marks daily apple has this to say about it:
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/healthy-oils/
    Grape Seed

    Skip this stuff. It does have a buttery taste, and it gets a lot of hype as a worthy replacement for olive oil, but it’s got high oxidation potential, especially if you follow the recommended instructions and use it for deep frying or high heat sauteeing. It’s rather pricey, too, so there’s no good reason to use it.

    16% MUFA
    70% PUFA
    9% SFA

    1. Sarah says:

      Hey Patrick!
      I used the grape seed oil for it’s mild flavor for the mayo. I understand it really has no omega 3’s so we do not use it very often, but I don’t believe it’s the evil of all evils when it comes to oil, and far better in my opinion then using store bought soybean oil/sugar filled mayonaise. I have made my same mayo recipe with olive oil and it’s good but has a very strong olive oil taste as you can imagine. As far as frying with it, I prefer using coconut oil but I was out…. So – for those folks who have coconut oil, lard, or even butter on hand, I’m sure that frying these cakes in any of the above would be great too!!

      We all take tons of fish oil supplements so I guess I don’t fret over using the grape seed oil now and then and it’s pretty afordable at Trader Joe’s (I think 3.49 a bottle).

      1. Helen Blount says:

        Sarah, I have your Everyday Paleo cook books, but would love to know the Nutrition valuues , ie. calories, etc…in each recipe…how can I find them? Thanks , love your recipes.

  3. Adam says:

    I’ve never eaten salmon cakes before, so I’m very interested in trying these out. Thanks for putting me on to something new.

  4. Cory says:

    These look fantastic. I do a similar cake with tuna, but salmon would be a delicious change of pace.

  5. Nicole says:

    I always love recipes for pantry staples, and I will definitely try this one soon! I can’t justify doing it today because I’ve got fresh meat in the fridge.

    I was also going to ask about the grapeseed oil because of the Omega-6, but I see someone else has beat me to it. I’m generally down to using rendered bacon fat, olive oil, coconut oil and ghee at this point in my quest to cut down on PUFA generally.

  6. Christian says:

    One of our coaches at Crossfit New England posted your website on his blog (CFNE Eats – Blogger.com) and your site is amazing. I’ve been eating paleo for almost 9 months and I was running out of ideas. Great site and I look forward to making the salmon cakes tonight.

  7. Laura says:

    What size cans of salmon did you use?

    1. Sarah says:

      Hey Laura,
      I used the 6 oz cans of salmon from Trader Joe’s.

  8. these look sooo tasty…. thinking i need to get me some seafood tonight! i LOVE you blog and plan to spend some time scavenging through your recipes!!

  9. Stacy says:

    I just made this for dinner and it was delicious! I loved it, my husband was so-so on it and my 2 year old, seemed to like it. I cooked the cakes in butter since I didn’t have any grape oil. I also opted for a salad of romaine, shredded carrots and zucchini as a bed for the cakes. Overall, I really enjoyed it. Thanks!

  10. Love your website and definitely love the recipes. Quick Question — With the above ingredients how many Salmon cakes can you expect to make? Thanks and keep up the great work.

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Ben,
      Thanks! You can expect to make between 8 and 9 salmon cakes.

  11. Michael says:

    Made mine with canned tuna. I ended up cooking it on lower heat at 5min per side. Good stuff 🙂

  12. I am on day 10 of my 30 day challenge which was inspired by my friends over at Whole9 and I am loving it!!! I am so excited I can across this site as I was running out of things to make…lol

    I am going to try making these tonight, if I were to use coconut oil to fry with instead of the grape seed oil, how much would you recommend I use?
    Same question if I use Olive oil instead for the mayo?

    1. Sarah says:

      Hey Rob!
      I would use about a 1/4 cup coconut oil and use 2 cups for the olive oil mayo – i have made this mayo with olive oil and it’s really good, just a little bit of a stronger flavor. Good luck on your 30 day challenge – I bet you never look back… : )

  13. Hi Sarah,

    Just wanted to give you the update…

    I made these last night (as I promised yesterday), using coconut oil for the fry and olive oil for the mayo and I have to say these were absolutly and totally amazing!!! They went great with some roasted asparagus!

    Thanks to this dish, my girlfriend now finally believes in eating this way….she loved the way it looked “restaurant quality”…SCORE!!

    I look forward to making everything on this site! Thank you so much for putting this together!

    Cheers!

  14. Susan says:

    I followed your recipe but when I was making the patties, they seemed a little too wet, so I put some finely shredded coconut in them and man oh man they were good. I don’t know what they taste like without it, but I loved how light and crispy they got. I visit your site all the time for great family friendly recipes. Thanks!

    1. Sarah says:

      I love the idea of adding the coconut, I can’t wait to try them that way, thanks for the idea!! : )

  15. Squatchy says:

    I’m going to try these tonight I think, sounds delicious. Thanks for the recipe.

    Just for info, for those looking for a pretty much flavorless oil thats good to cook in, Spectrum makes an organic refined coconut oil you can find in the grocery store. It’s naturally refined with no harsh chemicals or contaminants according to their website. I’ve used it and liked it (although I prefer the full flavor virgin coconut oil)

    Also after I did some research in the past, I highly recommend Trident Seafoods canned salmon. I get the Royal Pink and Royal Red brand at the grocery store. They are wild caught, and their cans are BPA free (and they’re cheap!). Their other brands are
    Lily
    Rubenstein
    Prelate
    Tulip
    Royal
    Sea Alaska
    Whitney
    Sno Tip
    Faust
    Bear & Wolf

  16. Boyd says:

    I made these on Saturday. Took no time at all. I used regular salmon frozen filet’s from Costco and just blended them with my hand blender thing. It worked fantastic. Just blend enough to break it up but it is cheaper than buying the canned. Followed your 3 minute rule and it worked like a charm. Looking forward to eating the last two for lunch tomorrow.

  17. Nick says:

    I made these for my NPESO (Non Paleo Eating Significant Other) and this has literally been the first dish that I made her that she complimented! So, SCORE! Both of my kids liked it too, so bonus points! I was going to ask why you decided on Grapeseed Oil, but I saw your answer above and I agree; it does have a very light flavor to it for the mayo. Also, I never knew how easy it was to make my own mayonnaise! Thanks so much for putting all of your recipes up on here, theyve been a delight to try out!

  18. I officially cooked for the first time in FOREVER with this recipe. It is super awesome, now let’s see what the kids think. Next time I will probably fry in olive oil and save all the grapeseed oil for the mayo, since I ran out of it. I forgot the lemon juice, but it’s still really good.

    Thank You Sarah!!

  19. Michele says:

    I LOVE these Salmon Cakes. I was able to adjust your recipe for a single serving can and enjoy them frequently as a quick fix at home! They really have a wonderful taste and texture, easily enjoyed with a salad, spinach, or any other veggie as noted in other posts. I will have to try adding the coconut also 🙂 Thanks again for the recipe.

  20. Kim says:

    This recipe is awesome. I fried mine in butter and used garlic chives in place of green onions. Delectable! Also, this is the first time I made my own mayonnaise. It was easy and fun – thanks for giving me inspiration and the confidence to try it.

  21. Georgia says:

    I made these tonight with only 2/3 the amount of ingredients. I didn’t have green onions, so I minced half a cooking onion. I also used lots of fresh dill in place of the dried and fresh grated gingerroot in place of the powder. Made them small (1-2 Tbsp) for my toddler and fried in coconut oil. The little one loved them, as did I. I’ve never made mayo before and I was soooo proud of myself. Again, even this toddler – who will only eat ketchup as a condiment – chowed down on the mayo. Thanks for the inspiration!

  22. Hi, I like your site, the paleo recipes. You say above “3 cans of wild caught Alaskan Salmon.” Well, one can’t buy canned salmon here. Could you give me the aprox. weight of 3 cans of salmon?

    Again in the “Brussel Sprouts for Breakfast and Red Curry for Dinner” post you write: “gluten free chicken apple sausages.” Well, I haven’ the faintest idea what thaat might be.

    I humbly recommend you AND your kids my website.Thenks.

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Zsolt!
      The salmon I use comes in 6 oz cans. The sausage is ground and seasoned chicken so you can even just substitute chicken breasts if you like! I hope this helps and I did look at your website, thank you for sharing, it’s amazing!
      Sarah

  23. Hi, thanks for the quick reply, still I wonder what about the apple; you know I’m a man (and not a native American). 🙂

  24. Tina says:

    i use the extra light tasting olive oil for my mayo. it doesn’t have a very olive-y flavor.

  25. Nikki Burke says:

    Just tried for lunch. HATE, hate salmon. Opening the can almost did me in! End result……….delish! Loved them Sarah…the mayo topper clenched it. Well done girl. For others out there…didn’t have enought oil to make mayo from scratch, but used regular mayo with all of the recipe additions and it, too, was great in a pinch. Thanks, Sarah.

    1. Sarah says:

      HURRAY Nikki!! I’m so glad you liked these even with your hate for salmon! My kids love these too, even my oldest who also is not a big salmon fan – they are just straight up good!

  26. Nikki Burke says:

    PS had to use coconut oil to fry….was great.

  27. rachel says:

    These were delicious. Thank you for the recipe! I have been wanting to make salmon cakes for awhile, but the only way I knew was my great-grandmother’s recipe of dredging in crushed saltines. This way was even tastier!

  28. Hi Sarah
    Tried these tonight and they are really delicious. The combination of Dill and Ginger — I never would have thought of that. Like these much better than the old non-Paleo style with all the breadcrumbs added.
    I added lemon juice to the mix and it added extra tangy flavor. Haven’t tried the mayonnaise but I will next time!

    Thanks again for your blog — it’s great!

  29. Hi … Salmon cakes are excellent, but what happened to my mayo? Never solidified … any suggestions?

    1. Hi Cathy,
      The only thing I can figure is maybe you added the oil too soon? You want to make sure all the other ingredients are well blended – usually a slow count to five, and then add the oil as it’s still blending while counting another slow 5 and then it usually is perfect.. Let me know how it goes!!

  30. Virginia says:

    thank you… The salmon patties were great! I was starving and had no idea what I might fix. As luck (and a little planning) would have it, my pantry offered me a can of salmon I could do this recipe ASAP.

    We had it for an early dinner. The hubby loved it too. The only thing I changed was adding in some horseradish and Tabasco sauce to the mayo.

    I’m new to Paleo too and my recipe collection is mostly (OK all) traditional with flour and other grains. Now I’m naked and have no idea what the heck I’m doing.

    I’ll be making this recipe again!

    Virginia

    1. Hi Virginia! So glad you liked the recipe, I love the idea of adding the tobasco and horseradish – bring on the spicy girl!!

  31. Amanda says:

    These salmon cakes are awesome and the ginger mayonnaise is delicious!

    I only have one question, where does the 3 tbsp of Lemon juice feature in the recipe? I have a feeling it should be added with the eggs, green onions, dill, ginger, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt, but can’t find it mentioned anywhere.

    If I’m being totally blonde and blind, I apologise.

    Love your website Sarah

    Thanks

    Amanda

    1. Sarah says:

      Hey Amanda! You are not being blonde or blind – I totally spaced on where to add that in!! : ) The lemon juice should be mixed in with the rest of the salmon cake ingredients. : ) I’m so glad you liked the recipe!!!

  32. Jaime says:

    Sarah – love these. Made bite size version for a football party and they were a hit. Question on the mayo – since this made more than I needed I have refrigerated a portion in a clean jar. How long do you think it will last in the frig? Not sure if it matters but I added extra ginger powder & fresh ginger zest. We love ginger!

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Jaime,
      The mayo should last at least a couple of weeks! Love the idea of the bite size version for a party!

  33. Hi Sarah,

    I just made these cakes for lunch today and they were delicious! Hopefully the leftovers will keep and I can take them to work for a snack.

    Keep up the good work!

  34. Elizabeth says:

    Yay!! Another winner! I love this blog and cannot wait for the book!

    1. Elizabeth says:

      I’m really sorry if this information is in a million places on your blog, but I wanted to ask if your book will contain most of the recipes on this blog. I love your recipes, but only recently discovered this site and am never sure what I’m looking for as I’m reading back through your posts. It would be great to have all of the recipes in one place!

      1. No worries Elizabeth! The book will have several of my blog “favorites” and a few new ones as well! Over 100 recipes total!

    2. Thank you Elizabeth!!

  35. Jasmine says:

    I made this last night with frozen salmon instead, and added shredded carrots. Today we had leftover shredded cabbage mixed with the leftover mayo for an awesome ginger slaw. We will defiantly have this meal again.

  36. Lindsay says:

    I am very excited about trying this recipe as I have loved so many of your other recipes. My only concern…..is there a problem with eating raw eggs in the mayo?

  37. Leslie says:

    Hi Sarah! I made these salmon cakes last night for dinner. My husband literally said “These are the best salmon patties EVER!” lol

    Can’t wait for the book!

  38. Joy says:

    Hi Sarah! I’m so excited to try this recipe tonight…my kids have transformed their eating habits thanks to your recipes. Like Lindsay’s comment above, I’m a little concerned about serving them the raw eggs in the mayo…any thoughts on this? Thank you!

    1. Sarah says:

      I personally do not worry about using raw eggs in my mayo, especially when using fresh eggs from my farmers market from a farmer who I know makes sure that his chickens are healthy. Taken from this website http://www.incredibleegg.org/egg-facts/egg-safety/eggs-and-food-safety The chances of getting an egg that is infected with salmonella is 1 in 20,000, and that statistic I am sure is from conventionally farmed eggs. Make sure to never use and egg that is cracked, look at the egg when you open it, the yolk should stay intact and the whites should be gel-like and not watery. If you are already sick, have an autoimmune issue or a worried because you are pregnant, you can always pasteurize your eggs to kill any existing bacteria. Here’s a link to show you how! Have fun! http://www.ehow.com/how_4679090_pasteurize-eggs-home.html

      1. Joy says:

        Thank you 🙂

  39. Janet says:

    Wow. Wow. Wow!!! These are freaking AWESOME!! Unfortunately, my green onions (what was left of them) spoiled before I got a chance to make these. So, I ended up using some red onion. Still, they are just delicious!! The mayo really does top them off perfectly – nothing overpowers anything else. All the flavors come through. Thanks for creating such a delicious way to prepare canned salmon. I would never have even touched it in the can had I not bought your book. This recipe will be a keeper in my house!

    Now, if I could only get my 6 year old on board eating Paleo… oy. LOL! I think he needs to play with your kids. 😉

  40. Isabelle says:

    I just tried it, based on the description in your book and it was awesome!! and so easy and quick! I love it!

  41. Barb says:

    Just made these wonderful patties! I followed the recipe in your book and used coconut oil. My husband, who is not a big ginger fan, loved these too!! In fact, we have yet to try anything out of your cookbook that we have not enjoyed. My daughter-in-law made the pork tenderloin with dried cherries while house-sitting for us and she and her husband RAVED about it! Can’t wait to try that recipe. And btw, I own hundreds of cookbooks and now use yours as a staple. Thank you so much!

    1. Sarah says:

      Thanks so much Barb!! : )

  42. Aubrey says:

    Love salmon cakes and am so excited to try these. I just got done frying them in coconut oil. One question I have, I made up the mayo as directed and mine is really runny. I had to use olive oil because I don’t have any grape seed oil on hand. Is it supposed to be runny, or more like a mayo consistency?

  43. Jess says:

    Hey do you have a recommendatio on using fresh salmon in this? We have a bunc frozen from hubby’s fishing trip…should I cook it first and then make the cakes? Thanks!

    1. Sarah says:

      Yes, I would cook the salmon first and chop it up pretty finely before you make them into the cakes.

  44. Harini says:

    I was a vegetarian before I started Paleo a few days ago. I find it difficult to visualize how certain meats/seafood work with other ingredients & my cooking was getting a little monotonous, so these salmon cakes were such a welcome change! I was battling with carb cravings today morning, but these really filled me up. Thank you for the great recipe 🙂

    I Indianized it a bit by adding curry powder & green chillies, I love spicy stuff 🙂

  45. Sophie says:

    these were delicious! as a college student, this makes a perfect healthy and affordable meal. it also will last me a couple nights 🙂 thanks so much.

  46. Dianne says:

    This was awesome! My kids saw it on the week’s menu and made noises of disgust, then asked for second helpings tonight! YUM! Plus I shredded raw ginger into the coleslaw. Wow!

  47. Summer says:

    Hi there! I have been enjoying many recipies from your website – they are unique and truly delicious! I think I probably use two to three a week! Thank you for sharing your wonderful ideas! I grew up eating salmon patties and have always loved them…when I saw this recipe, I was excited to try it! And yes, it was delicious! I did misread the recipe though…I added diced cabbage in with the salmon thinking it was to replace the traditional cracker used in my old recipe…I loved the change! I will continue to make these with the cabbage and never use crackers again! : ) Oh, and I thought I would try sliced brussel sprouts next! We’ll see! Thanks again! – Summer

    1. Hi Summer, sounds good adding the diced cabbage – I’m glad it was at least a yummy misread! LOL! Thanks for your comment!

  48. These were fantastic! I used leftover salmon that I had overcooked. I added the shredded coconut and fried them in coconut oil. The mayo turned out perfect. I used half macadamia nut oil and half extra-virgin olive oil. Thanks for sharing this recipe. It is a keeper!

  49. Let it be known I am not a fish lover and neither is my mom (who I convinced to try eating Paleo). So when she phoned me up to tell me “YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE!”, I was surprised. Sarah, thank you for discovering another meal that is amazing and for sharing it with the rest of us. 🙂

  50. Erin Riggins says:

    Could you tell me how much a can of salmon is? A tuna-type can or a tall one? I had about 4 cups of leftover baked salmon. I thought maybe that was about a cup more than your recipe, so I did 4 eggs and 4 onions. But maybe it was less? (We still liked them very much!)

    1. Sarah says:

      I use the 6 oz size cans for this recipe, sorry that was missing, I just updated it!

  51. tdaize says:

    These were so very good, and the may was great too- Next time I’ll use light olive oil as opposed to virgin, but it was still so yummy. Even my super picky boys thought they were good.

  52. Diana says:

    I just made these and they are fantastic! Thanks for the recipe.

  53. Sarah says:

    I’ve made these twice and they are fantastic! Both times I used fresh ginger and dill, because I had them on hand. Also, I skipped the mayo the second time and just made a similar substitute with store bought mayo.

  54. Hi there! Apologies in advance if I missed the note somewhere, but do these cakes keep well if frozen?
    Thanks so much, excited to try!

    1. I have not ever tried to freeze the salmon cakes and mainly because I’ve never been successful with freezing already cooked seafood, it always thaws out and tastes kind of mushy….

  55. I just made these tonight, but there was one problem.. I am kinda sick and feeling dizzy so I accidentally misread your recipe and put the shredded cabbage in the mixture instead of serving it ontop.. (oops) so I am not really fond of the taste since I can really taste the bitterness of the cabbage taking over the salmon… really wish I could figure out how it would taste though without the cabbage in it.

    1. Well, it would taste a whole lot better without the cabbage in it.. I’m so sorry about that and I hope you feel better soon!

  56. Rachel Chavers says:

    Hi I just got your book and love it i was wondering if i could use smoked wild caught salmon i did not notice that is what i bought…

    1. Sure, you can give it a try! It will give it a completely different flavor profile but I think it would be good!

  57. Could these be baked rather than fried?

    1. Yes, you can bake them. I would bake them at 350 for 7-10 minutes, check for doneness and adjust time accordingly!

  58. Jenn says:

    We made these this week and they are AMAZING! By far the best fish/crab cakes I have ever had. We followed your book recipe and used the ginger mayo mixed into green shredded cabbage so that it was almost a slaw beneath the party. Yummy! The ginger is light yet flavorful and I love the kick in the salmon. You have the best handle on spices of all the paleo cooks I follow. Thank you very much!! Oh, love the dry rub burgers with yummy yam spears too!

    1. Sarah says:

      Wow Jenn, thank you so much for the compliment! : )

  59. Kelle says:

    These really are the best… and my picky kids who hate everything actually asked for these last night. (We had just had them for dinner over the weekend!) FYI – 2 eggs is enough, especially if they are large, and I always fry them in bacon grease!

  60. Esmeralda Noriega says:

    I have fresh salmon back at home, would that work for the patties. I know its a bit of irrelevant question but Im new to the whole salmon scene so im very scared to mess up the paatties…

  61. Made these tonight for New Year’s Eve. DELICIOUS! Used EVOO for the mayo, turned out great. It’s a hit as your recipes always are. Thanks for all your hard work and such well tested recipes 🙂

  62. I’ve made these many times for my family of 4 and they are always well received. I use light olive oil for the mayo and coconut oil or ghee for frying.

  63. Heather says:

    Once cooked, how long do they last refrigerated? Thanks!

    1. They are good for 2 days!

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