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★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
Yes, spicy salmon patties with aioli sauce look and sound like something you'd order at a fancy restaurant. However, they are actually quite easy to make at home using canned salmon.
Seafood or See-Food?
Do you like seafood? How about see-food? If you’re a mom like me, your answer to the second one is probably, “Um, no.” Even without little ones causing chaos, you know the joke—it’s funny for five seconds, then turns into an eye-roll-worthy delay tactic for avoiding dinner.
A Kid-Approved Dinner Idea
What if I told you these salmon patties were kid-friendly? Yep, kids actually like them! If they’re stuck in a pizza, burger, nugget, and mac and cheese rotation, here’s one more meal they’ll enjoy—and you will too.
You'll love the aioli sauce.
These salmon cakes are simple, but the toppings make them shine—and the aioli sauce is a must. It’s basically fancy mayo, but with lemon juice that cuts the heaviness, leaving a light, creamy, tangy flavor. Even if you’re not a mayo fan (I’m not!), you’ll probably love it. It’s delicious on almost anything, including my open-face veggie sandwiches.
Cheese + seafood... is it a sin?
I know seafood and cheese together is a no-go in the worlds of some professional chefs. Well, guess what? I'm not technically a professional chef, so I'm doing it!
The cheese adds a little extra creaminess that I like but you can certainly skip it if you're one of those culinary rule-followers and this dish will still be very tasty. You'll also save yourself about 100 calories. So for that reason alone, I wouldn't blame you.
If you are a rule breaker like me though, check out my other culinary sin: Creamy Shrimp Scampi!
Add some greens.
Ever tried arugula? Do you guys ever watch Chopped? Then you know those chef are always putting arugula into the mix. The pretty little green leaves and their fresh peppery taste add a nice crunchy and peppery flavor that regular lettuce just can't compete with.
Smoosh all these flavorful foods into your favorite bakery-fresh bun and you've got yourself a fun little lunch or dinner treat worthy of dinner guests and your kid's picking eating habits too.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
Here's everything you'll need to assemble these tasty salmon burgers, including a simple aioli sauce.
- Buns. Bakery fresh is best. Kaiser rolls, hamburger buns or brioche buns are all good options.
- Canned pink salmon. You can also use cooked and cooled fresh salmon.
- Eggs
- Dried parsley flakes
- Panko bread crumbs
- Sea salt and pepper.
- Lemon juice
- Mayonnaise. Just add some more lemon juice to create a simple aioli
- Red pepper flakes. Add more or less to taste for heat.
- Green onions.
- Arugala
- Monterey Jack cheese
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Sure! Just replace the canned salmon with the same amount of cooked salmon. Using canned salmon saves time since it's already cooked which is what makes this recipe so easy. But you can certainly cook fresh or frozen salmon first, then use that to make your cakes using this same recipe.
Salmon patties are generally healthier than beef burgers because they’re lower in calories and saturated fat, rich in omega-3s, and packed with vitamins like A, D, and B-complex. Choose a low-sodium canned salmon if sodium intake is a concern.
Yes! Canned salmon works perfectly for salmon burgers. Just drain it well, remove or crush any large bones or skin, and it’s ready to mix with your other ingredients.
Use binders like eggs and breadcrumbs (panko works great) to help hold the patties together. This is all included in the recipe so just follow it and you'll be good to go! Chilling the patties for 15–30 minutes before cooking also helps them stay firm.
You can pan-fry them in a bit of oil for a crispy crust, bake them for a lighter option, or even grill them—just make sure they’re handled gently so they don’t break apart.
Fresh arugula, sliced avocado, creamy aoili sauce, tomato, cucumber, and red onion all pair beautifully. Red pepper flakes can be added for heat. Cheese is optional but if you do add it, melt it on the bun first.
★ More Salmon Recipes ★
Want more dinner ideas? Browse all my easy dinner recipes
This recipe for salmon burgers with aioli sauce was featured on Wow Me Wednesday!
Salmon Burgers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 bakery-fresh rolls
- 32 oz canned pink salmon
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup fresh or dried parsley flakes
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 lemon juice
AIOLI SAUCE
- 4 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
TOPPINGS
- red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 green onions sliced
- 3 tablespoon arugula
- 3 slices Monterey Jack cheese
Mighty Mrs. is a #WalmartPartner.
Instructions
- Prep salmon: remove skin; remove -or- crush bones with thumb and index finger leaving them in for added calcium. Drain away any juice or oil.
- Knead together salmon with eggs, parsley, panko crumbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Form salmon into patties and pan fry over medium-high heat for 6 minutes per side.
- Prepare aioli sauce by mixing together mayonnaise with lemon juice.
- Serve salmon patties topped with aioli sauce, red pepper flakes, green onions, and arugula on top of a bun, toasted with melted cheese.
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