Old Fashioned Salmon Patties Recipe

Salmon patties have long been a family favorite for us.  They’re quick and easy to make, they taste scrumptious AND they’re a cheap, frugal meal that will easily feed a family of four with just one can!

Canned salmon is still a very cheap option when you’re on a budget and you probably already have the other ingredients needed, in your pantry and refrigerator.  I usually buy Honey Boy brand because it’s been around for years and it’s probably one of the least expensive.  It costs around $2.35 for a 14.75 oz can.  That’s super cheap for your main meat entree!  Other brands include StarKist and Chicken of the Sea, but these brands tend to be higher priced than Honey Boy and I really don’t think they’re that much better.

Salmon patties are also a very versatile dish in that you can kinda get creative by tweaking it with whatever ingredients that are to your liking.

For my recipe, I’m going to show you how I’ve made them for years.  This is my Mom’s recipe and the way I see it is…if it ain’t broke, why try to fix it!

So, let’s make it!

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old fashioned salmon patties recipe

Like I said above…this is a simple recipes with just a few ingredients.  For one can of salmon, you need one egg, 1/4 to 1/2 of a medium onion and flour.  I’m a garlic lover, so I add 3-4 shakes of garlic powder, along with some salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat a large skillet.  Mix all the ingredients together with a fork and put a couple of heaping spoonfuls in the palm of your hand.  Don’t compare these to hamburger patties, because the salmon mixture tends to be a “wetter” texture.  This is normal.  When you make each patty, gently lay it in your hot skillet…don’t drop them!

If your oil is hot enough, they should only take about 3-4 minutes to cook on each side.  You want them to be a golden brown color, as show in the pic above and below.

Drain them on a paper towel lined plate.

You can serve them tartar sauce (my favorite!), ketchup, cocktail sauce, mayonnaise, sour cream or whatever your favorite seafood dipping sauce may be.  My hubby loves Remoulade sauce.

Some great side options that pair well with salmon patties are rice, pasta, a side salad, broccoli or pretty much anything!

Tips/options:

• If you’ve never used canned salmon before, you’ll probably notice that there are small bones in the salmon.  This is normal.  I don’t bother with removing them, because they’re soft, safe to eat and packed with calcium!  You won’t even know they’re there!
• I use canola oil to fry my salmon patties, but you can also use butter, if you like…about 3-4 Tbsp.
• I have always used flour in salmon patties, but you can also use bread crumbs.  We prefer flour because that’s what my Mom always used and like I said before, if it ain’t broke, why bother fixing it.
• In the above pics, I made my patties a little larger than the palm of my hand and it yielded about 5 large patties.  You can stretch it a little further if you cut the size of the salmon patties down.
• If you need to feed more, use two cans of salmon and just double the recipe.  It’s still a cheap meal option.

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Be sure to check out my other awesomely frugal recipes by clicking my “In The Kitchen” tab!  There are several dinner favorites, including Sweet & Sour Meatloaf, Onion Chicken, Poor Mans Beef Stroganoff and more!