These salmon burgers are THE YUMMIEST! and made with just five ingredients. The best for a quick + easy high protein lunch or dinner.
I made these salmon burgers and was shocked by how good they were! Who knew you could make canned salmon so gourmet. 🙂
Mia
This recipe is an easy weeknight fan-favorite and was originally published in 2020!
These salmon burgers. They are just so extremely good.
We’re talking crispy outsides, flaky insides, and a perfect golden color, not to mention lots of nutrition, THANK YOU SALMON.
They are also easy to make and require (usually) minimal, if not zero, grocery shopping, assuming you keep a decently stocked pantry. I love, love, love these crispy pan-fried little guys.
And as if the salmon burgers weren’t good enough already to eat on their own (which, um, they are), I need you to make this slaw to serve your salmon burgers in/on/around. It is nothing fancy – just a shredded cabbage, yogurt, herbs, garlic, and vinegar situation, but paired with the salmon burgers? The crispy-salty-tangy combo is an ON-POINT combo.
This recipe is a pantry staple dream! Here’s what you’ll need:
I really love to have these salmon burgers with a little fresh dill for the herbs for a big flavor punch. BUT you can also use 1) freeze-dried dill, which I keep in my spice collection year-round, and 2) any other fresh herb! I made a version of these with parsley and cilantro when I didn’t have any dill, and mwah. They were still totally delicious.
Dill would still be my first choice, but as with all my favorite recipes, you can play with that a little bit.
And now for the big question. Do you use canned salmon? Subtext: is it gross?
Answer: Yes, I use canned salmon, and NO, it most certainly is not gross in these salmon burgers if you are buying the right stuff.
Fresh salmon that you’ve already cooked would also work if canned salmon is too weird for you (see our how-to guide to cooking salmon). But I’d like to take a moment to assure you that it is very possible to find non-gross canned salmon if you do a little searching and are willing to spend a little extra for higher quality. I really like Wild Planet canned salmon. It is caught in Alaska, and Wild Planet prioritizes sustainability and conservation of marine ecosystems with all their products. Not sponsored, just a superfan. You can also buy it here on Amazon (affiliate link). And because it’s canned, you can just keep it in your pantry and have it at the ready whenever you need a little salmon burger happiness.
God bless pantry meals.
What I love about this recipe is that it’s not just pantry-friendly, but also omg-it’s-5pm-and-I-need-dinner-now friendly. Here’s what you’re going to do.
Ta da! You’re done.
As made abundantly clear, I love these on top of this slaw for a fresh little high-protein lunch situation, but as always, you have options!
Absolutely! But this recipe is meant to be made with cooked salmon. Just just be sure to cook and flake your salmon before mixing it all up. Don’t know how to cook salmon? We’ve got you covered!
Yup! I would probably mix and form them into patties, and then freeze. When ready to cook, you should be able to just put them right from frozen into a pan! Just let them cook a little longer so they’re hot all the way through.
These will keep for about 3 days in the fridge, and 3 months in the freezer.
Since the only raw ingredient we’re working with is egg (thank you, cooked salmon!), you should make sure these are cooked to at least 160 degrees in the middle.
Easy! Swap in the breadcrumbs for GF breadcrumbs or almond flour.
Just switch out the slaw dressing and you’ll be golden! Highly recommend this 5 Minute Sunshine Sauce.
Sure thing! Just make sure your grill grates are nice and hot and well-oiled.
4.8 from 95 reviews
These salmon burgers are THE YUMMIEST! and made with just five ingredients. The best for a quick + easy high protein lunch or dinner.
Salmon Burgers
Cabbage Slaw
Breadcrumbs are important here. Panko gives a really nice texture whereas whole wheat breadcrumbs would be a good choice if you want to skip the refined grains. If you use a seasoned breadcrumb mix, reduce the amount of salt in the burgers by about 1/2.
For the salmon, you could use leftover steamed, poached, grilled, baked, whatever kinda salmon. If you don’t have any cooked salmon handy, use canned salmon! That’s what I usually do. I would recommend looking for a brand of canned salmon that is caught in the US. I really, really like Wild Planet for quality canned salmon. You can read more about their sourcing/fishing methods here.
If you happen to have a jar of Sunshine Sauce in your fridge, use that to make the slaw! Just mix cabbage with yogurt, add some Sunshine Sauce, and polish it off with a little dill. Super yummy.
The burgers will keep pretty well in the fridge (~3 days) or freezer (~3 months). When you’re ready to eat, pop them in a nonstick skillet to reheat because it will retain crispiness! The slaw, however, is best eaten right away. It probably has one day max in the fridge once it’s been mixed up.
Gluten Free: We tried three different GF options – almond flour, crushed Chex cereal, and GF oats. All three turned out to be great substitutes, but we liked the smooth texture and flavor of the almond flour version the best. Almond meal would work just as well too.
Keywords: salmon burgers, seafood burger, dill recipe, seafood recipe, canned salmon
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I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Not sure one can find sustainable canned salmon in Denmark, but I will definitively go look for it.
If you take suggestions for posts, would you maybe consider making a ‘things always in my pantry’ post. I recently moved alone, and I am not sure how to stock my kitchen.
Kind regards from Denmark, and happy belated birthday to Afton!
Ditto! Love the idea of a pantry post!
I’ll be looking for sustainable salmon in Germany, too. Fingers crossed!
This was my first time using canned salmon and I have to admit, I was skeptical. They were so delicious!! Will definitely be adding these to our regular rotation. Such a quick, satisfying dinner.
These are such a good idea for a quick and tasty dinner! I added some Cajun seasoning and will mix in diced bell pepper next time. Definitely going to start keeping canned salmon on hand.
YUM!
Ugh, I really hate canned tuna, but maaaaybe you’ve convinced me to try canned salmon? Or maybe I’ll just buy fresh 😉. Amyway, thanks for the recipe!
yesss pantry friendly meals are the best and im totally digging this combo!
These look AMAZING! I really love your photography. I use canned salmon a lot and love it:) I don’t think it’s gross at all. I always have canned fish in my cupboard for back pocket recipes. It’s a healthy hack.
I am such a fan of salmon burgers… and dill… so am loving this recipe! Thanks Lindsay!
Thank you SO much for trying out a GF option for us. I think my tastebuds and yours are related. I love pretty much every recipe you have come up with and it’s always a joy when I don’t have to mess around with them to make them GF.
So excited about the salmon burger recipe with slaw. No need for canned salmon from the store when you live in Alaska and have a fabulous son in law who keeps you supplied with salmon! Yippee!
Thank you for the recommendation on a type of canned salmon that isn’t awful. The grayish, slimy, nasty situation going on in most canned salmon is totally revolting to me. I’ve never actually been to Whole Foods (gasp!), but I would venture there just for canned salmon that was delicious.
I’m so late to this but if you have a Sam’s Club membership (or a friend or family member with one ;)), the Member’s Mark canned salmon is delicious. It’s just the Sam’s Club store brand.
This looks delish and quick and easy! I’ve been reluctant to try canned fish other than tuna but you’ve convinced me to give it a try. It does make sense to have it in the pantry.
We love salmon burgers at our house, so I don’t think they are weird. 🙂 I have never served them with slaw, but I think it i s a great idea. Great recipe!
Oh yum! I’m putting this one on my To-Do List. My mama used to make tuna cakes when I was little. I love salmon, so I know these are good. 🙂
One of my & my husband’s go to meals is similar to this – a salmon patty recipe (that includes some finely diced green bell pepper for extra crunch & nutrients) + braised red cabbage (only 5 ingredients: cabbage, butter, onion powder, apple cider vinegar, water). We get our canned salmon at Costco. So good!
Are these based off of the Food Network salmon burgers that you posted about on Instagram awhile back? (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/salmon-burgers-with-green-apple-slaw-3894917). I saved that recipe because it looked good to me — I like that you cut the green apple (didn’t seem appealing to me, either). Would add a little tiny sugar or honey to the slaw to round it out.
These sound really great. Thanks for the inspiration.
I have one recipe that I grew up with that uses canned salmon. It’s essentially a salmon loaf, but my kids gobble it up. We will definitely try this, because I’d love to learn more things to make with canned salmon.
And yes, it is gross picking out some of the bones, but so cheap, so healthy, so easy!
Could these be baked in the oven instead of pan-fried?
I don’t see why not! 🙂
These actually sound really good. I love using slaw on burgers!
This looks amazing! I am definitely gonna try this on the family. 😀
like a big crab cake, I like it and even without a bun (preferred anyway) thank you for this recipe and like the cabbage slaw too!
Omg I need this right now! might try this (:
Yum ! Will definitely give it a try this week ! Any dairy-free alternative for Greek Yogourt ?
We don’t have any idea that come to mind – but you could maybe possible omit so the dressing is more like a vinaigrette?
Coconut yogurt? You could also try soy sour cream if you’re not opposed to soy.
Thanks for the recipe inspiration! Finally got around to trying this- turned out great!
Fyi- I subbed instant mashed potato flakes for the bread crumbs and it worked well 💜
Also added a bit of sugar to the slaw (personal pref.), and made a sauce to top out of Greek yogurt, a little mayo, smoked paprika, garlic powder, Frank’s hot sauce, and lemon juice.
Glad you enjoyed this, Anna!
My husband is dairy free, I used mayo instead of yogurt. Tasted great!
Thanks for sharing, Cora! 🙂
For those who hate canned tuna, canned salmon is way better … especially cooked, I am SOOOO excited to try this recipe. Second the idea to make more “basic pantry” posts.
I love everything Ive tried from you … thank you!
This looks so good! I adore salmon. I’ll have to look for fresh, though, because we don’t have a Whole Foods by us and I really don’t need 12 cans of salmon delivered to my house. 😉 Sadly, I’m the only one in the house who will eat salmon, but I’ll just have to save this recipe for boys’ night out! Thanks for sharing!
Do you have a Fred Meyer? I just looked at their app and they say they have the brand she mentioned. 🙂
This is my kind of food, I love Salmon any way you fix it….can’t wait to fix both recipes…I always use Mayonnaise in my cole slaw, but will try it this way for a change….. giving it a 5* because I know it will be 🙂 just found your website I think, I belong to so many blogs, can’t keep up with them all…..So what was for dessert ? I just made Banana Nut Bread today…..pretty yummy, and the heat from the oven sure felt good…..:)
Love Salmon Burgers! They’re just to simple to make. I particularly like the slaw you’ve got to go with yours Lindsay.
I'm a former 4th grade teacher, now full time blogger. My husband Bjork and I live in Minnesota. Favorite things include my camera, lake days, and dark chocolate.
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