Salmon Patties Recipe {Salmon Cakes} Cooking Classy (2024)

FAQs

How do you make salmon patties not fall apart? ›

If they fall apart, they're not of the right consistency. Being either too dry or too wet will cause it. If they are too dry, adding a touch of water will help and if they are too wet, dredge them in flour or add a little flour to the mix.

If you add too much egg, for instance, or the canned fish isn't properly drained, the mixture will be too wet and the cakes will fall apart. Too many breadcrumbs, on the other hand, will make your cakes dry and crumbly.

You can also lessen salmon's strong flavor by soaking it in a milk bath for 20 minutes and then draining it and patting it dry before cooking. The casein in milk binds to the TMA, and when drained away, it takes the culprit that causes fishy odor with it.

A perfectly cooked salmon patty should be moist and tender inside with a slightly crispy exterior. If your salmon patty has a grey or mushy texture on the inside, the color may come from the skin side of the flesh, but if it's mushy, it may be undercooked.

No breadcrumbs are needed: Instead, I use a small amount of almond flour. It adds a lovely nuttiness, and doesn't overpower the salmon flavor the way breadcrumbs can often do. If I'm making salmon patties, I surely want them to taste like salmon and not bread!

You can use wheat flour, oat flour or mashed potatoes egg substitute for binder in salmon patties. Replace each egg with 1/3 cup of flour or mashed potato.

That white gunk seeping from your salmon is called albumin. It's a protein—not fat—that pushes to the surface of the fish when you heat it. "Once this protein reaches temperatures between 140 and 150 degrees, its moisture is squeezed out, and it congeals and turns white," according to America's Test Kitchen.

"When pan-frying or grilling, cook salmon fillets skin-side down for 5-7 minutes, flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes," says Norton. "You should also cook it skin-side down with other cooking methods, including baking."

There are two causes for mushy fish: The fish was frozen and thawed too rapidly. Melted water soaks the fish and makes it soft.

Sugar + acid is your friend.

For one, it's delicious. But from a scientific standpoint, the sugar and acid cut through salmon's fishiness. Glazes add a ton of flavor while taming the salmon. It's a win-win.

What does milk do to salmon? ›

Apparently, the proteins present in milk can bind to the fatty acids that have been exposed to air and give salmon its fishy odor or taste and mitigate them to be more neutral. (Fishiness is caused by the oxidation of fatty acids.)

– Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of your burger. When the salmon burger reaches 145 degrees F, it is done. – If you don't have a thermometer, check that your burger is lightly crisp on the outside and that the meat inside is pink and flaky.

Note: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have a certain medical condition. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for cooked fish.

Your recipe is out of balance. Too much sugar, fat or liquid or not enough flour. Or you could be opening your oven before the cake is set and the cake is falling at that point.

Make sure your mixture isn't too wet or too dry

For your patties to stay together and cook without falling apart, you must get the moisture just right.

IF your salmon is falling apart, you are cooking it too long and too dry. It should be pulled from the grill prior to falling apart. It should not be dry in the center but still moist.

watch the edges, and don't flip them until the edges are browning. also pay attention to the way you shape your burgers. if they're much thicker in the middle than they are on the edges, the middle will still be loose while the edges of the burger are firm. and then you have the fall-apart thing happening.

Texture: Good-quality salmon should have a firm, flaky texture. If the flesh feels mushy or breaks apart easily, it may be spoiled.