Salmon and Sweet Potato Cakes
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These salmon and sweet potato cakes are packed with nutrition and flavor! Enjoy them as a sandwich or a la carte. Freezing instructions included!
Why I Love These Salmon Cakes
- They are super nutritious.
- My kids will actually eat them!
- They freeze nicely so I can make a big batch for later.
- There’s no fishy-ness in these cakes. All the different flavors and textures make them absolutely great, in my opinion.
Ingredients Needed
This delicious recipe uses two of the best superfoods on the planet!
Ingredient Notes
- Wild Salmon Filets – These are readily available and affordable in most grocery stores now, but the tastiest wild salmon I’ve had is from ButcherBox. It’s where I get all of my meat, because they offer healthy (and delicious!) meat from small farmers that is delivered to my doorstep on my schedule. (Cancel any time.)
- Sweet Potato Puree – One of the top superfoods in the world. The sweet potato helps as a binder (instead of mayo!) and lends a slightly sweet taste. You can find sweet potato puree in a can or you can easily make your own.
- Seafood seasoning – I recommend using Old Bay Seasoning.
- Whole wheat crackers – Panko breadcrumbs would work instead.
How to Serve Salmon Cakes
I’d highly recommend making our Avocado Aioli sauce to top these cakes.
The creaminess and beautiful color of the sauce contrasts well with the warm, crispy salmon patties.
You can also use an all-natural tartar sauce for serving, if you want.
My kids liked them on mini buns with a slice of cheese on top, like a burger.
Side Dish Ideas
With these salmon cakes as the centerpiece of your meal, all you need are a few simple, healthy sides. Here are a few ideas:
How to Freeze Salmon Cakes
It’s easy to freeze salmon cakes. They turn out tasting just like you made them fresh, if you freeze them this way:
Freeze For Later: Put the salmon cakes together, but do not cook them. Freeze in a freezer bag or container in a single layer. If stacking patties, divide single layers with parchment paper.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw completely in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Then cook according to the directions.
Recipe FAQs
Wash and dry it. Poke several holes around it using a knife, so steam can release while it cooks. Microwave it for 2 minutes. Flip it over and microwave another 2-3 minutes, until soft all the way through. Test doneness by inserting a knife into the middle. It should give easily.
You can, but we recommend cooking wild salmon filets according to our directions.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Salmon and Sweet Potato Cakes
These salmon and sweet potato cakes are packed with nutrition and flavor! Enjoy them as a sandwich or a la carte. With a small amount of effort, you’ll make a meal your family is sure to love.
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed* (about 1 cup)
- 3 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
- 1 quart (4 cups) chicken broth (sub: water)
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat crackers, crushed into crumbs
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 2 scallions or green onions, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Bring the broth to a boil in a large skillet or pot over high heat, then reduce to a simmer.
- Season salmon fillets lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Carefully lower them down into the liquid, making sure they are submerged. (Note: If the broth doesn’t cover the top of the filets, add just enough water to make sure they are covered.) Poach until the salmon is opaque, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the salmon to a mixing bowl and flake the fish with a fork. Add in the mashed sweet potatoes, seafood seasoning, half of the cracker crumbs, the egg, thyme, hot sauce, scallions, and parsley. Using your hands or a fork, combine until the mixture is firm enough to mold into cakes. (If it’s too wet, add a few more cracker crumbs.)
- Add the remaining cracker crumbs to a plate. Form the salmon mixture into four (4-inch) patties or eight (2-inch) patties and coat in the cracker crumbs on both sides. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Discard the liquid from the skillet and wipe it clean. In that same skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmery.
- Cook the fish cakes until light golden, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
- Serving suggestion: Serve with tartar sauce for dipping or serve on buns with cheese on top, like a burger.
Freeze For Later: Follow Steps 1-4. Freeze in a freezer bag or container in a single layer. If stacking patties, divide single layers with parchment paper.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw completely. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Follow Steps 5-7.
Notes/Tips
To cook and mash the sweet potato: Wash and dry it. Poke several holes around it using a knife, so steam can release while it cooks. Microwave it for 2 minutes. Flip it over and microwave another 2-3 minutes, until soft all the way through. Test doneness by inserting a knife into the middle. It should give easily.
We had leftover baked maple salmon so we used this recipe wit the leftovers to use them up. I added Rosemary and extra lemon thyme in addition to the regular thyme. These were a hit and even my picky 4 year old who will NOT eat salmon ate all of her plate!
Great news about your pick eater! Love to hear how you used leftovers in this recipe and adjusted the seasonings to match the flavor. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Kate!
LOVE these and highly recommend with the avocado aoli – a beautiful and tasty meal. I have made fresh and served and also made and froze. Both winners.
Hi Sarah! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and let everyone know that you enjoyed them both fresh and from frozen!
Delicious! Love the flavors. A little effort to put it all together but worth it!
So glad you enjoy these Cheri! Sometimes the things that taste best require a little extra effort. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Excellent recipe. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it Lisa. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Delicious. My whole family loves this recipe and it’s something I can easily make with my kids. Its official in my dinner roster.
Awesome! We love to hear about kids in the kitchen. Thanks for leaving a review Jen.
Super easy to make and they taste amazing. This recipe has been added to our family cookbook. Thanks
Love to hear this Shanna. Thank you for leaving a review and letting us know how much your family loves it!
This was delicious and I’m not a fish lover. I read about this dish in James Patterson’s book “Triple Cross”, an Alex Cross novel. I’m so happy I tried it. I will definitely make it again. Next time I will add more panko as my cakes were falling apart.
Hi Linda. So fun to hear why you decided to give this a try. Thank you for leaving a review!
I’m reading triple cross right now. Stopped reading to look up this recipe. Looking forward to trying it.
Hi Marlene. Hope you enjoy it!
My son made these and they were excellent. I used premade mashed sweet potatoe, not a good idea. The premade have brown sugar in them which messed with the flavors.
Thanks for the tip about the pre-made mashed potatoes. Oops! But I’m glad your son liked them!
We LOVE these salmon patties! They’ve become a routine part of meal rotation. I often make them ahead of time and freeze them for later. Super easy to cook these guys up! So tasty and healthy! Win win 🎉
We really liked the flavor of these with homemade tartar sauce! Great way to stretch salmon a little bit further.
Could this be made using canned salmon? I’ve made salmon cakes before using it, but have never pre-cooked it. Just baked or fried them straight from the can (after mixing with other ingredients, of course).
I definitely think it would work and have some cans in my pantry right now. I’d love to try it, too.
So if I’m using canned salmon would I just skip step 2? or do I have to cook it some way ?
Canned salmon is pre-cooked, so you can skip the cooking step.