Pan-Fried Salmon Croquettes Recipe

While nutrition experts are always telling us to eat more salmon, sadly, this fish isn't always the most budget-friendly of foods, especially king salmon, which can get crazy expensive. Luckily, canned salmon is a far more affordable version, as our ancestors in the Great Depression knew well — salmon croquettes, aka patties, date back to this era and they're still a budget-friendly option today. However, if you've just had a big payday, and you're feeling like Daddy Warbucks, recipe developer Molly Pisula notes "You can replace the canned salmon with 1 ½ to 2 pounds of cooked salmon fillet."

Pisula describes this salmon croquettes recipe as having "big flavor," so she says she doesn't feel they need anything more than rice or steamed vegetables on the side. She likes to season the croquettes with Old Bay, something she says is "delicious with salmon," but she adds that "You can add more flavor to the dip by adding garlic or onion powder, or freshly-chopped chives."

One reason why these salmon croquettes are such an affordable dinner option is because you're not only using canned salmon as the base, but you're also filling it with some vegetables. Here, Pisula is using shallots and a bell pepper. You'll also need an egg, mayonnaise, and breadcrumbs to help bulk up the patties, as well as some Old Bay, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and dill to season them. Other ingredients include oil for frying, as well as sour cream and a lemon (both the juice and zest) to serve as a dip or topping.

Peel and chop the shallots, then chop the bell pepper. Zest ½ the lemon, leaving the peel on the other half. Cut the lemon in half, and squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice out of the zested part, then cut the un-zested part into wedges. Warm 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet over medium heat, then sautée the vegetables for about 6 minutes until softened. Take the vegetables out of the pan, and also turn off the heat, for safety's sake.

Drain the cans of salmon, then flake the fish in a bowl. Discard any stray bones or skin bits. Now, stir in the cooked vegetables, egg, mayonnaise, Old Bay, garlic powder, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of chopped dill, and ½ cup breadcrumbs. Mix well until combined. 

Form the salmon mixture into hamburger-sized patties. If you can't do this because your mixture is too dry, Pisula suggests that you can "add either more mayonnaise, or an additional egg to the mixture." Once you've shaped the patties, pour the remaining breadcrumbs onto a plate or shallow bowl, and press each patty into them until they're entirely coated.

Heat up 4 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot and looks shimmery, carefully slide half the croquettes into the pan. Fry them for about 5 or 6 minutes until the bottoms are brown, then flip and fry them for another 5 minutes. Take them out of the pan, add the remaining oil, and fry the second batch of croquettes.

Pisula does say to watch how quickly the croquettes are cooking. She says they shouldn't brown too rapidly, explaining "You want to give them enough time to fully heat through," so she advises turning down the heat if they get too brown, too fast.

Stir the lemon zest and juice into the sour cream, then add the rest of the chopped dill, along with some salt and pepper. Serve the croquettes with the sour cream sauce, and remaining lemon wedges. If you have any leftover dill, you can always use it as a garnish.

Pisula says that these croquettes should be okay in the refrigerator for 2 days, but adds that they can be frozen if you can't manage to eat all of them within that time frame. When you reheat them, though, she advises doing it on the stovetop or in an air fryer, as this will help to re-crisp the crumb coating.