Salmon patties get a nutritious makeover by using amaranth instead of crackers. The unique chili lime flavor will become a favorite.
Already high in omega-3 fatty acids, these salmon patties become even healthier by eliminating most of the carbs. Amaranth combined with lots of veggies makes these salmon patties nutritious and packed with flavor.
How do you use canned salmon?
Canned salmon is cooked before packaging. If you choose to use fresh salmon instead, you will need to make sure that it has time to become fully cooked.
To use canned salmon in this recipe:
- Drain the liquid
- Break it into small pieces with your fingers or a fork.
- You can remove the skin if you like but it is edible.
- The bones are rich in calcium. They will mash easily with a fork and you will never notice them in the finished salmon patty.
You can use different kinds of seafood for this meal. Tuna patties are a great alternative.
What is amaranth good for?
Many traditional salmon patty recipes call for breadcrumbs or crushed crackers. I like to use puffed amaranth instead.
Amaranth is an ancient grain that is gluten-free and contains all of these nutrients:
- Fiber
- Protein
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Antioxidants
- Other micronutrients
Amaranth seeds are very small and if they are cooked, they become mushy. We can not digest raw amaranth either. To make salmon patties with great texture, take about ten minutes and puff the grains first.
- Preheat a pot to medium-high heat
- Spread a tablespoon of amaranth seeds evenly on the bottom of the pot.
- They should pop almost immediately.
- Strain out any seeds that didn’t pop
Here are more details on how to puff amaranth.
How do you season salmon patties?
Salmon is pretty salty already, so we want to use some seasonings other than salt. I like my salmon patties to have a little kick to them so I use chili powder. Ancho chile powder is one of my favorites. It has a unique smokey flavor with mild to medium heat.
You can increase the heat by using crushed red pepper in addition to the chili powder.
Once you learn how to make salmon patties, you can play with the seasonings to find different combinations you love. Other seasonings that taste great with salmon are:
- Old Bay
- Lemon
- Dill
- Cajun
Can you freeze salmon patties?
You can freeze salmon patties either before or after cooking.
To freeze them before you fry them, form the patties and put them on a tray in the freezer for an hour. Then pack them into freezer-safe containers or bags. This will prevent them from sticking together in the freezer. They will last for three months in the freezer.
If you freeze them after cooking, allow them to cool completely first.
You can thaw the patties in the refrigerator overnight or cook them directly from frozen.
You can meal prep the salmon patties as well. Form the patties and put them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. They actually stay together better if they have been refrigerated for at least an hour before cooking.
Salmon Patties
Ingredients
- 1 can pink salmon (133g drained weight)
- 1 cup puffed amaranth - how to puff amaranth
- 1/2 cup finely diced yellow bell pepper
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 cup chopped baby spinach
- 1-4 Tbsp all-purpose white flour
- 2 eggs
- sea salt
- pepper
- chili powder - my favorite: ancho chili
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Peel or wash veggies and dice.
- Drain the salmon and break apart with your fingers.
- Add all ingredients (except lime) to a large bowl starting with only 1 Tbsp flour and mix really really well until homogenous. If the mixture is too sticky, add another Tbsp. It should be easy to form patties without the mixture sticking to your hands (see video for consistency required).
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat for at least 10 minutes, then add about 2-3 Tbsp oil and wait another minute for it to be hot.
- Form patties and fry for 1-2 minutes per side.
- Serve with salad and drizzle lime juice over the patty.
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Claudine Sirois says
Hi! Lorena, Instead of using pink salmon if I used Wild sockeye salmon would that be alright???
Lorena Grater says
Yes absolutely! Simply bake or pan-fry your salmon and then flake it and add to the patties.
Jeff says
Is there a good alternative to the puffed amaranth?
Lorena says
Puffed quinoa could work but it’s not as yummy as puffed amaranth :) It really takes only 5 minutes to puff your own amaranth. Absolutely worth it :)
Mary says
This was great! Serves over baby spinach and arugula. Store didn’t have amaranth so used Arrowhead Mills Brand puffed Miller cereal and it was great!
Holly says
Lorena…I don’t OWN….a cast iron skillet ! WOE IS ME !!! What now ?
Lorena Grater says
Lol, no problem at all. Use whatever pan you have. Cast iron is nice because it maintains heat evenly but another pan will work, too.
Linda says
Do you think this would work in an air fryer?
Lorena says
Hm. That’s a good question. If you have one of those that have like a drawer I assume yes! I just have the one with the tuning thingy in the middle and there it wouldn’t work.
Charlotte says
These look delicious! Would it be possible to use whole wheat flour or another type of flour instead of white flour?
Lorena says
Yes! Whole wheat can work (will taste more floury though because whole wheat flour tends to take longer to cook and the patties are fried for only a very short amount of time. Oat flour would probably work better. Flour made from oats because oats can also be eaten raw.
gay abarbanell says
The amount in one serving is not stated???
Lorena says
Half of all the patties is “one serving”. I can’t state the amount for one patty because everybody will make them different sizes and thicknesses with their own hands and some will get 3 patties out of the dough and others 6 patties. So half of all the dough, so to speak, is calculated as one serving and the nutritional info is for half of the dough.