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Whip up a batch of these mini salmon cakes with leftover salmon for a quick and easy meal! They’re the perfect source of healthy fats and protein to nurture your growing baby, but are great for older kids and adults too!
Quick and Easy Leftover Salmon Cakes
If you’re looking for the perfect salmon recipe for baby, you’ll love these mini salmon cakes with sweet potato! They’re easy to hold, perfectly soft and packed with nutrients.
Made with leftover salmon, these BLW salmon cakes come together so fast! Toss all the ingredients into a bowl, press the filling into patties, pan fry them, and serve!
Don’t forget to prepare the creamy dip with fresh avocados to make these simple salmon cakes even more satisfying!
MINI SALMON CAKES
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Why We Love These Salmon Cakes for Baby
- Simple: These baby salmon cakes come together with almost no effort! They’re made in just one bowl and are a great way to use up that leftover cooked salmon.
- Healthy: Loaded with omega-3s, protein and iron, these baby salmon cakes are a nutritious entree for your baby. Better yet, they’re yummy enough for the whole family!
- Make Ahead: You can toss these leftover salmon patties into a skillet and have a delicious meal on the table in no time! Perfect for busy weeknights!
Ingredient Notes
For the salmon cakes:
- Leftover salmon: Use cooked salmon or canned salmon to make this mini salmon patty recipe. If you opt for canned, be sure to remove or break up any bones.
- Mashed sweet potato: Add some mashed sweet potato for a bit of sweetness, moisture and filling fibre. You can easily substitute mashed potatoes, too.
- Almond flour: To help absorb any excess liquid in this moist salmon cake recipe, you’ll want to add a filler like almond flour. Breadcrumbs work well too.
- Egg: To hold these pan fried fish cakes together, whisk in an egg.
- Green onions: Sliced green onion adds great flavor to this easy salmon patties recipe.
- Seasonings: To season the salmon patties, add dried or fresh dill, salt (optional), and ground pepper (optional).
- Olive oil: Use the oil to pan fry the baby salmon cakes in your large skillet. Feel free to use avocado oil or vegetable oil instead.
For avocado crema (optional):
- Avocado: Start with a base of fresh avocadoes, peeled and pitted. Use ripe green avocados (not brown) for best results.
- Lemon juice: A little lemon juice freshens the flavor and keeps the avocado from browning.
- Light olive oil: Use a little olive oil to make the crema nice and creamy. Use light rather than extra virgin since it’s more neutral in flavor.
- Water: Water will help you think out the crema to get the perfect squeezable texture.
- Seasonings: The dried dill, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper are optional. If you serve these to your family for an easy weeknight dinner, the adults and big kids will appreciate the extra flavor.
How to Make Salmon Cakes with Leftover Salmon
- Place the cooked flaked salmon into a large bowl. Add mashed sweet potato, almond flour, egg, green onion, dill, salt, and pepper and mix until well combined.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Form the salmon mixture into approximately 18 small patties (about 2 tablespoons worth of mixture each). Place in the pan, leaving room between each one. You may need to cook the salmon cakes in two batches.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side. Carefully flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Repeat with any remaining salmon cakes.
How to Make Avocado Topping for Salmon
- Meanwhile, place ingredients for avocado crema in a food processor or mini blender and blend until smooth. Serve salmon cakes warm topped with avocado crema or desired dipping sauce.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
RECIPE TIPS
- If the salmon and sweet potato mixture is too moist, pop it in the fridge for a few minutes to help it firm up. You can also add some extra almond flour or panko breadcrumbs can help absorb the excess moisture and make it easier to form into cakes.
- To save time and effort, prepare the salmon and sweet potato in advance, allowing you to assemble and cook the patties when it’s time to eat.
- To prepare a sweet potato, you can use the oven or microwave. Microwave it for 6-10 minutes after piercing it with a fork. Or, bake it at 425 degrees F for 50-60 minutes on a baking sheet.
- Press the salmon cake mixture together firmly with your hands. Otherwise, it may fall apart in the pan.
- Add a tablespoon of water at a time for the crema until you reach your preferred consistency.
- Instead of mini salmon cakes, make salmon burgers instead! Just form larger patties.
- For babies, I recommend avoiding salt in this recipe to limit sodium intake. You can form baby’s salmon cakes first and then add a bit of salt into the mixture for the rest of the family, if desired.
- Instead of garlic powder, feel free to use onion powder or your favorite seasonings. For older kids, you can even use Old Bay seasoning!
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! To get the best results with a nice crispy outside and moist inside, I recommend panfrying these mini salmon patties for babies.Â
However, you can easily bake them in the oven with the convection fan or the air fryer. Set the temperature to 425 degrees F and bake them for 8-10 minutes or until fully heated and golden brown.
Yes! Babies can start eating salmon around 6 months of age and these mini salmon patties are the perfect way to introduce this food.Â
Since salmon is naturally high in omega fatty acids, it’s a fantastic food for babies and their growing brains. I recommend using high-quality wild-caught salmon whenever possible.
You’ll want to serve your salmon according to your baby’s developmental stage. If they are really little and using a palmar grasp to hold foods with their hands, either offer these mini salmon cakes whole or slice them into easy-to-grab strips.
For older babies developing the pincer grasp, cut the cakes into small bites they can pick up. Once they are a little older (usually over 12 months), you can offer your baby the full mini salmon cake. They will be able to hold it up to take bites. Be sure to always monitor your baby to help prevent choking.
Storage Guidelines
- Refrigerator: Store leftover salmon cakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: You can also wrap the leftover patties in plastic wrap, then add them to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for several months. Allow the BLW salmon cakes to thaw in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat: Bake them in a 400 degree oven or air fryer for 4-5 minutes or until reheated.
What Goes with Salmon Patties
These salmon patties are a nutritious option that can be served with any meal or as a healthy snack! Since it contains mainly protein with some carbohydrates, I prefer serving them with additional fruits and veggies and grains to make them more filling.
Try them with:
- Carrot Pasta
- Avocado Pesto Pasta
- Healthy corn fritters
- Steamed green beans, carrots or broccoli
- Green salad
- Air fryer zucchini fries
- Mashed sweet potato fritters
- Cucumber slices
- Quartered cherry tomatoes
- Sliced bell pepper with hummus
Recipe Variations
- Salmon burgers: Form larger patties to serve on a bun! Be sure to cook them until fully heated (165 F).
- Change the fish or seafood: Instead of salmon, you can use leftover trout, cod, or other white fish. You can even use this recipe to make crab cakes with leftover crab! Just be sure to watch for shells.
- Try a different sauce: Instead of the avocado crema, serve this salmon croquette recipe with homemade tartar sauce, a garlic aioli or fresh lemon wedges!
More Similar Recipes
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
- How To Cut Pancakes For Babies
- Veggie Tots In Air Fryer
- Scrambled Eggs For Baby
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Mini Salmon Cakes {with Leftover Salmon}
Ingredients
For the salmon cakes:
- 20 ounces cooked salmon chopped finely (about 3 salmon fillets)
- 3/4 cup mashed sweet potato (or about 1 medium sweet potato cooked)
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
- 1 teaspoon dried dill (or 1-2 tablespoons fresh)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
For avocado crema (optional):
- 1 medium ripe avocado
- Juice of half a lemon (about 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice)
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
- 1/8 teapoon pepper
Instructions
- Place the cooked flaked salmon into a large bowl. Add mashed sweet potato, almond flour, egg, green onion, dill, salt and pepper and mix until well combined.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Form the salmon mixture into approximately 18 small patties (about 2 tablespoons worth of mixture each). Place in the pan, leaving room between each one. You may need to cook the salmon cakes in two batches.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side. Carefully flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Repeat with any remaining salmon cakes.
- Meanwhile, place ingredients for avocado crema in a food processor or mini blender and blend until smooth. Serve salmon cakes warm topped with avocado crema or desired dipping sauce.
Notes
- If the salmon and sweet potato mixture is too moist, pop it in the fridge for a few minutes to help it firm up. You can also add some extra almond flour or panko breadcrumbs can help absorb the excess moisture and make it easier to form into cakes.
- To save time and effort, prepare the salmon and sweet potato in advance, allowing you to assemble and cook the patties when it’s time to eat.
- To prepare a sweet potato, you can use the oven or microwave. Microwave it for 6-10 minutes after piercing it with a fork. Or, bake it at 425 degrees F for 50-60 minutes on a baking sheet.
- Press the salmon cake mixture together firmly with your hands. Otherwise, it may fall apart in the pan.
- For babies, I recommend avoiding salt in this recipe to limit sodium intake. You can form baby’s salmon cakes first and then add a bit of salt into the mixture for the rest of the family, if desired.
Nutrition
Recipe inspired by Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes
I love watching my grandchildren gobble these up. They smack their lips with this recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
Yay!! So glad they were a hit! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a rating and review 🙂