How To Prevent Those Salmon Patties From Falling Apart (2024)

Betsy Parks

·3 min read

If you're stumped on a weeknight dinner idea that's easy to assemble but still seems a little gourmet, salmon patties are a perfect fit. All you need is a decent can of salmonor some leftover cooked filets, breadcrumbs or crushed-up crackers, an egg or two, and you've got the base recipe ready to go. Since salmon is so adaptable to different flavors, you can choose from all kinds of herbs and spices to make them unique (although lemon and dill are pretty classic). Just be sure to always get the ratio of your main ingredients nailed down first because salmon patties and cakes are notorious for falling apart

The key to making salmon patties with staying power has a lot to do with the ingredients you use to bind the mixture, the moisture balance, and the temperature. Patties without enough sticky stuff to hold them together will be frustrating to work with. Ditto for salmon cakes that are too wet or too dry. It's also helpful to refrigerate both the entire mixture, and then your patties before cooking them.

Read more: 12 Underrated Types Of Fish You Should Try At Least Once

Balance The Binders With The Moisture

Every salmon patty or cake recipe calls for some combination of binding ingredients. These usually include eggs, flour, breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs, ground flaxseed, and so on. Without these binders, the salmon has nothing to stick to, so you can't form patties. However, you can go overboard with the binders. 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. Try to always follow your recipe carefully, but if you're going without a recipe the goal is to make a mixture that will stick together when you pinch it between your thumb and index finger.

It's a good idea to make a test patty once you've mixed all the ingredients and let it sit for about 10 minutes so that the dry ingredients can absorb moisture. A test cake will give you an idea of how well your cakes will stay together in the pan before you go to the trouble of forming the whole batch. If they seem too wet or too dry during the test, go back and add an extra egg or some more breadcrumbs to the mix, let it sit for a few more minutes, and repeat the process until the cakes stay together.

Refrigerate The Mix, Use A Sheet Pan

How To Prevent Those Salmon Patties From Falling Apart (2)

Once you have the right moisture balance in your salmon patty mix, a helpful step is to refrigerate everything before you form the cakes. This will make the mixture easier to work with. Then you can scoop the cakes and put them on a sheet pan to cool down in the fridge once again. The cooler temperature of the mix will help everything stick together better when the patties are pan-fried, crisping them up nicely.

If you have a lot of salmon patties to make, you can even forgo the pan altogether and bake them on a sheet tray in the oven. This way, even if your patties are a little too wet or dry you can still get a decent shape; less flipping means less chance of the patties falling apart. All you have to do is scoop them (make sure they're the same size), flatten them, then set a timer and turn the cakes over halfway through the bake. Make sure to grease the pan or use a sheet of parchment paper to prevent the patties from sticking, and you'll have perfect-looking salmon patties every time.

Read the original article on Daily Meal.

How To Prevent Those Salmon Patties From Falling Apart (2024)

FAQs

How To Prevent Those Salmon Patties From Falling Apart? ›

Refrigerate The Mix, Use A Sheet Pan

How do you keep salmon patties from falling apart? ›

Use a light touch to shape them into patties. 4) Don't flip them too soon: When frying the salmon patties, wait until they're browned and crispy on the first side before flipping them. This will ensure that they hold together and don't fall apart.

Why won't my salmon patties stay together? ›

Balance The Binders With The Moisture

Every salmon patty or cake recipe calls for some combination of binding ingredients. These usually include eggs, flour, breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs, ground flaxseed, and so on. Without these binders, the salmon has nothing to stick to, so you can't form patties.

How to stop salmon from falling apart? ›

Grill salmon flesh side down FIRST, then flip over once.

Place the salmon fillets on the grill flesh side down first (so the skin is facing you). Raw salmon is relatively firm, so starting it off with the flesh facing down is a great way to get some nice grill marks on the salmon without it falling apart.

What makes salmon fall apart? ›

Salmon that's gone bad will often feel almost like it's about to fall apart, or sometimes mushy. Other things to watch for when examining your fish by touch are slimy or sticky residues, both indicators of spoilage.

Why are my salmon patties mushy? ›

Overmixing can break down the structure. Allowing the salmon mixture to rest before shaping the patties is crucial. Cooking the salmon patties at too high a temperature or for too short a time can result in a mushy interior.

How to stop patties from falling apart? ›

Chill or freeze your burgers

"This will help them keep their shape when they're cooking and stop them falling apart." You can also freeze them before cooking.

How do you make patties stay together? ›

Add 1 egg yolk per pound of hamburger. It won't add appreciably to the fat content and will bind the meat beautifully. The other thing you can do is add canned, drained, crushed black beans or chickpeas to the hamburger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add an interesting taste.

What can I use as a binder instead of eggs in salmon patties? ›

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.

Why do my homemade fish cakes fall apart? ›

The best way to prevent fish cakes from falling apart is by using a binder. This salmon fish cake recipe calls for an egg. It's important to ensure the fish cakes are not too wet or dry, as that will also cause them to fall apart.

How to make fish cakes not fall apart? ›

If you feel that your recipe needs more of a binder, Melanie Cooks suggests adding a bit of flour into the mix to help hold the ingredients together more. Most crab or tuna cakes don't include flour because it's finicky. Too much flour can make them tough, but if you add just a sprinkle in, it will do wonders.

How to pan fry salmon without it falling apart? ›

Use Salmon WITH the Skin On

Keeping the skin on salmon makes it easier to flip, as the salmon is less likely to fall apart (also recommended for Instant Pot Salmon). Making pan seared salmon with skin insulates it and makes it more difficult to overcook.

Why do my salmon patties fall apart when cooking? ›

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.

How do I keep my fish patties from falling apart? ›

Refrigerate The Mix, Use A Sheet Pan

Then you can scoop the cakes and put them on a sheet pan to cool down in the fridge once again. The cooler temperature of the mix will help everything stick together better when the patties are pan-fried, crisping them up nicely.

Does salmon taste better with butter or oil? ›

You can skip the butter and cook the salmon in two tablespoons of olive oil. However, butter enhances the salmon's flavor. Alternatively, you can skip the olive oil and use two tablespoons of butter.

How to make fish cakes stay together? ›

A classic choice is breadcrumbs, but you could integrate crushed up crackers, almond flour, or even mashed (or smashed) potatoes into your fish cake mix. Not only will these ingredients help to hold your fish cake together; they'll help to keep your cakes from becoming dense pucks of protein.

Is it normal for raw salmon to fall apart? ›

Fresh salmon should always be firm and spring back when pressed. If it feels loose and falls apart easily, it has probably gone bad.

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