Paleo Salmon Cakes

Wild-caught salmon is best for this dish (and in general). I’m not a fan of farmed salmon. The taste and health benefits of wild-caught salmon exceed those of farmed salmon by leaps and bounds. Don’t sell yourself short and settle for farmed salmon unless you absolutely have to. Or if you’re eating sushi, of course.

Wild-caught salmon is chock-full of omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are amazing for brain health, healthy triglyceride levels, muscle recovery, reducing inflammation, and for overall body function. It is important to have a healthy ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, so eating foods that are higher in omega-3s can help keep your overall ratio in check.

If I can’t find wild-caught salmon fresh I can almost always find it frozen at the grocery store. Look for wild-caught king, sockeye, pink, coho, or silver salmon. In my opinion, sockeye is too delicious to hide inside of salmon cakes, so I would save that to use as a nice fillet instead. I tend to use pink or coho salmon for this recipe.

Salmon cakes are the perfect weeknight meal. You’ve got your protein and carbs all in one place. All you need is a big salad as a side dish to round it all out. These little cakes are also perfect as leftovers for lunch the next day. You can even pop them into a sandwich bag for an on-the-go lunch or snack. I love having extras in the fridge for a quick post-workout snack.

Just like crab cakes, salmon cakes can be baked or pan fried. I have tried my recipe both ways and I strongly prefer the pan-fried method because it gives you a prefect golden crunchy outer layer on each side. Yum! Baking just doesn’t do these justice.

In order to make this recipe healthy, sweet potatoes and a tiny bit of coconut flour replace traditional breading (i.e. crackers or breadcrumbs). This combination creates luscious little cakes that hold together perfectly in the pan when cooking. That holding together bit is important. I experimented with so many versions of this recipe until I got it juuuuust right for y’all. Most of them were a little to crumbly and hard to flip. The coconut flour solved this problem because it is so absorbent.

For my recipe I use a coconut flour called Your Organic Nature (pretty much all I can find in the Netherlands) that is a little more coarse-grained than something like Bob’s Red Mill. This means that if you’re using Bob’s Red Mill or something similar that is a little finer in texture, you probably need less than the 3 Tbsp listed in the recipe. I would suggest mixing the coconut flour in last and adding 1 Tbsp at a time until the mixture starts to stick together well and can be handled without sticking to your hands.

When I shape the cakes I like to make sure they are a little over 1″ in thickness and around 2.75″ in diameter or else they become difficult to flip and more prone to breaking. Make sure to leave enough room in the pan between the cakes to make flipping easier. You’re going to want to use a thin spatula and flip them quickly like you would with pancakes. I do not recommend using stainless steel cookware for this recipe. The chance of sticking is not worth it. Instead try a health-friendly nonstick skillet like cast iron.

This recipe yields 9 salmon cakes, which is enough for three people. Or two people with some leftovers. Or just two hungry crossfitters. Now on to the recipe!