My interest in canned salmon has recently been reignited, so I decided to start playing around with it again. I figured a good salmon burger would be a great place to start, but I wanted to make it a little more special. So, I threw some of my Homemade Cajun Seasoning into the mix and ended up with a burger that is super flavorful and easy. It’s safe to say that these Cajun Salmon Burgers are going to be a staple on my “easy weeknight dinners” list!
Why Canned Salmon?
Canned salmon might not be the first choice for everyone, but it’s super convenient and a great economical choice since it’s shelf-stable. You can keep canned salmon on hand for last minute meals, without worrying about it spoiling. You can certainly use fresh salmon, if preferred. Just cook the salmon through before preparing the burgers. You’ll need about 1 cup cooked and flaked salmon.
Can I use Store Bought Cajun Seasoning?
Yep! Just be aware that many prepared Cajun seasoning blends contain a lot of salt, so you may have to use a light hand. That’s why I prefer to use my own Cajun seasoning, which allows me to adjust the salt as needed. For these Cajun Salmon Burgers I used 1/4 of my Homemade Cajun Seasoning recipe, or about 1/2 Tbsp in volume.
How to Serve Cajun Salmon Burgers
I took the easy route and topped my burgers with some spring mix and a couple of tablespoons of guacamole. You could always take a more traditional route and do just a little mayo, lettuce, and tomato. Or, if you want to get a little fancy, you can mix up some remoulade sauce to use in place of the mayo. These Cajun Salmon burgers would also be great on a salad, instead of being served on a bun!
Cajun Salmon Burgers
Servings 2Ingredients
- 6 oz. Canned Salmon (boneless, skinless) ($4.69)
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs ($0.06)
- 1 large egg ($0.25)
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp stone ground mustard ($0.02)
- 1 green onion, sliced ($0.05)
Cajun Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp oregano ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp thyme ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp onion powder ($0.02)
- 1 pinch cayenne (or to taste) ($0.01)
- 1 pinch freshly cracked pepper ($0.01)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
For Cooking:
- 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.02)
- 1/2 Tbsp butter ($0.03)
Optional for Serving:
- 2 buns ($0.83)
- 1/4 cup guacamole ($0.66)
- 1 cup spring mix ($0.32)
Instructions
- Drain the canned salmon and add it to a bowl with the breadcrumbs, egg, mayonnaise, mustard, green onion, and Cajun seasoning spices. Stir to combine the ingredients, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow time for the spices to blend and the breadcrumbs to absorb moisture.
- After 30 minutes, shape the salmon mixture into two patties, about 3-4 inches in diameter each.
- Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Once the butter is melted and begins to foam, add the salmon burgers and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until the burgers are well browned.
- To serve, place one burger on each bun, add 2 Tbsp guacamole to each, and top with a small handful of spring mix. Enjoy!
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Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Cajun Salmon Burgers – Step by Step Photos
This is the brand of canned salmon I used and it was really good. Nice chunks, no skin, no bones. It was $4.69 at my local health food store, but Kroger has it for $3.59 on their website (the Kroger in my neighborhood didn’t stock it). This isn’t sponsored, I just tried this brand because I had read some good reviews on it.
Drain the canned salmon and then add it to a bowl. If you want to use fresh salmon, just cook it and flake it up first. You’ll need about 1 cup cooked salmon.
Add 1 large egg, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 1 Tbsp mayonnaise, 1/2 tsp coarse ground mustard, 1 sliced green onion (I forgot to add it until after this photo) and the Cajun seasoning blend: 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp onion powder, a pinch of cayenne, a pinch of freshly cracked pepper, and 1/8 tsp salt.
Mix all of those ingredients together until evenly combined, then refrigerate this mixture for 3o minutes. This gives the spices time to really blend together and the breadcrumbs time to absorb some of the liquid.
After 30 minutes, shape the salmon mixture into two patties. Each should be about 3-4 inches in diameter. The mixture will be fairly wet, but don’t worry, they will firm up when the egg cooks.
Heat 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil and 1/2 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted and is starting to foam, add the salmon burgers and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side or until they are well browned.
To build the salmon burgers place one patty on each bun, top with 2 Tbsp guacamole, and a small handful of spring mix.
Enjoy!!
This is a great deal. Occasionally, you’ll see it on a menu at a seafood restaurant, and it’s about $16 per sandwich.
I didn’t realize you had a homemade Cajun seasoning!! I’m still dumbfounded as to why store bought has sooo much salt it makes it useless. We tend to heavily season our food.
This recipe was easy to make and delicious! 10 out of 10.
These were very good! I didn’t eat mine on a bun. Instead I had sides of homemade slaw and french fries to go with it! Yum.
I don’t have canned salmon but I have some canned tuna. Would that work?
Yes, I think you could definitely do a tuna burger. :)
I just made some with tuna. So good.
These were tasty!
The topping of guacamole was spot on — I don’t think I’d have liked them as much with standard burger toppings. Word of warning: Chicken of the Sea “Traditional Style” salmon has bones and skin. Most of the bones are really tiny and crumbly and I suspect are ok for eating but I didn’t favor that and picked them out. I got it because it was one of the more economical brands and came in can large enough for a double batch, but I think next time I’ll spring for the brand Beth suggests here.
Costco often has the Wild Planet brand on sale for a pretty good price! :)
And just a side note, those bones are totally okay to eat, and actually very good for you (lots of calcium). …But I can’t handle the texture myself. :P
Hi Beth, burgers look good! I need to try them sometime…
I just wanted to let you know, the recipe displays really odd on RSS, like
“1/4 cup breadcrumbs (~TN0~xxx xxxxxx xxxxxxxx
xxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx […]”
This runs on for about half a page or something. Did you change something about how to code the price?
Just thought to let you know!
Sorry about that, Sam! I just fixed it. This has been happening randomly to posts lately, and no one can seem to figure out why. :( Luckily if I go in and resave the post it fixes it, but I just have to remember to check each time.
Made these tonight, a solid 10/10!
I used a roast salmon fillet I seasoned with Cajun seasoning prior to roasting. I was just a bit skeptical, as I usually use raw salmon fillet finely chopped for fish burgers. I was worried the precooked fish would be too dry, but the burgers were moist and super tasty. A huge hit!
Using fish as a sub in ‘burgers’ is a fairly recent thing. What I grew up with in South Louisiana was Salmon Croquettes. They were made with essentially the same ingredients, shaped like an egg, then slightly flattened on three sides. We did not use them for burgers or sandwiches. They were always a good go to from the pantry.
This struck me as odd:
I took the easy route and topped my burgers with some spring mix and a couple tablespoons of Aldi guacamole.
There are No Aldi stores in Louisiana, nor are any planned. I had become fond of them in Chicago and upon moving back to New Orleans had to learn to live without them. It seemed hopeful when a Trader Joe’s opened here, so I contacted the parent company. They were very clear about having NO plans to open here. There are some in TX though.
Enjoy the recipes you post. Nice work.
Yeah, such a bummer that there are no Aldi’s down there! It has been such a game changer for me since moving to Nashville and they have a lot of the same things that Trader Joe’s has. I absolutely LOVE Aldi. :)
DANG IT! I just got rid of like 4 cases of canned salmon that I’d inherited because I was sure I’d never find anything good to do with it. Now I’m going to have to go buy some because they look yummy!
Thanks for this recipe. I always use a large can of salmon when making salmon burgers because, even though there’s just two of us, they freeze really well for an even faster meal.
Hi – I can’t stand mayo. Any suggestion on a substitute?
Greek Yogurt works well…adds a little tang with the spiciness
In this case, the mayo is part of the binding ingredients–since there is already an egg to do most of that work, you can just eliminate it, although maybe a tsp of oil would be a good alternative. If you don’t like mayo at all, I can understand not having it in your fridge, but it is the basis for lots of other delicious sauces–ie fast and easy aoli of various sorts that don’t require you to start from scratch. I don’t use mayo a lot and hate it as a sandwich spread, but add some sriracha or chipotles and it’s something quite different.
The mayo helps keep the burgers moist, so maybe sub a little oil (maybe a tsp).
Thank you so much!! Gonna try this for my salmon patties!! One of my favorite things to eat and is always a hit in our house!!!!!
I’ve been making Mel Joulwan’s salmon burgers (uses canned salmon) for ages, but sometimes I just want a simpler recipe – this looks great and will go on my menu immediately!
Just a quick note – for those of us avoiding grain products, I’ve found an equal amount of almond flour subs nicely for the bread crumbs.
Thank you so much for this tip!
Thanks so much for posting this recipe. My grandmother made salmon patties regularly, back in the l950’s and 60’s when I was a kid. Hers were always a little dry, but still tasty. I’m going to try your recipe, maybe with homemade tartar sauce, just mayo and diced dill pickles. Thanks doubly for posting a recipe with canned salmon which I always have in the house. (I buy it on sale for $2 for a 16 ounce can. So much better than $10-$20 a pound fresh.) I have looked for recipes for canned salmon online but haven’t found many, so keep up the good work.