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
Video
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!!
I’ve made these over a dozen times and LOVE them. I usually double the recipe to have extras for leftovers. I cut them up and put in large tortilla as a wrap instead of a bun. My son was hungry and suggesting we dine out tonight. I said I was planning to make these and he said “That’s cool, those are tasty.” Thank you Budget Bytes!
Can you use sockeye salmon
Canned Sockeye Salmon would be fine!
Could these salmon patties be cooked in the oven rather than fried in oil and butter on the stovetop? Thanks! Love your recipes!
Baking these patties may work out okay, but you won’t likely achieve the same amount of browning in the oven and they won’t be as crispy/crunchy as our version. Since we haven’t tested this recipe in the oven, I hesitate to give you and specific suggestions that might not be successful! But don’t let me stop you! ~ Marion :)
Beth!! Did it again. I had a 14 oz can of Aldi salmon that I had to take the skin off and debone. So, I have no clue how many oz of salmon I actually have but it made about four burgers. I just added a little extra of everything but kept 1 egg. I made breadcrumbs from freezer bread. I used onion powder instead of green onion. I used the cheapest buns I could find. I used spicy guacamole. The Cajun seasoning I did use a fancy kind from Whole Foods that makes everything delicious. I am in love with this!
My family all complimented this recipe and said it’s their favorite way to have salmon patties. Thank you for another winner Budget Bytes!
Just an FYI for Canadian readers: President’s Choice makes a 170g (120g drained) canned salmon that is equivalent to the 6-oz can called for in this recipe. And it’s delicious!
Hi Beth. Your cajun salmon burgers recipe calls for “6 oz. Canned Salmon (boneless, skinless)” And I assume when salmon is canned (just like tuna) that there is extra liquid/water/broth that needs to be drained off; thus, there ends up being less than 6 ounces of canned fish. Could I substitute a 5 ounce pouch of boneless skinless salmon?
A 5oz. pouch will probably be pretty close to what’s in the 6oz. can. I think it’s a safe bet! :)
Oohhh man this recipe is so so yummy!! I’ve made it with salmon, ground turkey, and ground beef and it’s always perfect! The flavors are really unique, and the guac is a perfect topping with it!
Do you think that this recipe would work well with ground gator meat?
I’ll be honest, I’ve never cooked with gator meat and have only eaten it once in my life (decades ago), so I have no idea if the flavors or texture would work in this recipe. 😅
Made this a few times now, super tasty! I’m trying to cut out more conventional meats and be mostly pescatarian so these are a godsend for when I’m craving some burgers!
I was looking for a good alternative to a beef burger and I’m glad this is it! The flavour is really good and not fishy at all. Good for eating fish inexpensively as well.
Amazing Burger…. Great recipe….. thanks
I see others have freeze this recipe. Should the burgers be frozen before cooking or after?
We’re definitely novices but we froze prior to cooking, individually wrapped and bagged together. I made about 15 total and they have been cooking well a couple weeks later. I use these for dinner salads, which we are eating often.
This was so much nicer than I expected. And it’s such good value because you will already have everything you need in your cupboards.
My burgers came out a little fragmented due to a different can size in Canada, but the taste was amazing – as good as any salmon burger I’d order at a pub here. Great smoky undertone in a relatively mild burger that I kicked up a notch by using spicy guac (probably a great option for those with fussy eaters, who can leave the guac out). Can’t wait to impress family and friends this summer with this recipe :)