Salmon Patty Sauce

These salmon cakes are a quick, easy-to-eat healthy dinner, but what’s the best sauce for salmon patties? This creamy, bright and garlicky lemon dill sauce mixes up fast and can be made ahead of time.

Crunchy panko breadcrumbs are mixed into the patties themselves, so the end result is a golden-brown crust with a soft salmon interior. Salmon patties are a great way to introduce more fish into a picky eater’s diet, and served with this salmon patty sauce, they’re delectable.

Ingredients for Salmon Patty Sauce

• Mayonnaise: A sauce standard, mayo gives this lemon dill sauce a creamy base.
• Garlic: Minced garlic adds savory flavor to the patty sauce.
• Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice brightens and thins the sauce for the perfect consistency.
• Lemon zest: By using just the bright yellow part of the flesh, the lemon oil from the zest deepens the lemon flavor.
• Dill: You can use 1/4 teaspoon dried dill, or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill.
• Cayenne pepper: A subtle heat from cayenne pepper balances the sauce’s flavors.

Salmon:

• Salmon: These salmon patties begin with salmon fillets, giving the finished patties a fresher taste and softer texture than if you used canned.
• Eggs: Lightly beaten eggs help bind the ingredients together.
• Panko bread crumbs: Crunchy panko helps everything stick together, adds texture and helps the patties turn a golden brown.
• Green onions: A subtle way to add savory onion flavor, green onions are pretty and not too sharp.
• Garlic: Minced garlic adds the same savory flavor to the salmon patties themselves.

Directions

Step 1: Mix up the sauce

Julia Hartbeck for Taste of Home

In a small bowl, mix up the mayo, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, dill, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 2: Bake the salmon and shape the patties

Julia Hartbeck for Taste of Home

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and bake it until it just begins to flake, six to eight minutes. Salmon is cooked when an instant read thermometer says 145°. Let it cool, remove the skin and flake into pieces. Mix up the eggs, bread crumbs, green onions, garlic and salt, then stir in the salmon. Shape into twelve 2-1/2 inch patties. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Cook the patties

Julia Hartbeck for Taste of Home

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties in batches, three to four minutes on each side, until they’re golden brown. Serve warm, with your prepared salmon patty dill sauce.

Julia Hartbeck for Taste of Home

Salmon Patty Sauce Variations

• Change up the herbs: While dill is always delightful with salmon, tarragon, parsley and marjoram also work well.
• Greek yogurt: Looking to boost the protein and lower the fat? Substitute Greek yogurt for mayonnaise in the sauce.
• Sriracha: If you like a little spice with your salmon, add 1/2 teaspoon (or more) of sriracha into the sauce.

Can you make salmon patty sauce ahead of time?

This dill sauce for salmon patties can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Salmon Patty Sauce Tips

Julia Hartbeck for Taste of Home

What are the best side dishes for salmon patties?

Serve salmon patties with a big salad, like this summery peach and burrata salad, or a quick vegetable side of seasoned green beans.

Can this sauce be used for anything else?

Lemon dill salmon patty sauce can also top a salmon burger, or swap it in for any tartar sauce. But it doesn’t have to be limited to fish. This fresh, garlicky, lemony sauce could be drizzled over crispy smashed potatoes too.

What’s the white stuff coming out of salmon when I cook it?

When you’re cooking salmon fillets, it’s not uncommon to see some white liquid squeezing out. It’s a protein called albumin that squeezes out when fish reaches 140° to 150° and above. It’s perfectly safe to eat, or it can be wiped or scraped off. By cooking fish more slowly to only 145° (the recommended internal temperature for fish), less albumin will appear.