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Salmon Cakes With Garlic Aioli Recipe (Olympic National Park)

By: Author Bram Reusen

Posted on Last updated:

Salmon cakes recipe inspired by: Olympic National Park, Washington (alternatively: Redwood National Park, North Cascades National Park, Glacier Bay National Park, Katmai National Park or Wrangell-St. Elias National Park).

This seafood recipe inspired by Washington’s Olympic National Park celebrates the natural abundance of the Pacific Northwest. Packed with flavor, these salmon cakes are a fantastic appetizer, but can also be served as a main course. With a creamy garlic aioli dipping sauce on the side, they’re sure to please everyone at the table.

This is one of several fish and seafood recipes inspired by the national parks you can find on The National Parks Experience. Check out my Biscayne fish taco bowl recipe or Glacier Bay seafood lasagna recipe for more ideas!

The inspiration for this particular salmon cakes recipe was Olympic National Park, one of my all-time favorite national parks.

Home to spectacular mountains, beautiful alpine meadows, mossy and misty rain forests, and one of the wildest stretches of coastline in the contiguous United States, Olympic has it all.

Additionally, the park is also home to all five species of Northwest salmon, which migrate from the ocean to the park’s many rivers and streams each year. Those five species are chinook, chum, coho, pink and sockeye salmon.

Salmon cakes with garlic aioli and carrot fries

I used sockeye salmon in my recipe, but feel free to choose one of the other types. However, when shopping for salmon, I encourage you to opt for salmon that’s wild-caught in a sustainable way.

Remember that salmon is supposed to be a seasonal food source. Truly fresh salmon is only available from mid-summer through fall. You can find more information about sustainable salmon here.

Olympic Salmon Cakes With Garlic Aioli

Okay, so let’s get to it! Below, you’ll find an overview of the ingredients for this awesome salmon cakes recipes. This is followed by detailed instructions for how to cook salmon cakes and how to whip up a great garlic aioli for dipping.

  • Prep time: 35 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Servings: 8
  • Calories per serving: 322

Note: While fishing is allowed in Olympic National Park, there are strict regulations in place. Wild salmon and steelhead are vulnerable species and may not be kept. In some areas in the park, however, you are permitted to retain a couple of hatchery coho salmon (or steelhead) per person. Visit the park’s website for more information in case you’d like to catch your own salmon.

This Olympic National Park-inspired recipe for salmon cakes with garlic aioli contains affiliate links. You can read more about our Terms of Use / Disclosure here.

Necessary Kitchen Tools

Salmon cakes recipe and garlic aioli
Yield: 8 servings

Olympic Salmon Cakes With Garlic Aioli Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

These flavor-packed salmon patties served with a creamy garlic aioli are perfect as a delicious appetizer, but also make for an amazing dinner. Inspired by Olympic National Park, this recipe celebrates the abundance of the Pacific Northwest.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound sustainably wild-caught Pacific salmon
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3 eggs, whisked
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup scallions, sliced
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon parsley, separated
  • 1 cup light mayonnaise
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Hot sauce
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

Now that you've prepped all the ingredients for this salmon cakes recipe, it's time to get cooking! I recommend reading all steps first before starting. Note that you'll need to make the garlic aioli first because you'll use a few tablespoons of it in the salmon cakes.

Garlic Aioli

  1. In the small mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, minced garlic, lemon juice and tablespoon of parsley. Mix well.
  2. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce for some spice to your liking.
  3. Store in the fridge while you make the salmon cakes.

Salmon patties on baking sheet

Salmon Cakes

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Place salmon on a parchment-lined baking sheet, skin side down. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle olive oil on top.
  3. Bake salmon until cooked through, about 12-15 minutes. Watch closely, salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork.
  4. Take salmon out of the oven, get rid of the skin and shred meat into bite-sized pieces with two forks. Let cool slightly.
  5. While salmon cooks in the oven, heat a tablespoon of oil in the large pan. Add onion and bell pepper, sautéing until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool slightly. Wipe out pan.
  6. Mix the shredded salmon, onion and bell pepper, breadcrumbs, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, scallions and 1/3 cup parsley in the large mixing bowl.
  7. Add 3 tablespoons of the garlic aioli and season generously with salt and pepper. Use a spoon to combine well.
  8. Using slightly moist hands, form the salmon cakes mixture into 8 patties of about 1 inch in diameter.
  9. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in the same large pan over medium-low heat.
  10. When butter is melted, add 4 of the salmon cakes and cook until browned and cooked through, turning once, about 4 minutes per side. Let drain on a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the 4 other salmon cakes.
  11. Serve hot with a side of garlic aioli. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 322Total Fat 23.5gSaturated Fat 4.7gCholesterol 130mgSodium 310mgCarbohydrates 7.5gFiber 0.6gSugar 2.7gProtein 20.2g

A general nutrition calculator was used to determine the nutritional information of this recipe, which is meant solely as an indication of the dish's nutritional values. Depending on specific ingredients, quantities used and/or serving size, the ultimate dish you end up making may have different nutritional aspects. Please consider the information provided here only as guidance and not as an absolute fact.

© Bram
Cuisine: Fish and Seafood / Category: Recipes

What to Serve With Salmon Cakes?

You can serve these Olympic National Park-inspired salmon cakes with just some aioli for dipping or add a side or two to make it a full-size dinner.

I made some crunchy oven-baked carrot fries, which complemented the savory salmon and sharp garlic flavor in the aioli beautifully. You can find the recipe for carrot fries here.

Here are several sides to serve with salmon cakes:

  • Carrot fries
  • Sweet potato fries
  • Coleslaw
  • Broccoli salad
  • Potato salad
  • Arugula salad
  • Roasted Brussels spouts
  • Roasted green beans
  • …
Garlic Aioli
Carrot fries on baking sheet
If You Decide to Make This Olympic National Park-Inspired Recipe for Salmon Cakes With Garlic Aioli at Home, Feel Free to Tell Everyone About It Below! Happy Cooking!

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