Southwest Keto Salmon Patties with Avocado Aioli
These low-carb keto southwest salmon patties with avocado aioli make an easy 30-minute dinner with a little kick and a ton of flavor!
This post was originally published on April 9, 2019 and updated with new photos and copy on January 2, 2022.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Quick & Easy Southwestern Salmon Patties with Avocado Aioli
Salmon is a great way to get in your Omega 3’s! I used to not be big on fish, but now I eat salmon a few times a week. It’s all about the salmon you buy and the recipe you make. Trust me, the only way I eat salmon is if it’s delicious- and this recipe is another winner! They have quickly become one of my favorite easy weeknight meals to make!
I made these low-carb salmon patties with a “southwestern” flair because I love Mexican-inspired flavors and a hint of spice is always welcome at my dinner table! These keto salmon patties and the avocado aioli are Whole30, low carb, keto, paleo, and gluten-free. Believe me, when I say, these Southwest Salmon Patties are absolutely perfect!
Salmon Cakes vs. Salmon Patties
There is no real difference between salmon cakes and salmon patties. In fact, they are totally interchangeable terms and I use them that way in this recipe. Whatever rolls off your tongue first, that’s what to call them!
How to Make Southwestern Salmon Patties
What You’ll Need
Canned Salmon: Boneless/skinless Salmon (I like Wild Planet brand!).
Fresh Herbs & Veggies: Red Onion, Fresh Cilantro ( you can use parsley if you prefer!).
Grocery Staples: Coconut Aminos, Dijon Mustard, Mayo, Eggs.
Pantry Staples: Almond Flour, Olive Oil (or Ghee).
Spices: Sea Salt, Cumin, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika.
What is the Best Salmon for Salmon Patties?
When choosing salmon for salmon patties, I recommend using canned salmon. However, not all canned salmon are created equal! I love using Wild Planet or Costco Brand canned wild-caught salmon, as I prefer no skin and bones. Wild planet is easy to find and makes amazing, fresh, and well-sourced products.
Method 1: Baked Salmon Patties
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Place salmon patties on a lined and greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 mins, then remove from the oven and flip using a spatula.
- Return them to the oven for an additional 10 minutes until browned and cooked through.
Method 2: Air-Fryer Salmon Patties
- Spray the basket and the tops of the salmon cakes with olive or avocado oil.
- Heat your air fryer to 400F and cook for 10 minutes without flipping.
- Check your salmon patties frequently and make sure to take them out when they are golden brown.
*please see printable recipe below for more detailed instructions*
The BEST Salmon Patties Sauce
Avocado Ranch Aioli
This delicious, creamy avocado aioli is the perfect topping for salmon cakes. The hint of spice from the salmon patties and the creamy avocado ranch flavor of the aioli makes a mouth-watering blend of flavors. Do you want salmon patties with your sauce or sauce with your salmon patties? You decide! 🙂
- 1 large avocado, peeled and pitted
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried minced onion
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp dried chives
- 2 tbsp water, more if you want it thinner
Combine all aioli ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds. Add water as needed until desired consistency is reached.
What to Serve with Salmon Patties
I serve my salmon patties warm right out of the oven (or warmed up!) with avocado ranch aioli.
If you’re looking for amazing Whole30 sides, these salmon patties would go super well with my Southwest Breakfast Potatoes or my Fool-Proof Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
If you want the perfect keto sides to serve with these salmon patties, try my delicious Healthy Green Bean Casserole or this amazing Coconut Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice.
And the aioli….feel free to put it on EVERYTHING.
Mary’s Tips & Tricks
Meal Prep
These keto salmon patties are great for meal prep! You can double this recipe by going to “print recipe” and changing the quantity. This will update the ingredients you need to make a big batch for meal prep!
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, bake in the oven on 400F for 10 minutes, or pan fry in avocado oil over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side.
Common Reader Questions
Can I freeze salmon patties? Yes! To freeze before frying or baking, make patties out of the salmon mixture and place them on a lined baking sheet. Freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hr. Then, remove the patties from the freezer, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, and store them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Are salmon patties healthy? Salmon is full of Omega3’s which have amazing health benefits. For this recipe, I make a few swaps that make these salmon cakes much healthier than other recipes, and they have far fewer carbs!
Are these salmon patties keto? Yes! these salmon patties are low carb and keto! And so is the avocado aioli! With only 2 net carbs per serving, you can have a few totally guilt-free.
Can I use gluten-free flour instead of almond flour? If you’d like to substitute gluten-free flour for almond flour, that should totally work. However, if you use gluten-free flour, these salmon patties won’t be keto or Whole30 compliant.
Are these salmon patties Whole30 compliant? Yes! If you’re planning to do a Whole30, these southwest salmon patties are an excellent recipe to keep on hand! The best part? The avocado aioli is also Whole30 compliant!
Can you make Salmon Patties with Tuna? Yes! You can swap tuna for salmon. Just drain it first!
Other Whole 30 & Keto Salmon Recipes
Lemon Caper Salmon Patties (One Pan!)
Maple Dijon Pistachio Crusted Salmon
If you try these southwest salmon patties and love them, the best way to say thanks is to leave a 5 star rating and review below! And don’t forget to share your creations on Instagram – I love seeing what you’re cooking up!
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Recipe by: Mary’s Whole Life LLC
Photos by: Casey from The Mindful Hapa
Southwest Salmon Cakes with Avocado Ranch Aioli
Ingredients
Salmon Cakes
- 24 oz boneless/skinless salmon, drained, I like Wild Planet or Costco brand! Usually I use 4 6-oz cans.
- ½ medium red onion, diced
- ⅛ cup chopped fresh cilantro, can use parsley if you prefer!
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- ½ cup mayo
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp ghee or olive oil
Avocado Ranch Aioli
- 1 large avocado, peeled and pitted
- ⅓ cup mayo
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp dried minced onion
- ½ tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp dried chives
- 2 tbsp water, more if you want it thinner
Equipment
Instructions
Oven Baked Method
- Preheat oven to 425. Combine all salmon cake ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, making sure to break up all of the salmon pieces. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a pastry brush to spread cooking oil of choice over the parchment paper.
- Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop up the mixture and form 8 1-inch thick patties using your hands. Place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 mins, then remove from the oven and flip using a spatula. Return them to the oven for an additional 10 minutes until browned and cooked through.
- While the cakes are baking, make the aioli. Combine all aioli ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds. Add water as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve the salmon cakes with the aioli. Enjoy!
Air Fryer Method
- Spray the basket and the tops of the salmon cakes with olive or avocado oil. Heat your air fryer to 400F and cook for 10 minutes without flipping. Check your salmon patties frequently and make sure to take them out when they are golden brown.
109 Comments on “Southwest Keto Salmon Patties with Avocado Aioli”
I made these for dinner last night – except, I used canned tuna instead. Marvelous!! We love all things avocado at our house so it was extra marvelous!!
Thanks Julie! Glad to hear they worked with tuna!
These are amazing! They are simple and delicious and the sauce is perfection! My 2 picky kids both enjoyed them too! I’ll definitely be making these again! Thanks for sharing these awesome recipes!
yay! Thank you, Shannon! Glad you all enjoyed them.
These were very good and had such a good flavor – I loved the combination of the southwest seasonings and the salmon – and so did everyone else! I was hoping for more leftovers 😉 but was so glad they were such a hit for dinner!
So glad to hear it, Lucy! Thank you!
Mary has never let me down! Just finished eating these, and my husband high-fived me & said he was sad that it was all gone when he cleared his plate. I halved the recipe because I’m not into fish leftovers, but I clearly should have made the full recipe amount! 😂 This recipe was easy to whip up & SO GOOD.
Thank you so much, Holly! So glad you guys enjoyed it!
Canned Salmon? I was skeptical, I’ll admit it. I figured this would be a fill in meal for the week. One that I would eat because I knew it was good for me and I’d be done with it. Boy, was I wrong!! This. Is. Amazing. I can not get over how good these are. SUCH a pleasant surprise. Have definitely made this several times now.
Woo hoo! This is so great to hear!
I made it with raw shrimp. Used food processor to chop it (wanted to leave some chunky). Then added your recipe ingredients. They turned out super!
Amazing! So great to know it works!
Do you think I could substitute finely chopped shrimp instead of salmon? (I have shrimp in the freezer already & am trying not to go to the grocery store too often)
Ruthie
Hi Ruth – sorry for the delay on this! It might work but I haven’t tried it – so can’t say for sure. Would love to know if you try it how it goes!
SO DELICIOUS! I’m not a big fan of leftovers, but these reheated well for lunches, and it made so many patties! I froze some for a couple weeks and still were tasty. Thanks Mary!
Awesome, glad to hear this! Thanks Alex!
These were delicious! Do you think you could sub the mayo for Greek yogurt?
Yay! And yes that should be fine!
I plan on making theses soon as they sound incredibly delicious!! I wanted to ask, just just for ideas, what do/would you serve with this for dinner?
Roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, cauliflower rice, anything you want! 🙂
Made these last night and they were tasty! My husband & I both enjoyed. Pretty easy to make too. I realized after mixing and finding it very wet that my salmon cans were an ounce less each than the recipe states so I added more almond flour to thicken it up a bit. Still a very wet mixture — like a very moist tuna salad! But once you scoop onto the parchment paper you can easily just flatten/shape with your hands and they baked up nicely.
Not super into the avocado ranch aioli but probably just personal preference — we found it needed more acid & salt and we both ended up adding hot sauce, which really helped. Next time I would probably make the same aioli I make for crab cakes — mayo, garlic, lemon juice, salts, and lots of black pepper. But for those who still want to try the avocado aioli, I found it blended up nicely with a stick blender.
Making these for the 5th time tonight. My daughter loves salmon and requests these patties often. So healthy and delicious. Another great recipe from Maryswholelife.
OH YAY! Love this! Thanks Kim!
The absolute best! So easy to make and so delicious. That aioli accents the patties so well
Thanks, Janessa! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
To👏die👏for👏!!! And the aioli!! Man. So good. Super simple and easy to make, super hard not to eat them all in one sitting 😂
I’m not big on salmon cakes, but gave this recipe a try during Whole30. I’m so glad I did! These were phenomenal and will now be part of my normal rotation. We couldn’t get enough of these and the leftovers were equally fantastic!
Oh wonderful! I am so glad you liked them!! Thanks for letting me know <3
Made these for lunch today — got my teenagers to eat avocado 🤣🤣🤣 I made them on the stovetop bcuz we don’t have A/C and I didn’t want to heat up the house. Easy, delicious & filling – win! win! win!
Yay! I’m so glad!! Thanks <3
This is the FIRST Whole30 ranch recipe I’ve made and actually ENJOYED! I’m not a big dill fan so I decreased the amount to just under a 1/4 tsp and it is PERFECTION.
Yay! That makes me happy! So glad you loved it 🙂
Absolutely loved this recipe!!! Not only was it easy to make but soooooo good! I will be keeping this one in rotation!
Thank you so much for letting me know! I am so glad you loved it!!
I am not one for Salmon Cakes, but these were good. I substituted fresh Salmon and added Toasted Sesame Seeds. I am enjoying your recipes. We had the Loaded Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole last night for dinner. Very tasty! Tomorrow, I am taking the Buffalo Tuna Salad for lunch. Thanks for sharing these great recipes.
Hi Taffy! Thanks so much for the kind words. I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes! Thanks for your support 🙂
These are delicious!! Even my kids who are usually a little seafood averse were obsessed, they asked for leftovers multiple times. The aioli is bomb and I’ll be making it on the regular for everything 🙂
Thanks Jodi!! I’m so glad you loved them!!