Mini Spicy Canned Salmon Patties

Name: Mini Spicy Canned Salmon Patties
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 24 oz canned salmon; 5 eggs; 3/4 cup (80g) finely ground pork rinds; 1/2 medium jalapeño (~20g), finely chopped; 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 3/4 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp dried dill; 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes; 1/8 tsp pepper; 1 tbsp avocado oil; 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp mayonnaise; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp mustard; 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tsp dried dill; 1/4 tsp lemon zest; 1/4 tsp garlic powder; Pinch of salt; Roughly chopped fresh dill; Finely chopped jalapeño; Lemon wedge

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These Mini Spicy Canned Salmon Patties (aka salmon poppers) are a delicious appetizer that can be made in just 30 minutes and features canned salmon, jalapeños, and a touch of cayenne pepper. They are pan-fried until golden brown before being topped off with a drizzle of Lemon Dill Aioli. With just 1.2 grams of net carbs per serving, these flavorful bite-sized canned salmon patties will be a hit at your next party!

Angled side shot of a bowl with the spicy salmon poppers skewered with toothpicks, drizzled with aioli, and garnished with fresh dill and chopped jalapenos, with a lemon on the side. The bowl sits atop a marble countertop. — *The appetizer you never knew you needed: delicious and easy-to-make spicy canned salmon patties!*

These spicy bite-sized patties are one of my favorite appetizers! They’re easy to make and always a hit with guests (I’ve made and served them many times!).

I especially love how versatile they are – you can use any type of canned protein, customize the spice level to your liking, and serve them with whatever dipping sauce you prefer.

Whether you’re hosting a party or just want a quick and delicious snack idea, these low-carb salmon patties are a great option!

Mini canned salmon patty skewered with a toothpick drizzled with aioli. — *Serve the prepared patties with toothpicks for an easy way to grab and enjoy at parties!*

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💛 Why you’ll love these canned salmon patties

➡️ Ingredients

⏲ How to make mini canned salmon patties

🍴 Net carbs

👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions

✨ Variations

💬 FAQs

📚 More spicy low-carb recipes

🍽 Recipe

💛 Why you’ll love these canned salmon patties

A great way to use the canned salmon from your pantry.
Low-carb and dairy-free.
Easy to find ingredients.
Full of flavor with a kick of spice.
Perfect appetizer for parties.
VERY minimal prep work required!

➡️ Ingredients

⏲ How to make mini canned salmon patties

This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Mix together the patty ingredients and then form that into 24 equal-sized balls before gently pressing flat.
In a hot oiled pan, cook 4-6 patties at a time on each side until golden brown.
Prepare the aioli.
Serve the mini patties with the aioli on the side or drizzled on top.

Process of how to make salmon patties with homemade aioli.

Garnished canned salmon paties skewered with a toothpick. — *Drizzle with lemon dill aioli, garnish with fresh dill, and chopped jalapeños, and enjoy!*

🍴 Net carbs

Each mini patty contains 1.2 grams of net carbs per serving. Net carbs are calculated by taking total carbs, subtracting fiber, and subtracting sugar alcohols. The recipe, as written, yields 24 servings.

The complete nutrition information for this recipe, including the calorie content, total carbs, protein, and fat per serving, can be found in the nutrition label located below the recipe instructions.

👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions

Canned Salmon: Canned tuna, canned crab, or canned chicken work great in place of canned salmon.
Pork Rinds: You can substitute pork rinds with sunflower seed flour or almond flour at a 1:1 ratio. If you aren’t concerned about carb content, you can use panko bread crumbs or cornmeal.
Jalapeños: If you are looking for a milder option, substitute the jalapeños for sweet mini peppers.
Mayonnaise: Greek yogurt or softened cream cheese should work just fine here.
Ground Cayenne Pepper: You can omit the cayenne pepper from the recipe to slightly decrease the heat.
Red Pepper Flakes: The serving size of red pepper flakes can be adjusted to your heat preferences. Omit altogether if you want to decrease the spiciness.
Avocado Oil: Avocado oil is used to pan fry the salmon. Olive oil, butter, coconut oil, or ghee will work in its place.

Keep in mind that any changes you make to this recipe will likely modify the carb content.

✨ Variations

Make the patties bigger by forming them into 12 salmon cakes rather than 24 mini patties.
Use canned crab instead of canned salmon to yield spicy crab cakes.

💬 FAQs

Do I need to remove the bones and skin from my canned salmon?

Nope! Everything in the can is edible. But, if you’d prefer to, you absolutely can remove the bones and skin, or you can purchase canned salmon that is skinless and has already been de-boned. Personally, this is my favorite brand of canned salmon, which is skinless and boneless.

How can salmon patties be made without canned salmon?

Leftover baked salmon works really well here, and I’ve made this recipe successfully going that route many times.

Is it possible to tone down the spiciness of these patties?

Yes, adjust the amount of cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, and jalapeños in the recipe based on your preferred spice level.

Can I prep these ahead of time to cook later?

Yes, prepare the salmon mixture and form it into mini patties before storing them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook them. When you’re ready to eat them, simply pan-fry as directed.

How do I store the prepared salmon patties?

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Can these be frozen?

Absolutely! These freeze really well. Place the cooked mini salmon patties in an airtight container in layers separated by small pieces of parchment paper (this will ensure that they don’t get stuck together once they freeze). Allow the patties to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

How should the patties be reheated after being refrigerated?

The best way to reheat these is in the oven, but you can also use the microwave. For the oven, place the patties on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees until warmed throughout, about 10 minutes. For the microwave, cook until warmed throughout, about 30-60 seconds, depending on the wattage of your microwave.

📚 More spicy low-carb recipes

🍽 Recipe

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14 Comments

Pat Shelton says

July 11, 2021 at 1:26 pm

Can these be mixed then frozen for later use? Thanks!

- Sara Nelson says
  
  July 11, 2021 at 4:15 pm
  
  Yes, these should freeze well! I would then thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave.
  
Anne says

October 28, 2020 at 10:36 am

Very tasty! Made a spicy green aioli instead. Was a big hit! I think they’re a nice snack cold by themselves as well. I took off a star cause they’re a bit on the salty and heavy side but that’s being a bit picky. 🙂

★★★★

Beverly Suddard says

March 5, 2020 at 10:09 am

I would like to take these to a dinner party. Can they be reheated?

- Sara Nelson says
  
  March 6, 2020 at 8:17 am
  
  Yes, they can be reheated! I would suggest doing so in the oven or on the stovetop, not the microwave.
  
  - Beverly Suddard says
    
    March 6, 2020 at 12:49 pm
    
    Perfect! Thank you!
    
Lisa Sayers says

February 24, 2020 at 8:05 pm

These were FANTASTIC! I just finished licking my plate! Will be making these on the regular. Thank you for the recipe.

★★★★★

Ariella Willcox says

February 4, 2019 at 1:27 pm

Hi! Is there anything keto that I can substitute for the pork rinds? Thank you!

- Sara Nelson says
  
  February 5, 2019 at 9:04 am
  
  Hi, Ariella! I haven’t personally tried this, but I know that people have tried substituting in almond flour for pork rinds. Also, I have heard that people have success with crushing up fried chicken skins as a substitute for crushed pork rinds. Like I said, I haven’t tested either of these methods, so I cannot say with certainty that it will work.
  
  - Gail says
    
    July 19, 2022 at 2:05 pm
    
    You could make a 90-second mug bread, slice, toast, dry it out, then make it into crumbs. It would need planning ahead!
    
Maria says

November 27, 2018 at 3:26 pm

Is the measurement for the pork rinds 3/4 cup for them crushed or 3/4 cup whole?

- realbalanced says
  
  November 27, 2018 at 7:57 pm
  
  3/4 cup crushed. 80g total.
  
Dustin McClaren Blackburn says

June 27, 2018 at 7:39 am

How do you get the Nutrition facts for a new recipe?

- realbalanced says
  
  June 27, 2018 at 7:43 am
  
  Do you mean for this recipe? The nutrition label is below the recipe instructions. For this particular recipe, one serving (4 poppers + aioli) contains 441 calories, 30.7g fat, 1.4g total carbs (1.2g net carbs), and 39.8g protein.