Simple Red Curry Thai Salmon Fish Cakes (Patties)

I had an initial vision for these salmon cakes – but often, things in recipe development don’t turn out quite as planned. However, these really exceeded expectations. Inspired by Thai flavours, I mixed some red curry paste and other seasonings into some canned salmon. And the results were fantastic!

You can use leftover cooked salmon if you’d like – or you can just add some thoroughly drained canned salmon – both will work well. Make sure to get as high-quality of curry paste as possible – you would be surprised at how bland some of those available are!

And armed with that, you’re ready to make this quick weeknight main – they’ll be ready to eat in about 20 minutes!

How to Make Thai Salmon Patties

To mimic the flavours of a red curry, I like to incorporate some coconut into these patties. Because I’m not using coconut milk, I do call for both virgin coconut oil and unsweetened desiccated coconut.

To amplify the flavour even more, start with toasting your coconut for about 5 minutes in a 180°C/350°F oven – just until it’s golden and really fragrant. Then, set it aside until you need it.

Now it’s time to put together the binder for the cakes. Crack some eggs into a small mixing bowl. Add in your red curry paste, a bit of melted coconut oil, some lime juice, fish sauce, dark soy sauce and a touch of brown sugar – or you can sub in palm sugar if you have it for a more “authentic” flavour.

Whisk all of this to combine and then set aside.

Now, add your salmon to a large mixing bowl. As mentioned, you can use thoroughly drained canned salmon or leftover cooked salmon.

This would be particularly good if you have leftovers of my cilantro lime salmon or clementine salmon, but avoid using cooked salmon with a marinade or rub that has conflicting flavours.

To the salmon, also add in some sliced scallions and chopped Thai basil along with your toasted coconut. Then, pour over the egg mixture and stir to combine. Get the salmon cakes to bind better, add in some panko breadcrumbs.

Stir until well combined and then form this into four equal patties – compacting them thoroughly with your hands.

I also like to cook the patties in coconut oil to get more of that flavour. Add some to a large skillet and set it over medium heat.

Once it’s melted and shimmering, add your salmon patties and cook for five minutes on each side.

And that’s it! Now all you need to do is serve and enjoy.

If you want to incorporate more Southeast Asian flavours into a weeknight dinner, these fish cakes are a great, easy option!

Are you after a great recipe for salmon cakes? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!