Lately I've been looking to add more healthy seafood to my diet without breaking the bank, and while canned fish will never have the allure of a fresh filet, today's good-quality canned salmon is not the fishy, bone-studded mush you may be picturing. The boneless and skinless fish — once flaked and mixed with brown rice, cilantro, shallots and lime juice — cooks up into crisp-edged cakes that make an easy and satisfying weeknight meal, especially when topped with a dollop of Sriracha-spiked mayonnaise.
The fresh flavors of Southeast Asia season these cakes, making them a little different from the usual mustard- and celery-studded fish cakes. In addition to cilantro, lime juice, and minced shallot, a bit of fish sauce adds depth and savoriness to the mixture. But I think it's really the Sriracha mayonnaise that takes it over the top, whether dolloped over each cake or served on the side for dipping.
It's one of those condiments that tastes so much better than it ought to, given how simple it is to make. Mix bottled Sriracha sauce with mayonnaise. Done. Yet the subtly spicy sauce that results is so much better than plain old mayonnaise, it's difficult to not slather it onto everything. I have my friend Lydia of Apples & Onions to thank for this magic condiment; she made it for the bánh mì bridal shower she and some friends hosted for me a couple years ago, and I have found many excuses to make it since then.
And while these cakes don't take much time to mix together if you have cooked rice on hand, they hold together a little better if they are allowed to rest in the fridge. This makes them easy to assemble ahead of time — either in the morning or the night before cooking — for a quick, healthy main dish that feels fancy enough to forget it's actually budget-friendly.
Southeast Asian Salmon & Rice Cakes with Sriracha Mayo
Makes about five 2-1/2-inch cakes (Serves 2)
2 6-ounce cans boneless skinless pink salmon
1 cup cooked short-grain brown rice
1 large egg
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil
For the mayonnaise:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce
Before cooking cakes, place a large cast iron or other oven-safe skillet in the oven. Preheat to 400°F.
Combine the salmon, rice, egg, cilantro, shallots, lime juice and fish sauce in a large mixing bowl and mix with a fork until thoroughly combined. Using your hands, shape and lightly squeeze the mixture into cakes about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and set aside on a plate. If you have time, cover and let rest in the refrigerator. (See note below.)
Remove the hot pan from the oven with oven mitts. Coat pan with oil and place cakes in pan. (Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to cook in batches.) Return to oven and cook 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned on one side. Flip and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
While the cakes are cooking, whisk together the mayonnaise and Sriracha in a small bowl. Dollop mayonnaise on top of cakes or serve on the side for dipping.
Additional Notes
- Refrigerating the cakes for at least 15 minutes or up to one day before cooking will help them hold their shape better. Otherwise, just handle them more carefully as you cook them.
- Short-grain brown rice has a sticky texture that helps hold the cakes together better than long-grain brown rice. (The cakes will still be delicious if made with long-grain brown rice, but they will fall apart a bit during cooking.)
- You can also cook the cakes in a skillet on the stove over medium heat until browned on both sides.
- Try cooking the cakes in coconut oil for another flavor variation.
Related: Canned Salmon: Why It Is a Better Choice Than Tuna
(Images: Anjali Prasertong)
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Can this also be made with other grains instead of brown rice? Maybe quinoa?
I don't have an oven safe skillet or a cast iron one, can I just cook it over the stove and then move it onto a lightly oiled baking sheet in the oven?
Could you use leftover cooked salmon rather than canned? This would be even more handy if I could use it to dispose of that one leftover fillet I always have.
Sure -- the cakes will probably be a little more delicate if made with quinoa (the starch in the rice helps hold them together), but just as tasty. Let us know how it goes if you try it out!
Yes, there's a note after the recipe that cooking them on the stove in a skillet is just fine. (I like using the oven because I find they get more evenly browned when cooking them all at once.)
Definitely! Leftover cooked salmon would be great in this recipe.
Can different rice be used: Jasmine, Basmati, plain white?
Thanks
This looks so good. Every time I've tried making salmon cakes, something goes wrong. Fingers crossed that this one works!
Im rushing to the store to get some cans of salmon to make this, not something I thought I would ever write... Thanks for the shout out, Sriracha Mayo will be king! xx
Yes, you can use any type of rice.
This sounds so good. I can't wait to try it :)
This is good without the mayo even.
I tried it with leftover buckwheat (kasha) and tilapia. I had a little more than 1 cup of buckwheat (closer to 2 cups), and it still worked well. Also, I left out the cilantro in favour of parsley and celery leaves. [Haha, I changed the recipe so it was completely different.]
I left it in the fridge overnight. It took a little longer for me to bake, possibly because of the larger buckwheat granules, but it worked well. I imagine it would cook better with rice, simply since it is "stickier" grain.
What if you can't stand the taste of cilantro? It's used in this recipe and so many others. Is there a substitute? I just leave it out. Also, is there much difference in Tabasco Sauce and Sriracha Sauce? Sorry for all the questions! One more--does fish sauce taste "fishy?" I don't like fish that is "fishy" tasting. I do eat salmon even though I don't like it much. Your recipe sounds good. I want to try it.
I made these last night and they were really good. I didn't have time to let them rest in the fridge so I knew they would be a little soft so I baked them a bit longer so they would get a crispier edge and keep their shape. Also I added chopped cooked prawn for half of the salmon. Great easy recipe that is delicious!
So I 90% followed the recipe, used white rice instead of brown and green onions instead of shallots and no cilantro.....I only wanted to use what I had in the pantry. Hands down a great recipe, the sriracha mayo combo really sets this dish off. I will be making for an upcoming dinner party!
@Sady Ann: If you don't like cilantro, you can substitute another green leafy herb like parsley or dill, or skip it altogether. Yes, Tabasco and Sriracha are quite different -- Sriracha is thicker and less vinegar-y than Tabasco. And fish sauce doesn't taste fishy, especially when such a small amount is used. It adds saltiness and savoriness to this recipe.
I made these the other night and the flavor was really good - but they fell apart! I let them rest in the fridge for about half an hour, and then I made them in a skillet on the stove. Next time I'll stick to the oven method, but they were so loose that I imagine they'd have fallen apart when flipping them there too. I'd probably add a second egg and maybe a bit of panko to bind them together, but will definitely make them again!
We made this the other night. We substituted a bit of yellow onion for the shallots since we didn't have any. For us, the sauce really made the difference, otherwise they seemed very "plain" bordering on boring. I'm wondering if more fish sauce, lime juice, etc. would help give it more zing.
This sounds so tasty! We make sriracha mayo all the time so I know we'd love this one!
I made this 2 days ago and they were SO good! I used leftover salmon and leftover brown rice (which I always have). I put them into a sandwich with sliced avocados on top and a toasted baguette.
Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!
I made these as written and they completely fell apart. BUT, I will try again because they did taste great; even my 3 year old liked hers. I lightly dressed the greens with a dressing of lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, grapeseed oil, s&p, and fish sauce and topped with some caramelized shallot. Serving size was spot on-- we got 5 cakes. Kid ate one, husband and I each had 2.
A note on the cakes falling apart: I had an issue with some of my cakes falling apart the last time I made these for myself and I think it is because I used long-grain brown rice. (I had always used short-grain before.) I think the stickiness of short-grain brown rice helps hold the cakes together better -- I am updating the recipe to reflect that. Thanks for the feedback, everyone!
Could be just me but like touch of cayenne added to the mayo concoction for a touch more zip..Stole this from your crispy sweet potato fry recipe I think.....
I just made it with farro last night. I added some mustard and an extra egg but they held together beautifully and were delicious!