Salmon Rissoles

Salmon Rissoles are super tasty, easy to make and are a great way to pack some extra protein, vitamin D, calcium and omega-3 fats into your menu.

I have often ordered these from cafes over the years. Yes, I know a good Salmon Rissole from an ordinary one. And this recipe creates GREAT Salmon Rissoles – cafe quality or above!

The Recipe for Salmon Rissoles with potato

Honestly, I'm such a fan of these yummy little patties, and the best recipe is the one that's been around for years and uses tinned salmon.

If you're turning your nose up at tinned fish, don't!

Fresh and tinned salmon have the same nutritional value according to the experts, and once the salmon is mashed and added to the other ingredients, it really does transform into something amazing.

And add a drizzle of my Easy Dill Mayo and you have a standout meal in minutes.

The recipe for Salmon Rissoles I've based mine on is the one I know from memory and the one I found in this liftout – Hits From the Past.

It's undated, but it looks to be from the late 70s or early 80s at a guess.

There are so many great recipes in this "16 page zip-out cookbook to keep."

My family certainly did keep it. It's been handed down from my Nan Mac (Nana Ling's daughter) to my mum and now me.

I've also cooked up the Beef Rissoles out of this book which are also fabulous.

Ingredients for Salmon Rissoles

Another great thing about this recipe (the positives just keep coming!) is that it doesn't really call for anything special in terms of the ingredients.

Provided you have a tin of salmon in the pantry, you might already have many of the other ingredients.

The ingredient list

• tinned salmon (red or pink)
• potatoes (use sebago or other all-purpose potatoes or those that suit mashing)
• spring onions (or brown onion)
• butter
• parsley
• lemon
• egg
• milk
• breadcrumbs
• vegetable oil
• salt and pepper.

How to make Salmon Rissoles

Okay, once you have your ingredients ready, start by peeling and chopping the potatoes.

Boil the potatoes until they're tender and then mash. Do NOT add anything at this stage.

Next, chop your spring onions or onion finely. We want to cook these a little, so melt the butter in the pan and cook over medium heat for a few minutes.

Set aside the cooked onion.

Drain the oil from your salmon and mash the salmon with a fork. There's no need to remove the skin or edible bones – they provide extra nutrients. You can remove one or both of these things if you prefer, but you honestly won't know the skin and bones are in there once it's all mashed together. Shhh.

Now it's time to combine the mashed potato, onions, mashed salmon, parsley, lemon juice and zest, and salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

Break the mixture into 8 equal parts and shape into rissoles with your hands.

Make sure you handle and shape them nice and firmly so they will stay together during the cooking process.

Now we're going to coat our rissoles in the crumbs.

Crumbing the rissoles

Place the egg and milk in one bowl and whisk together lightly.

Place breadcrumbs in a second bowl.

Dip each rissole in the egg/milk mixture followed by the breadcrumbs.

Ensure each rissole is completely coated in breadcrumbs.

Cooking the rissoles

Heat the oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook each rissole for 3-4 minutes on each side or until a golden colour.

Drain on absorbent paper before serving.

Enjoying these Rissoles made from Tinned Salmon

The salmon may come from your supermarket shelves, and the other ingredients could be described as fairly pedestrian, but add it all together, shape it into a rissole and you have a meal worth writing home about.

To make this a real standout meal, serve them immediately on a plate with some mixed leaves, a lemon wedge, some extra sliced spring onions sprinkled across the plate and – now this will really take your rissoles to new heights – drizzle it with my Easy Dill Mayo.

Recipe tips and FAQs

Q. Can I make this recipe with fresh salmon instead of tinned salmon?

Yes, you can use a similar weight of fresh, cooked salmon.

Q. Can I freeze these?

Wrap and freeze uncooked rissoles in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.

Q. What are the best potatoes to use for Salmon Rissoles?

Use sebago, dutch cream, golden delight or other potatoes that are labelled as multi-purpose potatoes or suited to mashing.

Q. What type of breadcrumbs are best?

You can use any type of breadcrumbs, but I find the standard dried variety from the supermarket work best for this recipe.

Q. My rissoles are falling apart – why?

Ahhh - the worst! This means you may not have formed the rissoles nice and firmly when shaping them OR there's too much moisture in the rissoles. Too much moisture may be a result of not draining the salmon, using too much lemon juice or over-boiling the potatoes.

Q. My rissoles are burning – why?

Lower the heat! They should take 3-4 minutes on each side to reach a nice golden brown colour.

Q. Are these the best Salmon Rissoles?

I really did impress myself with these rissoles!

They're the best I've had in a while.

I did once have the most amazing Salmon Rissoles while on holiday in Dubai. There was a cafe there owned by some New Zealanders and these I still think about these rissoles about 15 years later. But Dubai is a long way to go for Salmon Rissoles. Try this recipe instead.

Q. Do you have any other tinned salmon recipes?

I do indeed. Check out my Salmon Bread Cases and Salmon Dip recipes.

Q. Do you have any other old school family meal recipes?

I sure do. How about Curried Sausages or Curried Chicken? Or perhaps you might like Spag Bol, Beef Rissoles or Apricot Chicken.