These crispy Air Fryer Thai Salmon Fish Cakes are an easy way to turn a tin of salmon into something seriously tasty. Flavoured with Thai red curry paste, lime, coriander and aromatic kaffir lime leaves, each fish cake is coated in breadcrumbs before being air-fried until crisp and golden on the outside.
I love how convenient this recipe is. There’s no need to cook potatoes or deep-fry anything – simply mix the salmon with the seasonings, shape into patties, coat with breadcrumbs and let the air fryer do the rest. The fish cakes take just 12 minutes to cook and are delicious served with sweet chilli sauce and fresh lime.
They work brilliantly as an appetiser or party snack, but you can easily turn them into a light lunch or dinner with rice, noodles or a crunchy Asian-style salad.
Why You’ll Love These Air Fryer Salmon Fish Cakes
- Quick and easy – using canned salmon keeps the prep incredibly simple, while the fish cakes only need around 12 minutes in the air fryer.
- Crispy without deep-frying – a light coating of breadcrumbs turns beautifully golden and crisp in the air fryer with only a small amount of oil.
- Packed with Thai-inspired flavour – Thai red curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, coriander, chilli, ginger and lime give these salmon cakes plenty of aromatic, tangy and gently spicy flavour.
- Great for making ahead – you can shape and bread the salmon fish cakes in advance and keep them chilled until you’re ready to cook.
- Versatile – serve them as an appetiser with sweet chilli sauce or make them into a complete meal with rice, noodles, salad or vegetables.
What Are Thai Salmon Fish Cakes?
These salmon fish cakes are my easy air fryer take on Thai-inspired fish cakes rather than a traditional Thai fish cake recipe. Traditional Thai fish cakes typically have a springy texture and are fried without a breadcrumb coating. For this recipe, I’ve taken those punchy Thai-inspired flavours and combined them with an easy canned salmon fish cake. Thai red curry paste provides chilli and aromatic flavour, while kaffir lime leaves, coriander, ginger and lime zest add plenty of freshness. The patties are then coated in breadcrumbs and air-fried, giving them a crisp golden crust while keeping the salmon mixture soft and flavourful inside.
How to Make Salmon Fish Cakes in the Air Fryer
Ingredients You Need
- Canned Salmon – using canned (or tinned) salmon makes these fish cakes particularly quick and convenient. Drain it thoroughly before adding it to the mixture. I prefer boneless and skinless salmon for ease.
- Thai Red Curry Paste – the main flavour base of the fish cakes and adds chilli, aromatics and plenty of depth. Different brands vary considerably in strength and spice level, so you can adjust the quantity to taste.
- Makrut Lime Leaves (Kaffir Lime Leaves) – adding a wonderfully fragrant citrus flavour that works particularly well with the red curry paste and salmon. Crush or finely chop them before adding.
- Chillies – I use red chilli flakes plus optional fresh green chillies. Leave out the fresh chillies if you prefer a milder fish cake.
- Fish Sauce – adds saltiness and umami to the salmon mixture. As both fish sauce and curry paste contain salt, adjust any additional seasoning to taste.
- Kewpie Mayo – adds richness and moisture while helping the salmon mixture bind together. Regular mayonnaise works too.
- Egg – for binding all the ingredients together and help the patties to hold their shape
- Onion, Garlic & Ginger Paste – the aromatics
- Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) & Lime Zest – bring freshness and citrusy flavour that balance the richness of the salmon.
- Sweet Chilli Sauce & Lime Wedges – to serve
*You can also use fresh salmon if you’re not a fan of tinned ones. Simply roast the salmon in the oven for about 12-15 minutes at 180C. Then remove all skin and bones. Flake the fish and use as the recipe requires.
Recipe Tips for the Best Air Fryer Salmon Fish Cakes
- Drain the salmon well. Excess liquid can make the fish cake mixture too wet and difficult to shape.
- Finely chop the onion. Large pieces can make the patties more fragile and prone to breaking apart.
- Make compact patties. Gently but firmly press the mixture together when shaping rather than leaving the fish cakes loosely packed.
- Don’t skip the chilling time. Chilling or briefly freezing the shaped patties helps them firm up so they’re easier to bread, flip and air fry without falling apart.
- Use panko for extra crunch. Regular golden breadcrumbs work perfectly well, but panko breadcrumbs create a slightly lighter and crunchier coating.
- Add a little oil. Air fryers use significantly less oil than deep-frying, but a light coating still helps the breadcrumbs become crisp and golden.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Leave space around each fish cake so hot air can circulate properly. Cook in batches if necessary.
- Adjust the curry paste to taste. Thai red curry pastes vary in both heat and intensity, so taste and adjust the amount depending on the brand you’re using.
- Keep an eye on the final few minutes. Air fryer models can cook slightly differently, so use the cooking time as a guide and look for a crisp, golden exterior.
Browse for More Easy Recipes
Indonesian Potato Patties
Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
Easy Tom Yum Fish
Air Fryer Thai Salmon Fish Cakes
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- Cooking Oil for brushing
- ½ cup Breadcrumbs (Golden/Panko)
For the Salmon Fish Cakes
- 340 g Tinned Salmon drained
- 1 tsp Garlic Paste
- 1 tsp Ginger Paste
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
- 2-3 Green Chillies finely chopped, optional
- ½ large Onion finely chopped
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Fish Sauce
- 3 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
- 8 Kaffir Lime Leaves crushed
- 1 tbsp Kewpie Mayo
- 1 Egg
- 10 g Fresh Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) chopped, plus more for garnish
- Lime Zest (half a lime)
To Serve
- Sweet Chilli Sauce
- Lime Wedges
Instructions
- Mix together all the ingredients for the Salmon Fish Cakes. Shape into patties, roughly just less than a palm's size.
- Coat each patty with breadcrumbs. Place onto a lined baking tray and freeze for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 200°C.
- Brush a layer of cooking oil onto the air fryer basket.
- Place salmon fish cakes into the basket, do not overcrowd, and briefly spray/brush oil on top. Cook for 6 minutes.
- Flip the fish cakes, brush with more oil if needed, and cook for another 6 minutes until golden in colour.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with a side of lime wedges and sweet chilli sauce.
Notes
- You can also use fresh salmon if you’re not a fan of tinned ones. Simply roast the salmon in the oven for about 12-15 minutes at 180C. Then remove all skin and bones. Flake the fish and use it as the recipe requires.
Save & pin this recipe!
Thanks for the recipe, I tried it and it was tasty but all the indelible pop ups make the page almost unusable.