---
title: 'Forgotten 1950''s Salmon Patties (in just 20 minutes)'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=dBbDXhZx8Kk'
video_id: 'dBbDXhZx8Kk'
date: 2026-07-28
duration_sec: 485
---

# Forgotten 1950's Salmon Patties (in just 20 minutes)

> Source: [Forgotten 1950's Salmon Patties (in just 20 minutes)](https://youtube.com/watch?v=dBbDXhZx8Kk)

## Summary

Chef John from Food Wishes revives a vintage 1930s/1950s recipe for salmon patties, using canned salmon, Ritz crackers, and a quick remoulade sauce. The video provides a complete step-by-step tutorial, from shaping patties to pan-frying, and discusses the dish's Depression-era origins and 1950s popularity.

### Key Points

- **Introduction to Forgotten Salmon Patties** [00:02] — Chef John introduces the recipe as a fast, affordable, delicious meal that started in the 1930s and peaked in the 1950s.
- **Crushing Crackers** [00:28] — Ritz crackers are crushed finely but not to powder for a buttery, rich texture.
- **Adding Canned Salmon** [00:43] — Wild sockeye salmon (only salmon and salt) is mixed with crumbs, mayonnaise, and egg.
- **Seasoning and Optional Ingredients** [01:36] — Capers, green onion, salt, pepper, and cayenne are added. Green onion is stirred in with a fork to avoid bruising.
- **Shaping Patties** [02:04] — Two methods: fancy version (press into pan, divide, shape with damp hands) or fast version (drop lumps and press with spatula).
- **Making Remoulade Sauce** [03:09] — Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, dill relish, pepper, paprika, sugar, and fresh parsley.
- **Pan-Frying Patties** [04:16] — Cook in butter over medium heat for 3 minutes per side, optionally giving a half turn for even browning.
- **Historical Context** [06:56] — 1930s version used only salmon, crackers, and egg; 1950s added extra ingredients. The dish became popular for enjoyment, not necessity.

### Conclusion

These salmon patties are a memorable, affordable twist on crab cakes, perfect for a quick meal with a side of asparagus and remoulade sauce.

## Transcript

foodwishes.com with forgotten 1950 salmon patties. That's right. This fast, affordable, and very delicious meal started in the 30s
>> and reached its peak popularity in the 50s, but then for whatever reason, it was kind of forgotten. But I remembered it and I'm very excited forget. And to get started, we're going to crush
while back in the day they would have used saltines, I like doing this with Ritz crackers, which are more buttery and rich and have a nice little touch of And we do want to crush these up pretty fine, but we don't want a powder. So we
should probably stop right about here. And once those are set, we'll move on to the star of the show, a couple cans of salmon. And this was a wild sockeye salmon from Wild Planet, which I do think is the
But whatever you pick, the ingredients should just say salmon and salt. the bowl is quickly cover it with our crumbs, a little bit of mayonnaise, and one whole egg. And that's because even the most beautiful canned salmon is
long. And what we'll do is take a fork and mix and mash this up until everything's evenly combined and that salmon's broken up into nice small bits. And by the way, if you think you see
something that looks like a bone or any other kind of fish part, do not under All right, because of how this is processed, everything in the can is the meat. And that's one reason canned salmon is
But anyway, once mixed, we'll go ahead and add some chopped capers as well as some minced up green onion. And both those things are optional, but the following seasonings probably are not, which includes a little bit of
salt, some freshly ground black pepper, and of course, a few shakes of cayenne. stuff earlier, but sometimes if you mix and mash raw onions in something like this, you can kind of bruise them and they'll get more of a harsh flavor.
careful two-step method. And then what we'll do next for the fancy version is take a spoon and press this mixture down nice and evenly until we have a nice flat uniform surface. And that's going to make it nice and easy to
divide this into four equal portions, which we will then shape into some nice beautiful patties with some damp hands. All right, for the faster non-fancy version, just simply take a spoon and transfer four lumps of this mixture into
a frying pan. And then you can just press it down with a spatula, kind of smash burger style. Which totally works if you're okay with irregular edges. But like I said, we're doing a fancy version. So we'll dampen our hands with
a little bit of water and we'll shape those into some nice thick patties. And once formed, we will place those down on a plate that we've dusted with some extra cracker crumbs, which is also optional, but you do get a crispier
And once all four portions are shaped, we will also dust the top with a few crumbs and go ahead and press those in. At which point if we're in a hurry, we can go ahead and start pan frying these. But what I prefer to do is let them rest
up our sauce. And I'm going to do sort of a quick easy remoulade for these. Which starts with some mayonnaise, to which we will add some sour cream, as well as a spoon of Dijon mustard, followed by a generous
And I would say a sweet relish probably pairs better with these salmon patties, but I had dill relish, so that's what I used and it really does work great also. And then we'll continue on with some freshly ground black pepper, a nice big
spoon of paprika, plus a spoon of sugar if you used a dill pickle relish. Or you can skip that if you used the sweet one. And then since I had them, I finished with some fresh herb, which was a little bit of freshly chopped parsley and
And that's it, we'll give our sauce a mix and pop it in the fridge until we Oh, and in case it matters, both this sauce and the salmon patties can be made well in advance. Okay, even the day before if you want.
But we're hungry. So, what we'll do once our sauce is done is melt a generous amount of butter in a pan set over medium heat. And we will transfer our And then we'll cook those for about 3 minutes per side.
Or until beautifully browned and crispy. And then something I like to do when I'm frying a salmon patty or even something like a crab cake cooking time, I like to give them a little half turn. So, that maybe they
cook a little more evenly. Although I will admit, there's a pretty But anyway, we'll give that first side about 3 minutes and then flip them over. And give the other side about the same. And of course, the exact cooking time
these. But keep in mind, everything in once these are heated through, you're done. And then one last optional trick I do with these, once that second side's
done, I flip them back over to further crisp up that first side. to flip things like this more than once. But you know what? They say a lot of And as long as the coating doesn't get too dark, I do think it makes them a
But either way, once those are done, going to do next is some chilled asparagus. Which I think is a perfect pairing. And once those are plated, we'll finish
up with a nice big spoon of our remoulade sauce over each patty. Especially if you're taking contractually obligated pictures. Since hide. And then I garnish these with a shake of
cayenne. And then a little pinch of minced green onion. Which is what I you want. I mean, you are after all the duke or duchess of your finishing touches. And that's it. I grabbed a fork and dug
And if everything goes according to plan, these should be moist and tender on the inside and crispy and crunchy on the outside. In fact, let me try one of these little crispy bits before I take a proper bite.
outside part. So, that was a good tease, but I want And that, my friends, really was amazing. And normally I'd be annoyed that some of that sauce fell on the asparagus,
these gorgeous patties. But I wasn't because it was the perfect reminder that that remoulade sauce we made, besides being great with these, is a perfect dip for any kind of seasonal veggies.
the asparagus, but I think I'm actually just going to But anyway, now I'm remembering the words of a chef I used to work for vegetables." So, I'm going to go back to talking
about these salmon patties. Okay, I'm a big fan of crab cakes, but crab is really expensive, if you can even find some good crab. So, this is a And it's close, but I might like these even better.
Oh, and the reason I called these 1950s salmon patties and not 1930s salmon patties was because back during the Depression era, this was just a three-ingredient recipe, which was salmon, crackers, and an egg. If you
were lucky, sometimes just salmon and crackers. But in the '50s, things were a these because they had to. They made them because they wanted to. And extra ingredients started to get added in. And people ate them listening to rock and
roll, and not just that sad trombone sound. But anyway, that's it. My take [music] on salmon patties. If you make these, you'll be as amazed as I am that these somehow were forgotten, because I happen
to think they're very memorable. And I really do hope you give them a try So, please follow the links below for the ingredient amounts, a printable usual. And as always,
And as always, enjoy.