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

0h 08m video Published Jul 22, 2026 Transcribed Jul 28, 2026 Food Wishes Food Wishes
Beginner 6 min read For: Home cooks and food enthusiasts looking for easy, affordable meals with a nostalgic twist.
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"Delivers exactly what the title promises: a nostalgic, affordable recipe with clear instructions and historical context."

AI 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.

[00:02]
Introduction to Forgotten Salmon Patties

Chef John introduces the recipe as a fast, affordable, delicious meal that started in the 1930s and peaked in the 1950s.

[00:28]
Crushing Crackers

Ritz crackers are crushed finely but not to powder for a buttery, rich texture.

[00:43]
Adding Canned Salmon

Wild sockeye salmon (only salmon and salt) is mixed with crumbs, mayonnaise, and egg.

[01:36]
Seasoning and Optional Ingredients

Capers, green onion, salt, pepper, and cayenne are added. Green onion is stirred in with a fork to avoid bruising.

[02:04]
Shaping Patties

Two methods: fancy version (press into pan, divide, shape with damp hands) or fast version (drop lumps and press with spatula).

[03:09]
Making Remoulade Sauce

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, dill relish, pepper, paprika, sugar, and fresh parsley.

[04:16]
Pan-Frying Patties

Cook in butter over medium heat for 3 minutes per side, optionally giving a half turn for even browning.

[06:56]
Historical Context

1930s version used only salmon, crackers, and egg; 1950s added extra ingredients. The dish became popular for enjoyment, not necessity.

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

Mentioned in this Video

Tutorial Checklist

1 00:28 Crush Ritz crackers until fine but not powdered.
2 00:43 Add canned salmon to bowl and combine with cracker crumbs.
3 01:10 Mix in mayonnaise and egg until evenly combined.
4 01:36 Stir in capers, green onion, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
5 02:04 Shape patties using damp hands or drop lumps and press with spatula.
6 03:09 Prepare remoulade sauce and refrigerate.
7 04:03 Melt butter in pan over medium heat and place patties.
8 04:16 Cook patties for 3 minutes per side, flipping once or twice.
9 05:21 Plate patties with asparagus and remoulade sauce.

Study Flashcards (8)

What type of crackers does Chef John recommend for salmon patties?

easy Click to reveal answer

Ritz crackers, because they are buttery and rich.

00:28

What brand of canned salmon is used in the video?

medium Click to reveal answer

Wild Planet wild sockeye salmon, with only salmon and salt.

00:43

Why should you not remove bones from canned salmon?

hard Click to reveal answer

Because everything in the can is meat due to the processing method.

01:22

What are the optional ingredients added to the patties?

easy Click to reveal answer

Capers and green onion.

01:36

How do you shape patties for the 'fancy version'?

medium Click to reveal answer

Press mixture evenly, divide into four, and shape with damp hands.

02:04

How long does each side of the patty cook?

easy Click to reveal answer

About 3 minutes.

04:16

What are the ingredients in the remoulade sauce?

hard Click to reveal answer

Mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, dill relish, pepper, paprika, sugar, and fresh parsley.

03:09

Why are these called '1950s salmon patties' rather than '1930s salmon patties'?

medium Click to reveal answer

Because the 1930s version had only three ingredients (salmon, crackers, egg), while the 1950s added extra ingredients.

06:56

💡 Key Takeaways

🔧

Using Ritz Crackers for Texture

Shows a simple substitution that enhances flavor and richness.

00:28
📊

Canned Salmon Bones are Edible

Clarifies a common misconception and highlights the nutritional value.

01:22
💡

Versatile Remoulade Sauce

The sauce doubles as a dip for vegetables, adding value beyond the patties.

03:09
📊

Historical Evolution of the Recipe

Provides context on how economic conditions shaped ingredient choices.

06:56

[00:02] foodwishes.com with forgotten 1950 salmon patties. That's right. This fast, affordable, and very delicious meal started in the 30s

[00:14] >> 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

[00:28] 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

[00:43] 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

[00:55] 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

[01:10] 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

[01:22] 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

[01:36] 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

[01:49] 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.

[02:04] 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

[02:18] 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

[02:30] 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

[02:43] 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

[02:55] 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

[03:09] 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

[03:23] 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

[03:37] 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

[03:50] 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.

[04:03] 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.

[04:16] 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

[04:29] 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

[04:43] 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

[04:55] 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

[05:09] 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

[05:21] 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

[05:35] 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

[05:48] 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.

[06:01] 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,

[06:15] 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.

[06:27] 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

[06:41] 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.

[06:56] 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

[07:09] 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

[07:23] 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

[07:36] 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,

[07:50] And as always, enjoy.

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