Teriyaki Rice and Salmon Patties

What I Love About My Teriyaki Rice and Salmon Patties

Teriyaki rice and salmon patties are basically what happens when I refuse to choose between a salmon patty and a rice bowl, and folding both into one dish turned into one of my favorite ways to use up a baked salmon fillet.

• I bake the salmon first, which keeps every patty flaky and tender all the way through.
• Each patty turns into a full meal once I fold the cooked rice in, so you don’t need three side dishes just to feel satisfied.
• Teriyaki flavor shows up twice here, once mixed into the patties and again as a warm dipping sauce, so you get that sweet-savory punch in every bite.
• Since I build the teriyaki flavor from scratch with ginger, garlic, and maple syrup, I know exactly what’s in it, and the balance stays clean without any preservatives.

Key Ingredient Notes

• Salmon – I bake a skin-on fillet first and flake it once it’s cooled, which gives the patties bigger, flakier pieces than you tend to get from raw fish mixed straight in. If you want to save time, canned salmon patties are their own thing worth trying, but for this teriyaki version I stick with fresh, baked salmon for the texture.
• Rice – I use plain cooked rice that’s had time to cool, since warm rice holds onto more moisture and can make the mixture too wet to shape. Leftover rice from the fridge works great here too.
• Fresh Ginger – it’s what gives both the patties and the dipping sauce that warm, slightly peppery background note. I always use fresh ginger here since the flavor is noticeably brighter than the powdered kind.
• Soy Sauce – it’s the base of the teriyaki flavor, both inside the patties and in the dipping sauce, so I use a low sodium version to keep the salt in check. If you need this gluten free, use gluten free soy sauce or tamari instead, which is also how I make my homemade teriyaki sauce gluten free.
• Maple Syrup – this brings the sweetness that balances the salty soy sauce, both in the patties and in the sauce. I like maple syrup here over honey since it dissolves smoothly into the warm sauce without crystallizing later.
• Dense Bread – crumbled dense bread works as the binder here, soaking up extra moisture from the salmon and rice so the patties hold together instead of falling apart in the pan.
• Cornstarch – a small amount is all it takes to thicken the dipping sauce into a glossy, spoonable consistency instead of staying thin and watery.

How to Make Teriyaki Rice and Salmon Patties

1. Bake the salmon. Preheat the oven to 425°F, rub the salmon skin with a little oil, and season the fillet with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet, until it flakes easily, then set it aside to cool.
2. Flake the salmon. Once the salmon is cool enough to handle, flake the meat off the skin with a fork and add it to a large mixing bowl. I squeeze out a little of the extra juice first if the salmon looks especially wet.
3. Mix the patty ingredients. Add the cooled rice, red onion, green onion, pressed garlic, grated ginger, eggs, crumbled bread, soy sauce, and maple syrup to the bowl and mix gently until everything is just combined.

PRO TIP: Make sure both the rice and the salmon have cooled down before you mix everything together. Warm ingredients add extra moisture, and that’s the most common reason these patties fall apart in the pan.

4. Form the patties. Shape the mixture into patties about 3 inches across and a little over half an inch thick, then set them on a sheet of parchment paper as you go.
5. Pan-fry the patties. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat with a few tablespoons of oil, then add the patties without crowding the pan. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes per side until golden brown. Since the mixture includes raw egg as a binder, I like to check thicker patties with a food thermometer for 160°F at the center.
6. Make the teriyaki sauce. Whisk together the soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, stock, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch in a small bowl, then pour it into a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring often, until it thickens into a glossy sauce.
7. Serve. Plate the patties warm and spoon the teriyaki sauce over the top, or serve it on the side for dipping.

Ways to Serve Teriyaki Salmon Patties

• Serve them over a bowl of coconut rice with a drizzle of the warm teriyaki sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds for a rice-bowl style plate.
• Pair them with my Asian cucumber salad for a cool, crunchy contrast to the warm, savory patties.
• Tuck a patty into a soft bun with a spoonful of spicy mayo and a scoop of tropical coleslaw for a quick teriyaki salmon sandwich.
• Add a side of steamed edamame, sautéed haricots verts, or a batch of roasted cauliflower if you want something extra on the plate without much effort.

Store, Freeze, and Reheat Teriyaki Rice and Salmon Patties

• Store: in the refrigerator, in an air-tight container, for up to 3 days.
• Freeze: these patties freeze well both cooked and uncooked. Place the shaped or cooked patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for about 2 hours until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag or container, press out the air, and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Thaw: move the frozen patties to the refrigerator and let them thaw overnight before reheating or cooking.
• Reheat: in a covered pan over medium-low heat until warmed through, adding a splash of oil if the pan needs it. I avoid the microwave for reheating seafood since it tends to turn the texture rubbery instead of keeping it tender.

Teriyaki Rice and Salmon Patties Recipe FAQs

More Recipes From Me

• Salmon and Rice Patties
• Teriyaki Salmon
• Blackened Salmon
• Grilled Salmon Burgers
• Cucumber Salad

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Teriyaki Salmon and Rice Patties Recipe

A salmon patty needs a job to do beyond frying and forgetting, so I stuff mine with rice and teriyaki flavor, inside and out. I mix fresh ginger, garlic, and a little maple syrup right into the salmon mixture, then finish everything with a quick homemade teriyaki sauce for dipping. It also solves the classic "what do I make with this salmon fillet" question without turning dinner into a big production.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Appetizer, dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 10

Calories: 205kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

Salmon Patties:

• ▢ 1.5 lb fresh salmon fillet, skin-on
• ▢ salt to taste
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper more or less to taste
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups cooked jasmine rice or can use other leftover cooked rice
• ▢ 1/3 cup minced red onion
• ▢ 3 large garlic cloves
• ▢ 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• ▢ 5 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• ▢ 1/4 cup diced green onion
• ▢ 1 1/2 slices of dense bread crumbled
• ▢ 2 medium eggs

Teriyaki Sauce:

• ▢ 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• ▢ 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• ▢ 2 Tbsp chicken or vegetable stock
• ▢ 2 large garlic cloves
• ▢ 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

Optional Toppings:

• ▢ Diced green onion
• ▢ Toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Cook Salmon:

• Preheat oven to 425℉ and cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease it, or like it with parchment paper.
• Rub the salmon skin with some oil and place the fillet skin down on the prepared baking sheet.
• Season with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
• Bake salmon for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your salmon fillet.
• Once salmon is done, take it out and set aside to cool.

Salmon Patties:

• When salmon is cooled enough to handle, start flaking salmon meat off the skin with a fork and add it to the large mixing bowl.
• Add rice to the mixing bowl.
• Add red onion, green onion, pressed garlic, grated ginger, eggs, crumbled bread, soy sauce, and maple syrup t the mixing bowl as well. Gently mix everything together until completely incorporated.
• Form salmon patties that are about 3 inches in diameter and little more than 1/2 inch in thickness.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add 3-4 Tbsp of cooking oil.
• Place patties into the skillet and cook for about 5-8 minutes, until golden brown. Flip to the other side and cook until golden brown.

Sauce:

• Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small mixing bowl, whisk well.
• Heat sauce pot over medium heat and add teriyaki sauce mixture. Cook for a few minutes, until heated through and thickened.
• Serve with cooked salmon patties.

Nutrition

Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 813mg | Potassium: 491mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 101IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

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