A healthy and zesty way to use leftover or canned salmon or other fish, Hatch Chile Salmon Cakes combine flaked salmon with mashed sweet potato (no bread crumbs), Hatch green chile, and bell pepper with spices. The crispy, tender patties then get topped with avocado crema. Delicioso!

A blue ceramic plate with a Hatch chile salmon cake topped avocado crema with a print napkin and a copper fork.

Don’t loaf and invite inspiration; light out after it with a club, and if you don’t get it you will nonetheless get something that looks remarkably like it.
~~ Jack London, American novelist.

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks – Recipe Inspiration

These green chile salmon cakes first appeared on Beyond Mere Sustenance in 2014… time flies! We love the recipe, and it deserved an update with text and photos in 2020. The text below is original:

In last week’s post, I mentioned the fact that our much-anticipated chile season in southern New mexico is upon us. It is difficult to explain a New Mexican’s love of green chile, red chile, all things chile…

While awaiting the delivery of fresh chile to our local markets, I’ve hoped for new and creative ways to use one of my very favorite ingredients to spontaneously come to mind. It hasn’t happened.

So, I decided to take Jack London’s approach, and go after inspiration “with a club.” More simply put, I decided to experiment. Experimentation in the kitchen can be risky… I win a few, and I lose a few. My husband and I decided this one was a winner.

This recipe started a couple of weeks ago when I brought home a really nice salmon fillet. Most weeknights, I cook for two, so 2 pounds of fish was far too much for one meal. I stand firm on portion sizes, and stick very closely to 4-6 ounce portions of meat, poultry, and seafood.

Thursday evening’s meal was simple – we grilled the whole salmon fillet, brushing it with a really nice vanilla and fig balsamic vinegar. After dinner, I used a fork to flake the salmon, and refrigerated it for later use.

Since I’d decided I wanted to incorporate Hatch green chile into our diet in more healthy ways, I seized upon the idea of using the salmon with green chile to make a salmon cake or patty.

Our first attempt was delicious, but I do like to refine a recipe before I publish it. We have now enjoyed this dish 4 times.

After serving this dish a second time, and shooting the photos, I became engaged in an all out technology assault. I contracted a virus on my laptop, transferred it to my camera, lost all my photos, sent the camera to Samsung for service, and contracted a virus on my desktop computer.

After getting both computers cleaned up, I was intent on publishing this post, so back to the market I went. I bought more salmon, grilled more salmon (with my husband’s help), and made and served the dish twice – again. Whew! I am grateful for a supportive husband that willingly eats the same dish multiple nights in a row. 😉

🐟 What We Love About the Salmon Patties

The patties are light and crispy, and require no breadcrumbs to hold together.
They are relatively low in carbohydrates.
They’re gluten free.
They’re a great way to use both leftover salmon (or other cooked fish) and leftover cooked sweet potato!
They taste amazing. 😀
Did I mention Hatch green chile?
These salmon cakes are healthy!

📋 Ingredients Notes

Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

Hatch Chile Salmon Cakes

cooked salmon – This is a great way to use leftover salmon for a completely different meal. You will want to use it the next day IMHO. You can also used canned salmon. You start the recipe with cooked salmon.
sweet potato – Again, this is a great way to use leftovers. The patties incorporate mashed sweet potato as a binder.
green chile – My preference is always roasted and chopped Hatch green chile, but you can use poblanos or Anaheims as well. You do need to use roasted, seeded, and chopped green chile.
red bell pepper
egg
ground cumin
smoked paprika
salt
ground pepper
cornmeal
olive oil
Cooking spray
avocado lime crema – This quick and easy crema with yogurt elevates these simple salmon cakes. The ingredients are shown in the photo below. Head to Avocado Lime Crema with Yogurt for the recipe!

Avocado Crema

🔪 Instructions

A glass bowl with all of the ingredients for the salmon cakes added but not mixed together.

The ingredients for the salmon cakes thoroughly mixed before forming and cooking.

Make the avocado lime crema – Go to avocado lime crema with yogurt for ingredients and instructions. Prepare the crema. Use within 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate.
Prepare the salmon cakes – Mix ingredients salmon through pepper in a large bowl, using a rubber spatula or your hands to combine well.
Form the salmon cakes – Shape mixture into 4 balls. Roll carefully in cornmeal to coat.
Cook the salmon cakes – Heat a bit of oil in a heavy saute pan. I spray the pan with cooking spray, and swirl the oil around to coat the entire pan. On medium heat, place formed salmon balls into the pan. Allow them to cook for 3-4 minutes. Press gently to slightly flatten them. When the cakes are golden brown, gently turn them. Cook an additional 3-4 minutes until golden brown on both sides.

A white bowl with a ball of salmon mixture rolled in cornmeal.

A saute pan with two salmon cakes browned and ready to plate.

To Serve:

Top salmon cakes with a spoon of avocado crema, and garnish with a bit of chopped cilantro, crumbled cotija, and/or lime wedges as desired.

💭 Tips

Small plates make portions look larger 🙂
The amounts listed for salmon cakes will probably yield 4 or 5 salmon cakes, and 1 is plenty for both my husband and me. That will cut the calories substantially.
Both the salmon cakes and the avocado crema are good for lunch the next day! For more on keeping fish see How Long Does Fish Stay Good?
If you with to substitute canned salmon, pick through it carefully for bones, cartilage, etc.
This dish really doesn’t need to be served hot (or even warm.) We enjoyed it at room temperature.
My red bell pepper was not in good shape on photo day, but I always add finely chopped bell pepper.
Avocado crema needs to be refrigerated if not used within 30 minutes. The yogurt and lime juice should prevent the avocado from

❓ FAQ

Can I use other fish?

YES! Try it with any flaky, cooked fish.

Can I use other green chile?

If you can’t get Hatch green chile, substitute roasted and chopped poblano or Anaheim green chile.

🍷 Pairing Suggestions

On photo day, I charred some corn, and added in baby lima beans. It was a really nice pairing. I would also suggest a Mexican green bean salad, or a Mexican panzanella salad. My original photo included a corn, Hatch chile, and black bean salad. Are you adventurous? You might like these Hatch green chile salmon cakes with my nopalitos salad!

Our summer “go to” wine with Mexican flavors is a crisp rosé. This was a French style rosé with a distinct hint of grapefruit that works really well with fish cakes.

A tablescape - blue plate with salmon cakes and charred corn, fiesta print napkin, copper fork, and a glass of rosé.

Are you ready to give these delicious and healthy Hatch chile salmon cakes a try? I’m writing this in August 2020, and Hatch chiles are in season!

Hatch Chile Salmon Cakes with Avocado Crema

Tamara Andersen

A fresh, healthy, spicy spin on salmon cakes…

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine Mexican

Servings servings

Calories 390 kcal