Oh, irresistible bite-size Crispy Baked Salmon Nuggets coated with panko breadcrumbs and baked until golden! No mess & freezer-friendly. Enjoy with tartar sauce or ketchup with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. And perfect for lunch boxes too!

Crispy Baked Salmon Nuggets (Salmon Katsu, 鮭フライ) is a great alternative to my Crispy Baked Chicken (aka Chicken Katsu) if you love seafood. My mom used to make this often growing up but she deep-fried it. With the trend of eating healthier meals and simpler cooking methods, I made the baked version of my mom’s recipe.
Watch How to Make Crispy Baked Salmon Nuggets
Oh, irresistible bite-size Crispy Baked Salmon Nuggets coated with panko breadcrumbs and baked until golden! No mess & freezer-friendly. Enjoy with tartar sauce or ketchup with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. And perfect for lunch boxes too!
I was really surprised how well received the baked chicken katsu recipe was on JOC. Many readers let me know because it doesn’t require deep frying and tastes just as good, both they and their families loved it. This crispy salmon recipe is also baked so there is no mess in the kitchen. After baking, the panko skin stays crunchy and the salmon moist, it tastes almost just like deep-fried.

The salmon is cut into bite sizes piece so they make a great snack for children. Make extra so you can pack in lunch box or freeze for later! Dip crispy salmon bites into homemade tartar sauce or ketchup and enjoy!!

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Crispy Baked Salmon Nuggets
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder (or 3 cloves garlic, minced)
- ½ tsp dried thyme (or any herb of your choice)
- 1 lb skinless salmon fillet (ask a fishmonger to skin the salmon fillet for you)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
For the Dipping Sauce
- Homemade Tartar Sauce
- ketchup
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. If your salmon still has the skin on, skin the salmon fillet.
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, ½ tsp garlic powder, and ½ tsp dried thyme in a frying pan and toast over medium heat until golden brown. Transfer browned panko into a shallow dish and allow to cool.
- Cut 1 lb skinless salmon fillet into blocks 2 inches (5 cm) wide, then cut diagonally into about ½–inch (1.3-cm) slices. Sprinkle Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides of the salmon.
- In a shallow dish, add ¼ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour). In another shallow dish, whisk 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell). Dredge each salmon piece in the flour to coat completely, pat off the excess flour. Then, dip into the egg and finally coat with the toasted panko. Press on the panko flakes to make sure they adhere to the salmon.
- Place the salmon pieces on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 400°F (200°C) until the salmon is just cooked through, about 15–20 minutes (check at 15 minutes). Serve with ketchup or Homemade Tartar Sauce.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in a freezer for a month.
„Leftovers“? I don‘t know what you mean… 😂
Hi Joerg! 😅 You didn’t have leftovers? We are glad to hear it’s all gone!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and five stars rating!😉
These are delicious! I air fried them for 14 minutes and they turned out perfect.
Hi Ellie! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!
We are glad to hear it worked well with the air fryer!
How much salmon in weight
Hi Sheila, The Salmon amount in this recipe is 1 pound or 454 g.
Thank you very much for trying this recipe!😊
Konnichiwa Nami,
I’ve made a few of your recipes now and love them all. This one was delicious too. Thank you for sharing them. I plan to get your recipe book as a gift for some friends. Thank you for inspiring me to try new recipes.
Much love,
Jayshree
Hi Jayshree, Thank you very much for your kind feedback! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed many of Nami’s recipes. Thank you very much for your love and support!🥰
Loved it! Nice Sunday lunch with a salad bowl and a glass of dry Riesling.
Changed thyme for powdered ginger and powdered onion and served with homemade lemon zest/garlic/ciboulette mayonnaise. Done 15 min in the oven and grilled another 3 minutes for a beautiful colour and nice crisp.
Thanks Namiko for all your recipes, I follow and make your recipes since long time but never dared to comment before…
Regards from a sunny South America.
Jaime
Hi Jaime,
Thank you very much for trying many of Nami’s recipes and your kind feedback from South America!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this dish with a nice drink!
Thank you for sharing your cooking experience and tips with us.