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.
very nice.
Thank you Kevin!
Thank you for this recipe! Just made it and it is yummy and crispy!
Hi Mydao! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it and for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi -this recipe looks great thank you. how do you reheat the fish nuggets after freezing?
Hi Jen! I usually use a toaster oven to reheat the frozen fish nuggets. You can use an oven instead as well. 🙂
The crispy salmon is so easy to make and very healthy. I substituted flour with corn starch and used lemon herbs when mixing the panko. I used tonkatsu sauce. Oiishi!
I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. The lemon herbs sound really delicious!!
Gosh I still deep fry. I would love to know how your mother made this recipe. This sounds good and I will try it tomorrow. Do you think I could make your recipe and then deep fry instead of baking?
Hi Patricia! Yes, it’s my mom’s recipe (deep fried version) and she made it often growing up. Hope you enjoy(ed) this recipe!
Looks great for a oarty! What do you serve it with- dips? Suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Irene! Japanese use all the panko crusted deep fried foods with either Tonkatsu sauce or Tartar sauce.
Tonkatsu Sauce recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/tonkatsu-sauce-recipe/
Tartar Sauce recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/ebi-fry-fried-shrimp/
I don’t have an oven, can I just follow this recipe and deep fried it instead of bake.?
Hi Angie! Sure, deep frying always makes it better result. 🙂 If you deep fry, skip Step 1 and 2. Just use regular Japanese panko at Step 4. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU =]
Hi Jessica! You’re very welcome! Hope you enjoy(ed) the recipe! 🙂
Nami-san I need your advise, considering that Salmon price is quite high in my state, what if I use Silver Catfish or any other common fish like Mackerel Tuna?
Hi Tania! I think it’ll work just fine. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Just tried these – delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
*These only took about 15 minutes in my oven.
Hi Rebecca! I’m so happy to hear you liked it! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. xo 🙂
Hello,
Great Recipe…. I am making this tonight…Just one Question… if i dont have Parchment Paper can it still be done on a Baking sheet without?
Thank you so much! I’m sorry for my late response. I’m afraid your salmon stuck on the baking sheet? If you greased the baking sheet, maybe it wasn’t too bad. Hope the panko shell didn’t come off. Parchment paper is non-stick, so it helps keep the shell on the salmon (or any ingredients). 🙂
Hi Nami, I’m Kenken from Jakarta, Indonesia.
Is it okay if i replace a salmon with dory fish ?
Hi Kenken! I’ve never used the dory fish before, but if it’s not too soft, you can use it. 🙂
But what temperature do you bake it at?
It’s preheated to 400°F (200°C) at Step 1. 🙂
This recipe is just amazing, I had people telling me this was the single best salmon ever
Thanks for your kind feedback Pierre! I’m glad to hear everyone likes this recipe! 🙂
I was looking for a different way to cook salmon and used this recipe tonight. I usually bread and fry white fish but have never tried with salmon. These were so delicious! Followed the recipe exactly and they turned out tasty and crispy. Also loved how they were baked not fried. My 2 year old helped to make these with me and couldn’t eat enough of them! Thanks for the recipe, will be making regularly.
Hi Lena! Awww your comment made me very happy, especially about your 2 year old helping and eating! So glad your family enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for writing your kind feedback. 🙂