Last Updated on August 25, 2023 by Sabrina Currie
This awesome recipe is THE easiest way to make THE crispiest salmon bites ever! With just a few easy ingredients and less than 15 minutes, you'll have crispy salmon bites on the table.
This easy meal is gluten-free, dairy-free, easy, and totally addicting. The best way to make healthy, crispy salmon and there's no deep frying involved! Try it and let me know what you think.
Why You'll Love This
Crispy salmon bites are versatile and make a delicious meal! The crispy coating keeps the salmon inside juicy and moist. Serve them as the topper for a crispy salmon rice bowl or alongside your favorite veggie side dishes. Add a sprinkle of soy sauce, green onions and sesame seeds or a simple drizzle of fresh lemon juice.
Crispy salmon bites are also a great appetizer. Serve them up on a platter with toothpicks and some dipping sauce like teriyaki sauce, dill aioli, or peanut sauce.
If your family are salmon lovers like us, you might also like fresh salmon carpaccio, salmon crudo or use these crispy salmon bites on top of a sushi style chirashi bowl. For easy salmon tacos, you can use them is place of tilapia in this easy fish taco recipe and for pasta, check out the best seafood pastas here.
Ingredients
With just a few simple grocery store ingredients and very little cooking time, this delicious recipe will be on the table. Salmon is rich in healthy omega-3's, protein and vitamin B6 as well as smaller amounts of many other vitamins and minerals making it a great choice for dinner. (Psst. Got leftover bits of salmon? Check out these ways to use up salmon trimmings.)
- Salmon Filets - I like to buy boneless salmon filets because they are easy to quickly cut into cubes. Larger salmon like chinook, chum or coho will make bigger cubes and this is what the cook time is based on. Smaller fish like sockeye and pink salmon will produce smaller chunks. Reduce cooking time accordingly, usually about 1-2 minutes less.
- Cornstarch or Cornflour - This flour is gluten-free and along with the baking powder, it creates a lovely light and crisp coating with no dredging and dipping required.
- Vegetable Oil or Olive Oil - I have made this recipe with both vegetable and olive oils. Both oils work well, use whatever you prefer.
Substitutions + Variations
This recipe works well with different types of fish and topped with various sauces. Have fun and get creative with one of these delicious ideas or make up your own!
- Spicy Salmon Bites - Add in ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper to the dry mixture.
- Honey Garlic Salmon Bites - Toss cooked crispy salmon with your favorite honey garlic sauce and serve immediately garnished with chopped chives or scallions.
- Buffalo Salmon Bites - Toss cooked salmon bites with Franks Red Hot sauce and serve immediately with a side of blue cheese dip and an iceberg lettuce or coleslaw salad.
- Crispy Tuna, Cod or Halibut Bites - This recipe works great with any other firm, fresh fish. Tuna, cod or halibut area great option if you don't have salmon.
Step By Step Instructions
These little salmon bites are super easy and have a very crispy texture while keeping the inside moist and juicy. I love that these don't need the triple bowl dredge, dip, coat that so many crispy fish recipes use. Less batter keeps the coating light tasting and also healthier.
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, salt, pepper, baking powder and garlic powder.
2. Cube your salmon. Be sure to trim out any skin and bones. If you like crispy salmon skin, you can leave the skin on.
3. Preheat your heavy frying pan or skilled to high heat. Then add the cornstarch coating mix to the salmon.
4. Toss gently to coat evenly. Let excess coating fall to the bottom of the bowl.
5. Once the pan is hot and just reaching smoking point, add your salmon pieces in a single layer. Leave a little space between pieces to ensure a crispy crust on each bite. Cook in 2 separate batches if needed.
6. After 2-3 minutes, flip the cubes. Flip again as each side gets crispy and lightly browned. Remaining sides only need about 1 minute each for a total of 5-6 minutes.
7. Once your salmon is done, tip the skillet up and let the oil drain away from the crispy bites.
Serve: Scoop salmon bites out with a slotted spatula and serve right away.
What To Serve With Crispy Salmon Bites
Crispy salmon bites are delicious with a variety of dips depending on your mood or the side dishes. In fact, this simple main dish is great with just a simple squish of lemon juice or a squeeze of lime juice, too.
For a Japanese-style meal, soy sauce, teriyaki or a drizzle of sesame oil is perfect. If you like spicy, try Thai sweet chili sauce, Dijon mustard, spicy mayo seasoned with sriracha or Cajun seasoning or your favorite hot sauce. This bacon aioli is another delicious dip idea.
For a cool and creamy sauce, tartar sauce, dill aioli or Greek yogurt flavored with fresh garlic and herbs is delicious and a family favorite. Any of these dipping sauces will add a ton of flavor to this easy dinner that the whole family will love.
I personally love a good salad with every dinner. Spinach Greek salad, roasted beet salad and apple kale slaw are all tasty salads that pair well with these crispy salmon bites.
White or brown rice is a great side dish. I like basmati or jasmine rice and at least one vegetable for a complete meal. Roasted or mashed potatoes pair up well too.
What To Do With Leftovers
Pan fried crispy salmon bites are delicious the next day too! Simply refrigerate leftover salmon bites in an airtight container. Heat a frying pan on medium and once hot, add the salmon bites and toss until heated through to crispy perfection.
More Salmon Recipes
If you have any questions or comments, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. I try to answer any recipe related questions quickly as I know you might be in the middle of making it.
Also check out my FREE PRINTABLE meal planner to make menu planning and grocery shopping a breeze and my shopping guide. And if you like this recipe, I would love it if you give it a star rating in the recipe card.
Cheers and happy cooking, Friends! Sabrina
📖 Recipe
Easy Pan Fried Crispy Salmon Bites (Just 15 Minutes!)
Ingredients
- 1 lb Salmon (450 grams or 16 ounces)
- ½ c Cornstarch (aka cornflour)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ⅓ c Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch, baking powder, salt, pepper and garlic. Set aside.
- Cut salmon into ¾" boneless cubes and place in a medium or large bowl.Preheat a heavy-bottomed frying pan or large skillet over high heat.
- Pour cornstarch mixture over salmon cubes and gently toss to coat.
- Add vegetable oil to the pan. Once it's at the smoking point, add salmon cubes in a single layer. Keep space between the salmon pieces and don't overlap. Cook in 2 separate batches if needed.
- Once the first side is golden brown, flip the marinated salmon cubes. Continue to flip until each side is crispy, approximately 5 minutes total. Turn the heat off and tip pan to one side and slide a metal pot lid under. Using the spatula, slide the crispy salmon bites to the high side of the pan so any excess oil can drain off for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from pan with a slotted spatula and serve cooked salmon bites immediately or place on a wire cooling rack to keep them crispy until serving.
Deb says
I definitely recommend making this.
We were treated to this ( by Sabrina) with fresh caught salmon, while boating. Doesn’t get any better, or fresher, than that. We had the slightly spicy version. So good!
Sabrina Currie says
Thanks! And a bigger thank you for the salmon! So delicious 🙂
Jay says
Could I use tapioca starch instead if cornstarch? I'm allergic to corn and gluten/wheat, so I was wondering what to replace it with.
Sabrina Currie says
Hi Jay, I haven’t tried it with tapioca starch but I think it would work great. Tapioca starch excels at making a crisp coating so try replacing the cornstarch with an equal amount of that.
Let me know how it turns out!
Jay says
I tried it and it was really good! It came out crispy and tasted delicious!
Sabrina Currie says
That’s great, thanks for sharing, it will help other readers who might have the same allergy. Cheers!