Fried Salmon Bites are bite size pieces of salmon that are deep fried until they are crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. We call these salmon nuggets in our house, because they are basically fish nuggets, similar to chicken nuggets.
We have a local Chinese restaurant chef that likes to get creative with whatever is fresh that day. Last time we were at the restaurant his special was sweet and sour salmon. I had to try this dish at the restaurant, it was so delicious! I wanted to come home and make my own twist on this easy salmon dish.
Fried Salmon Nuggets
These fried salmon nuggets are so easy to make. I mean it's face it, most things taste amazing when they've been battered and fried. If you like fried fish recipes you are going to enjoy this one.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Quick and easy to make
- Wonderfully crisp coating
- Always a kid friendly crowd pleaser
Ingredients
To make this crispy fried salmon bites recipe all you need is ten basic ingredients that you may already have in your pantry. You might not even need to make a trip to the grocery store.
- salmon fillet
- club soda
- flour
- cornstarch
- egg yolk
- paprika
- salt
- baking soda
- baking powder
- Oil for frying vegetable, canola, or peanut oil are all great options
See recipe card for quantities that you need for this delicious recipe.
Instructions
This recipe is super easy to make with only a few steps.
Step 1: Prepare your salmon recipe and heat oil
Prepare your salmon by removing the skin and lightly salt the salmon chunks. Fill a pot about half full with your frying oil, and heat to 350 degrees. Line a tray or plate with a few paper towels and set aside.
Step 2: Mix your batter
In a bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, salt, paprika, and baking soda. Wait until your oil has reached 350 degrees, and is ready to go, before you add the egg yolk and club soda to the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
Step 3: Batter salmon pieces and fry fried salmon bites
Working quickly, dip pieces of the salmon into the batter until fully coated, then shake any excess batter off.
Carefully drop pieces of the battered salmon into the hot oil, you can fry 3-4 pieces at a time, depending on the size of pot you are using, you don’t want to overcrowd the salmon.
Fry for approx 6-8 minutes, flipping the salmon over halfway through. The salmon should have an internal temp of 135-145 degrees.
Step 4: Drain the salmon nuggets and serve.
Remove the salmon from the oil and let rest on the paper towels to drain excess oil. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce, garnish with flake salt or fresh herbs.
Hint: Make sure to allow your oil to reach 350 degrees before frying your salmon bites. You can check your oil temperature with a candy thermometer.
Substitutions
Need to switch things up to fit what you have on hand? Here are a couple substitutions that you can make.
- Fish - use any type of fish that your family prefers for fried fish nuggets
- Oil - Use any type of oil that is heat tolerant for frying that your family prefers.
- Cornstarch - Use potato starch instead.
- Club Soda - Beer instead.
Variations
Want to personalize this Fried Salmon Bites recipe? Here are some of my tried and true tips for changing up this recipe.
- Spicy - add red chili pepper flakes to the batter for a spicy kick.
- Chicken - use the same batter for chicken breast cut into chunks for homemade nuggets.
- Kid friendly - serve with a side of ketchup for dipping.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy this Easy Salmon Cakes recipe.
Storage
Store your leftover salmon in the fridge for up to three days.
The best way to reheat is in the air fryer at 350 for 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through. You could also reheat these fried salmon nuggets in the oven at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes.
Sadly these salmon nuggets will become soggy when frozen and reheated so I don't recommend it.
What To Serve With Fried Salmon Bites
Salmon is a type of fish, and for that reason, I've included a list of what to serve with fish sticks. Yes, these are more like nuggets but, the sides are so darn tasty that I had to include them. I promise you that all who taste them will be singing your praises!
Tips
- Make sure batter is cold and oil is very hot to create a perfect crispy light coating. Batter temperature and oil temperature are critical to an amazing final result.
- Don't skip cornstarch or potato starch to guarantee a crispy coating.
- Remove burnt bits from oil as you cook so you they don't attach to newly added salmon nuggets.
- Do not over stir your batter as some lumps are ok.
- Ideally, batter should have consistency of double cream or 48% cream.
- If batter is too thick add add a liitle fizzy liquid or flour if too thin.
- Allow batter to rest inside your fridge for 30 minutes before starting to cook.
FAQ
Do you have questions about Fried Salmon Bites? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about salmon nuggets.
You can use frozen salmon, but you will need to thaw it first, so that you can cut your salmon cleanly.
Your frying oil must be kept as close to 350 degrees as possible at all times so cook in small batches and reheat oil before adding your next batch. Cool oil will give you a soggy final product.
Use an oil with a high smoke point like vegetable oil, peanut or canola oil are great options.
You can use a deep, heavy bottomed saucepan and some long handled tools to avoid burning yourself like tongs, a fry basket and spider strainer or deep fry spoon.
Fried Salmon Bites Video
More Salmon Recipes
Do you like Salmon recipes? Here some recipes you may also like to try.
Fried Salmon Bites
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like to have a paper copy on hand when you are cooking.
Fried Salmon Bites Recipe
Equipment
- heavy bottomed saucepan or deep fryer
- fry basket if desired
Ingredients
- 2 lbs salmon fillet
- 1 cup club soda
- ¾ flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- Oil for frying vegetable, canola, or peanut oil are all great options
Instructions
- Get out and measure your ingredients.
- Prepare your salmon by removing the skin and gently cutting into 1 or 1.5” chunks.
- Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel and lightly salt the salmon chunks.
- Fill a pot about half full with your frying oil, and heat on medium-high heat to 350 degrees
- Line a tray or plate with a few paper towels and set aside.
- In a bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, salt, paprika, and baking soda.
- Wait until your oil has reached 350 degrees, and is ready to go, before you add the egg yolk and club soda to the flour mixture.
- Mix until combined.
- Working quickly, dip pieces of the salmon into the batter until fully coated, then shake any excess batter off.
- Carefully drop pieces of the battered salmon into the hot oil, you can fry 3-4 pieces at a time, depending on the size of pot you are using, you don’t want to overcrowd the salmon.
- Fry for approximately 6-8 minutes, flipping the salmon over halfway through. The salmon should have an internal temp of 135-145 degrees.
- Remove the salmon from the oil and let rest on the paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce, garnish with flake salt or fresh herbs. Enjoy every bite.
Notes
- Make sure to allow your oil to reach 350 degrees before frying your salmon bites. You can check your oil temperature with a candy thermometer.
- Make sure batter is cold and oil is very hot to create a perfect crispy light coating. Batter temperature and oil temperature are critical to an amazing final result.
- Don't skip cornstarch or potato starch to guarantee a crispy coating.
- Remove burnt bits from oil as you cook so you they don't attach to newly added salmon nuggets.
- Do not over stir your batter as some lumps are ok.
- Ideally, batter should have consistency of double cream or 48% cream.
- If batter is too thick add add a liitle fizzy liquid or flour if too thin.
- Allow batter to rest inside your fridge for 30 minutes before starting to cook.
Nutrition
Anonymous says
This was absolutely delicious. I will make this my new way to make salmon.
Karin and Ken says
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! We love it too! Hopefully you find some other recipes on this site that you enjoy just as much! All the best and thank you for taking the time to comment. Karin
Amy Breault says
I made this last night to go on a salad. It was SO good. It was easy, the coating was light and the bite was delicious! I didn't change anything except I used sparkling water since I didn't have club soda.
Thank you, thank you for this recipe! I have given it out to everyone at work!
Karin and Ken says
I can’t thank you enough for letting me know you enjoyed this recipe! You made my day! Thank you! Karin