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Making this recipe for salmon nuggets is easy and with the tips below, you'll learn how to get that crispy texture everyone loves baked in the oven!
Baked Salmon Nuggets
Like my homemade fish sticks, these simple salmon nuggets do the trick when you want to get your kids to eat more fish. These are packed with salmon benefits in irresistibly crispy and cheesy nuggets you easily bake in the oven. Yes, this recipe is a keeper!
Ingredients
The base of these nuggets is salmon, while the coating is made with all-purpose flour (regular or gluten-free), eggs, grated Parmesan cheese, Panko bread crumbs (your favorite or these gluten-free Panko breadcrumbs), salt, and pepper.
Fresh or Frozen Salmon
Both work fine for this recipe. I like to use frozen because it's easier to keep on hand and, in many cases, tastes just as good as the fresh option. All I have to do is thaw it out before using it. If using fresh, make sure the skin is removed before cutting into nuggets and breading.
How to Make Salmon Nuggets
As you’ll see in the recipe video, this process involves breading and coating, but clean-up is a breeze since we are not frying:
- Prep the salmon fillets.
Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels so the breading sticks to the meat. Remove the skin (if necessary) and cut the salmon into 1″ nugget-shaped pieces. - Line up the bowls.
You’ll use 3 bowls or trays: one with flour, salt, and pepper, another with whisked eggs, and a third with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. - Coat the salmon pieces.
Dip the salmon pieces in each bowl. First, the flour, then the eggs, and finally, the breadcrumbs. You want to gently press the panko-parmesan mixture into the fish for a nice coating. - Bake the nuggets.
Place the nuggets on a lined baking sheet. For a golden crust, spray or brush olive oil to give them a light coat. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
When it comes to making homemade chicken tenders, copycat McDonald's nuggets, homemade Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets, and these salmon nuggets, I prefer baked over fried. It's healthier and way easier to clean up. You can also cook them in the air fryer as you would with chicken nuggets.
How to Freeze Homemade Salmon Nuggets
Freeze these salmon nuggets on a parchment-lined baking sheet; once frozen, transfer them to a labeled zip bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. To bake them later, add 3 minutes to the total baking time.
What to Serve with Salmon Nuggets
Some delicious sides are this healthy sweet potato salad, baked fries, roasted parmesan asparagus, or juicy roasted cherry tomatoes on the side. Want to dip the nuggets? My homemade Ranch dressing is a must!
Easy Salmon Nuggets (Oven Recipe)
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless salmon fillets, about 4 pcs
- ½ cup all-purpose-flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
Prep:
- Preheat the oven to 450F. Place a cookie cooling rack on top of a baking sheet or line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pat dry the salmon fillets with paper towels. Remove the skin if necessary and cut them into 1" nugget-shaped pieces.
- Line up 3 bowls or breading trays. In one bowl combine the flour, salt, and pepper. In another bowl, whisk the eggs. And in the third bowl, combine the parmesan cheese with the bread crumbs.
Make the salmon nuggets:
- Coat the salmon pieces in the seasoned flour and shake them to remove any extra flour. Dip into the egg bowl and then the Parmesan mixture, gently pressing the panko-parmesan mixture into the fish. You want a nice coating of this.
- Place the breaded salmon pieces on the prepared baking sheet. Spray olive oil spray over all the salmon pieces or use a brush to give them a light coat of olive oil.
Bake:
- Bake the salmon nuggets for 15 to 20 minutes until they're nice and golden brown. If the nuggets are directly on parchment paper and you want both sides of the nuggets to crisp up, remove them from the oven halfway through, flip them, spray the second side, and finish cooking them.
Serve & storage:
- Enjoy these salmon nuggets hot with your favorite sides.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 350 for about 6 minutes or the air-fryer at 340 for 6 minutes.
Notes
- If you want to make this recipe in the air fryer, simply add a teaspoon or two of oil and "fry" them as you would traditional chicken nuggets.
MrsJennyK says
Like you Laura, I’m a fan of good, healthy fats and whole foods and am not a fat or calorie counter. I actually did a nutritional count of this recipe though. Based on 5 servings (which would equal about 3oz of salmon for a serving, which is what is considered a healthy serving) each serving provide 370 calorie, 15 grams of fat, and a whopping 32 grams of protein! And that’s IF you used every single bit of the dredging ingredients. That sounds just perfect to me. (btw, It’s kismet that I happened across this blog and recipe sort of randomly, and just received an order of Easy Lunchboxes in the mail yesterday!)
Anon says
Erm, very tasty recipe, but it has around 500 calories per serving and 24g of fat and that is without drizzeling it with olive oil for the oven. Not sure that this should be labelled “healthy” just because it includes salmon and isn’t fried. There is fat from salmon, from the cheese, from the egg and from the panko.
Laura Fuentes says
thank you for calculating “calories” Anon. Unfortunately, I am a “real food” person not a calorie counter. All the ingredients in these salmon nuggets are homemade and unlike store bought fish nuggets don’t contain a trail long list of things one cannot pronounce. They ARE healthy. Salmon is healthy. I has healthy fats and loaded with nutrients. I’m sorry to burst your bubble but fat isn’t bad for you. They are baked instead of deep fried and have way too many health benefits for me to not serve them. Thanks for your input!
Mary says
just because something has a lot of calories, and even fat, does not automatically make it unhealthy, all people, esspecially growing LITTLE people, NEED a good amount of natural fat in thier diet in other to properly digest certain fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E & K). I make a version of these FRIED in Ghee and would still label it healthy, with all the right kinds of fats. I suppose it really just depends on what school of thought your description of healthy subscribes too. We follow Dr. Weston Price’s suggestions of traditional, whole foods, pasture/nature raised animals and raw dairy (we leave out the bread crumbs out of our fish nuggets).
Laura Fuentes says
Amen, Mary. Thank you!
Jaya says
Just because a food contains some fat, doesn’t mean it’s not healthy.
Laura Fuentes says
“Good fat is good for you” is what I say.
Cera says
You do know calories aren’t unhealthy, and that most of the fats in salmon and olive oil are good for you right? Don’t be indoctrinated by diet culture.
Jessica says
Laura! I made these tonight with gluten free AP flour egg and homemade gf bread crumbs… My kids LOVED them! And asked for seconds! Thanks a billion for all you do 🙂
Jessica says
Laura! Is there a gf option? I have a nice slab of salmon in my freezer waiting to be made into something yummy!!
Laura Fuentes says
Jessica, you can use gluten free breadcrumbs for sure!
Carolyn says
Have you tried cooking then freezing them? Can’t wait to try these 🙂
Laura Fuentes says
I freeze them all the time, just not cooked. I pull them out when I need them.. and then cook them.