If you’re looking for a recipe that uses canned salmon or a recipe that uses leftover salmon, look no further! These Homemade Salmon Egg Rolls have tons of flavor and a delicious crispy, crunchy texture that completely reinvents the already-cooked salmon!
With just 10 ingredients and 30 minutes, you get colorful and crispy egg rolls that are perfect as an appetizer, snack, or honestly, a full meal on its own! Packed with salmon and veggies and fried to golden brown perfection, these handheld bits of heaven are totally more-ish.
Salmon Egg Rolls Ingredients & Substitutions
Here’s everything you need:
- Cooked salmon. This recipe is a great way to use up leftover salmon or to use canned salmon which is already pre-cooked.
- Cabbage. Red or green.
- Carrots. I like to buy matchstick carrots for these because it’s easiest!
- Soy sauce.
- Ground ginger. You could also use fresh ginger or ginger paste.
- Garlic powder. Or minced garlic.
- Not pictured: Sweet Thai Chili Sauce for dipping.
Sustainability and Canned Salmon
Canned salmon is already fully cooked and ready to consume out of the can! most canned salmon does contain soft bones that are completely edible but can also be removed if you prefer. You can also look for canned salmon that is skinless and boneless.
What I like most about canned salmon is it is typically a sustainable salmon option. Most canned salmon is made from wild-caught Alaskan salmon, and uses almost all of the fish to reduce waste.
It also has a shelf life of approximately 5 years, which is especially lengthy when compared to fresh or frozen salmon, again, reducing the probability of food waste.
Green tip: Look for The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue fish label if you want to ensure your canned salmon is sustainable.
Egg Rolls with Salmon Tips and Tricks
Whip Up a Paste to Seal Your Egg Rolls
The key to the best egg rolls, especially if you’re frying them in oil, is a tightly wrapped and sealed roll that allows no oil in.
Start by creating a simple paste that will act as “glue” to seal your egg roll wrapper around the salmon filling. All your have to do is mix equal parts all-purpose flour and water together.
Mix Up Your Salmon Filling
The salmon filling for these homemade egg rolls is super simple and requires just 6 ingredients. You’ll need cooked salmon (leftover salmon or canned salmon work great, here!), carrots, cabbage, soy sauce, garlic powder, and ginger.
I like to buy matchstick carrots because it’s easiest, but you can also shred or dice your carrots. I roughly chopped a head of purple cabbage for my egg rolls, but you can also buy prepped cabbage.
Add it all to a mixing bowl and toss to combine and mix.
How to Easily Roll and Egg Roll
Once your salmon stuffing is ready, it’s time to wrap it up! There is enough filling to make 8-10 eggrolls depending on how much you stuff them.
Add about 3 tablespoons of salmon filling so that it stretches in a line from one corner of the egg roll wrapper to the other. Rotate so that the line of stuffing is running horizontally in front of you and fold the two side corners over the filling.
Then, start rolling the wrapper away from you, folding the corner closest to you over the filling.
Pause when there is just a triangle of egg roll wrapper left and brush some of the flour and water paste onto it.
Then, continue to roll your egg roll away from you until it’s fully wrapped and sealed tight.
How to Perfectly Fry Egg Rolls
It’s really important to get your oil hot before lowering the egg rolls into it. Add enough oil to the pan so that there’s about 1 ½ – 2 inches of oil.
Place the oil over medium-high heat and monitor the temperature with a kitchen thermometer. The oil should reach 370°F before moving forward.
Once your oil is hot, use a skimmer or sieve to gently lower the fish egg rolls in. They should immediately begin to sizzle and bubble. Don’t overcrowd the pan. I usually fry 4 at a time.
Fry for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, then flip and fry another 4-5 minutes.
How to Absorb Excess Grease From Fried Egg Rolls
Once the rolls are golden brown on both sides, lift them out of the oil and place them on a stack of 2-3 paper towels. This will absorb any excess oil as they cool.
How to Make an Egg Roll in an Air Fryer
If you want to make these homemade egg rolls in the air fryer instead of deep-frying, you totally can!
Preheat your air fryer to 400°F and use oil spray to lightly coat your egg roll in oil.
Then, place your oil-coated egg rolls into the air fryer for 6-8 minutes on both sides (12-16 minutes total) until golden brown and crispy.
Green tip: Consider filling your own reusable oil sprayer to avoid extra pesky aerosol cans, that aren’t always recyclable.
What to Serve Leftover or Canned Salmon Egg Rolls With
I love dunking these pescatarian egg rolls in Sweet Thai Chili Sauce! A little more soy sauce, sriracha mayo, duck sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or even mustard are great dipping sauces for them, too.
These are nice and hearty and can be considered a full meal on their own, but if you’re looking for other dishes to serve this with as an app, here are some of my favorites:
How to Properly Store and Reheat Egg Rolls with Salmon
These homemade leftover salmon egg rolls will last in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To reheat them, bake them in the oven at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes, until heated through and the exterior starts to get crispy again.
Or, better yet, for the crispiest leftover egg rolls, you can reheat them in the air fryer at 325 °F for about 5-7 minutes.
Green tip: Did you know that of the billions of pounds of food wasted annually, it is estimated that 50% of it happens in our homes? It’s always best to avoid food waste as much as you can!
If you’re loving these Homemade Salmon Egg Rolls with leftover or canned salmon and want more fun salmon recipes, check out these Salmon Nuggets and Crispy Bang Bang Salmon.
Homemade Salmon Egg Rolls with Canned or Leftover Salmon
PIN Print RATEEquipment
- Bamboo Paper Towels (optional)
- Kitchen Skimmer (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon water
- 14.75 ounces cooked salmon (1 can or about ¾ cup leftover salmon)
- 1 ½ cup chopped cabbage
- 1 ½ cup matchstick carrots
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 8 egg roll wrappers
- oil for frying (vegetable, canola, or coconut preferred)
- 3 tablespoons Sweet Thai Chili Sauce (optional for dipping)
Instructions
Salmon Egg Rolls
- To a small bowl, add the water and flour and whisk together to form a paste. Set aside for later.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the salmon, carrots, cabbage, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic powder and toss to coat in the seasonings and evenly distribute the salmon and veggies throughout the filling. (see notes if using canned salmon)
- Lay an egg roll wrapper out flat on a plate, cutting board, or clean counter. Add about 3 tablespoons of filling to the center of the egg roll wrapper, stretching on a diagonal from one side of the wrapper to the opposite side. Then, fold those two corners over the filling.
- Next, grab an empty corner and fold it over the filling, tucking the tip underneath the filling, and rolling it over like a burrito. Use a little bit of water to seal the exposed corner of the egg roll. Repeat steps 5-7 until all of the filling is used up (usually about 8-10 egg rolls).
- Cook your egg rolls using either the deep frying or air frying method below, and serve hot with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce (optional, see notes for more dipping sauce options).
Deep Frying Method
- Add oil to a large pot or saucepan, so that the oil is about 1 inch deep. Turn your heat source up to medium and monitor the temperature of the oil with a kitchen thermometer. Your target is to get your oil to 370-375°F.
- Carefully drop your egg rolls into the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. I usually fry 2 or 3 egg rolls at a time. Fry for about 3-5 minutes on each side, until both sides are golden brown.
- Use a skimmer or sieve to remove the egg rolls from the oil and place them on a stack of 2 or 3 paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
Air Fryer Method
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F and use oil spray to add a light, even coat of oil to the outside of your egg rolls.
- Drop your egg rolls into the air fryer, leaving some room in between each roll. Air fry at 400°F for 12-18 minutes, flipping halfway in between (6-8 minutes on each side).
Pro Tips
- If using canned salmon, all you have to do is drain it. Otherwise, it’s already pre-cooked and ready for use. Please note that most canned salmon comes with some skin and bones, which are completely edible, but can be removed if you prefer.
- I love dipping these in Sweet Thai Chili Sauce but you can also use soy sauce, sriracha mayo, duck sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or even mustard.
