Free Kitchen Hacks eBook

Homemade Salmon Egg Rolls with Canned or Leftover Salmon

on May 17, 2024
last updated February 28, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
These super-crispy homemade salmon egg rolls are a great way to use up leftover salmon or pre-cooked canned salmon for a delicious appetizer or side.
Egg rolls with salmon on a metal serving tray with a bowl of sweet Thai chili sauce.

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!

One of my favorite salmon starters (along with these Baked Salmon Nuggets!), these egg rolls are packed with salmon and veggies and fried to golden brown perfection, these handheld bits of heaven are totally more-ish.

As a mom with a hectic schedule and preference for fine food, I appreciate an elevated recipe like this that is still easy, quick, and resourceful (we love to avoid waste in our house!).

Salmon egg roll with bite taken out of it held up to the camera so you can see what's inside.

Salmon Egg Rolls Ingredient Highlights & Substitutions


This recipe is a great way to use up leftover salmon or to use canned salmon which is already pre-cooked.

You can use red or green cabbage. I like to buy matchstick carrots for these because it’s easiest, but you can also just chop your own.

If you want even more flavor, you can use fresh ginger or ginger paste in place of ground ginger and/or minced garlic in place of garlic powder.

overhead view of all ingredients for salmon egg rolls - garlic, water, egg roll wrappers, matchstick carrots, salmon, oil, soy sauce, ginger, flour, cabbage

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.

Paste made out of flour and water used to seal egg roll wrappers.
Whisk the flour and water together to form a paste.

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.

Cooked salmon, carrots, cabbage, ginger, garlic powder, and soy sauce in a large mixing bowl.
To a large mixing bowl, add the salmon, cabbage, carrots, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce.
Stuffing for salmon egg rolls mixed together in a large bowl.
Toss to thoroughly mix, making sure there is an even distribution of the salmon and seasoning throughout the veggies.

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.

A raw egg roll wrapper stuffed with cooked salmon and other vegetables with two corners folded over the stuffing.
Fold the corners of your egg roll wrapper over the filling.
Rolling a raw egg roll wrapper over the salmon stuffing.
Start rolling the wrapper away from you, folding it over and tucking it under the filling.
Adding a dollop of homemade flour and water paste to the tip of an egg roll wrapper to seal the egg roll shut.
Add a dab of “paste” to the last corner of the wrapper.
Raw salmon egg roll rolled up and sealed tightly so that it is ready for frying.
Finish rolling and sealing the egg roll.

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.

Egg rolls with salmon frying in oil.
Salmon egg rolls turning golden brown while frying in oil.

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.

Four freshly fried salmon egg rolls cooling on a paper towel to help soak up excess oil.

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. 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 or 3-Ingredient Bang Bang 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 a couple of my favorites:

Dipping hot salmon egg roll in sweet Thai chili sauce.

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.

Want to sharpen your kitchen skills?

Download My Free eBook
Egg rolls with salmon on a metal serving tray with a bowl of sweet Thai chili sauce.

Homemade Salmon Egg Rolls with Canned or Leftover Salmon

5 from 1 vote
Marley Goldin
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION
PIN PRINT RATE
These super-crispy homemade salmon egg rolls are a great way to use up leftover salmon or pre-cooked canned salmon for a delicious appetizer or side.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 egg rolls

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.
    1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon water
  • 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)
    14.75 ounces cooked salmon, 1 ½ cup chopped cabbage, 1 ½ cup matchstick carrots, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 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.
    8 egg roll wrappers
  • 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 Bang Bang Sauce or Sweet Thai Chili Sauce (optional, see notes for more dipping sauce options).
    3 tablespoons Sweet Thai Chili Sauce

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.
    oil for frying
  • 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.
Course Appetizers, Sides, Snacks
Cuisine American, Asian
Keyword 30 Minutes or Less, Appetizer for Sharing, Easy Appetizer, Egg Rolls, Pescatarian, Salmon
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment and let me know what you think! And if you really enjoyed it, help power this website and buy me a coffee!

GET OUR FRESHEST RECIPES STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

You'll Also Love

5 from 1 vote

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 thoughts on “Homemade Salmon Egg Rolls with Canned or Leftover Salmon”