Easy Crispy Baked Salmon Nuggets

Looking for a pescatarian-friendly nugget to pop in your mouth? These Easy Baked Salmon Nuggets are extra crispy and filled with flavor!

They only require 25 minutes start to finish and less than ten ingredients, making this simple salmon recipe one you’ll crave again and again!

Plus, these salmon nuggets (along with these Salmon Sliders with Dill Yogurt Sauce btw), make for a great shareable appetizer, while still being hearty enough to qualify as a main course!

And as a mom who loves gourmet food despite a hectic schedule, I’m all for a recipe that requires just 8 ingredients and comes together in less than half an hour!

Salmon Nuggets Ingredient Highlights

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 I used fresh salmon. If you’re using frozen salmon, make sure to allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator or add it to a bag and submerge the bag in room temperature water for about 45 minutes to defrost before using it for this recipe.

I usually just buy the salmon skinless for this recipe, but you can also easily remove the skin at home with a sharp knife.

Panko breadcrumbs will undoubtedly give you the crunchiest exterior, but you can also use Italian breadcrumbs or even crush up pretzels, chips, or crackers in a pinch.

Salmon Nuggets Tips and Tricks

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How to Make Panko Breaded Salmon Bites

The Panko takes longer to brown than the salmon does to cook. This means we will have to pre-toast our Panko to get the breading to have a perfectly crunchy texture.

Add the Panko breadcrumbs to a baking sheet with olive oil, salt, and pepper first. Use clean hands to toss. Then, toast it on the top rack of the oven, tossing halfway until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Add the crispy Panko breading to a shallow bowl and set aside to cool while you prep your salmon.

Before you start the breading process on the salmon, it’s best to remove excess moisture to get the best texture once it’s baked!

Place your salmon filets skin-side down and use a paper towel to lightly press down from the top to lightly pat them dry. Then, use a sharp knife to slice the salmon into bite-sized cubes (about 1 cubic inch).

While the cubes do not have to be perfectly uniform (depending on the cut of your salmon, it may be hard to get them perfect!), try to get them close.

The size of each piece will vary the baking time, so keeping them all roughly the same size helps them bake evenly. This means, if some spots of the cut of your salmon are thicker than others, you may have to slice them in half.

Crack your eggs into a shallow bowl first and beat them until smooth. Add the lemon juice and whisk. In a separate shallow bowl, add the flour.

You should now have three separate bowls: one with the toasted Panko, one with flour, and one with the egg wash. This will act like a little assembly line, making it easy for you to dunk the salmon into each.

Add the salmon cubes to the flour first, tossing to ensure every side is coated. Next, toss the flour-coated salmon nuggets in egg wash.

Finally, place the salmon cubes in the toasted Panko. Toss them to coat, pushing extra breadcrumbs where necessary to ensure there is a generous layer of Panko on the outside.

Line your Panko-crusted salmon nuggets up on the baking tray, leaving a little space in between each salmon nugget.

Then, bake them until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 125°F.

How to Serve Salmon Nuggets

These salmon nuggets are extra crispy and lightly seasoned to allow the natural flavor of the salmon to shine. They make perfect little handheld dunkers for BBQ sauce, honey mustard, and ketchup.

Here are some of my favorite sides to serve up with these Salmon Nuggets:

• Baked Old Bay Fries
• Parmesan Truffle Fries
• Roasted Broccoli and Carrots

How to Properly Store and Reheat Salmon Nuggets

Leftover salmon nuggets will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container. They can be reheated in the oven, air-fryer, or toaster oven!

Preheat the oven (or air fryer, or toaster oven!) to 450°F and place the leftover salmon nuggets on a baking sheet. If you have a convection setting on your oven, use it here!

Reheat on the top rack for 4-5 minutes until heated all the way through. The internal temperature of the salmon should ideally reach 145°F.

You can also freeze leftover salmon nuggets for up to 3 months. It’s best to thaw them completely before reheating them using one of the options above.

Reheating them in the oven directly from the freezer will make them really dry. You can thaw them by allowing them to sit in the refrigerator overnight, or by adding them to a sealed bag and allowing it to sit in tepid water for about 30-45 minutes.

Making Salmon Nuggets in the Air Fryer

You sure can! The Panko will toast in the air fryer at 375°F in about 7 minutes. Then, you can air fry the nuggets at 375°F for 4-6 minutes until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 125°F.