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Easy Crispy Baked Salmon Nuggets

on May 23, 2023
last updated January 6, 2025
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These Easy Baked Salmon Nuggets are extra crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. Less than 30 minutes!
Salmon Nuggets in a basket with 3 sauces

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!

Close up of salmon nuggets

Salmon Nuggets Ingredients


Here’s everything you need:

  • Salmon.  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.
  • Panko. 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.
  • Salt, pepper, and olive oil. To season and toast the Panko with.
  • All-purpose flour. To dredge the salmon in to make the egg wash stick better.
  • Egg. The base of your egg wash that holds a generous layer of toasted Panko on the salmon to form the crispy outer breading.
  • Lemon juice. To season the egg wash and bring out the flavor of the salmon.
ingredients for salmon nuggets - flour, pepper, salmon, lemon juice, olive oil, breadcrumbs, salt, egg

Salmon Nuggets Tips and Tricks


Toast Your Panko

To get the breading perfectly toasty and golden brown, we have to toast it first! This is because it takes longer for the Panko breadcrumbs to nicely toast than it takes the salmon to cook.

So, add the Panko breadcrumbs to a baking sheet with olive oil, salt, and pepper first. Use clean hands to toss, ensuring the Panko is evenly coated in the oil and the salt and pepper is distributed throughout.

Then, toast the Panko on the top rack of the oven at 400°F for 6-8 minutes, tossing halfway in between until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Then, add them to a bowl and set aside to cool while you prep your salmon.

Adding panko to baking sheet
Add the panko to a baking sheet with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Tossing panko breading with oil to toast it
Toss with clean hands and toast at 400°F on the top rack for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.

Pat Dry the Salmon First

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. Drying your fish is the easiest way to avoid a mushy texture.

I like to make this recipe with fresh fish, but you can also easily use frozen salmon!

Just allow the salmon to thaw overnight in the refrigerator or, for a quicker thaw, add it to a plastic or reusable storage bag and submerge the bag in cold water for about 45 minutes to defrost.

I typically buy skinless salmon for this recipe, but you can also skin salmon at home! For detailed directions, check out this post on how to remove skin from salmon.

Patting salmon dry before coating in breading
Pat the salmon dry with paper towel to absorb excess moisture.

Slice the Salmon into Cubes

Use a sharp knife to slice the salmon into bite-sized cubes, about 1 cubic inch in size.

While the cubes do not have to be perfectly equal in size by any means (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.

Cubing salmon to make salmon nuggets
Slice the salmon into cubes, roughly equal in size.

Make Your Egg Wash

Crack your eggs into a shallow bowl first. This will allow you to spot any egg shells that might accidentally fall in and extract them. Plus, if for some reason you have a rotten or bloody egg, you can start over without wasting your lemon juice!

Then, you’ll add the lemon juice and use a fork to whisk it until it is nice and smooth.

Cracking egg into bowl to make egg wash
Crack the eggs into a shallow bowl.
Whisking egg wash until smooth
Use a fork or whisk to beat the eggs.

Use Fresh Lemon

Speaking of lemon juice, fresh lemon goes a long way in this recipe! Citrus is a classic combo with salmon, as it combats the naturally brine-y flavor and brings the fresher notes forward.

I recommend using a citrus squeezer to extract your lemon juice. Not only does it get the most juice out of your lemon, but it also catches the seeds!

If you don’t have a citrus squeezer, just make sure you fish out any lemon seeds that fall into your egg wash.

Adding fresh lemon juice to egg wash
Beat fresh lemon juice into your egg wash.

Set Up an Assembly Line

Set yourself up for success! Use three shallow bowls: one for the flour, one for the egg wash, and one for the toasted Panko.

This will act like a little assembly line, making it easy for you to dunk the salmon into each.

Setting up assembly of flour, egg wash, and toasted panko breadcrumbs
Add the toasted panko to another shallow bowl, and the flour to a third bowl.

Coat Your Salmon Cubes

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.

Coating cubed salmon in flour
Coat the salmon in flour first.
Adding flour-coated salmon to eggwash
Then, toss the flour-coated salmon in the egg wash.
Coating salmon nuggets in toasted breadcrumbs
Lastly, add a generous layer of toasted Panko on the outside.

How to Bake Salmon Nuggets

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

Then, bake the salmon nuggets on the top rack of the oven at 400°F for 5-8 minutes until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 125°F.

Breaded salmon nuggets ready to bake
Line your breaded salmon nuggets up on a sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until internal temperature 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, ketchup, and ranch dressing.

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

Cropped picture of basket of salmon nuggets

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.

More on Salmon Nuggets


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.

Pre-Toasting the Panko is a Must!

The reason we are pre-toasting the Panko in this recipe is simply because it takes longer to toast than the salmon takes to cook when it is cut into cubes.

If we don’t pre-toast the Panko, we would be settling for not-fully-toasted Panko or underdone salmon!

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Why You Should Make these Easy Baked Salmon Nuggets


  • The texture! Super crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside.
  • They’re fun. Is it just me or is handheld food with sauce options a whole experience?
  • They come together quickly. Less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
Salmon Nuggets in a basket with 3 sauces

Easy Crispy Baked Salmon Nuggets

5 from 2 votes
Marley Goldin
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These Easy Baked Salmon Nuggets are extra crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. This recipe uses simple ingredients to allow the natural flavors of your salmon shine, and requires less than 30 minutes!
Prep Time 7 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
 
 

  • ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 10 ounces skinless salmon
  • cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablepsoons lemon juice (1 lemon = approx. 4 tablespoons juice)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 400°F.
  • Add the Panko breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a baking sheet and toss to coat.
    ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons olive oil
    Panko breadcrumbs ready to toast in the oven
  • Toast on the top rack of the oven for 6-8 minutes, tossing halfway in between until golden brown. Add the toasted Panko to a shallow bowl and set aside to cool. Leave the baking tray out and keep the oven hot for later!
    10 ounces skinless salmon
    Golden brown toasted Panko breadcrumbs on a baking sheet
  • Meanwhile, pat dry your salmon with a paper towel (consider these bamboo paper towels for a more sustainable option!) and slice it into bite-sized cubes, about 1 cubic inch in size.
    Cubed salmon ready to add breading to make Salmon Nuggets
  • Then, add your flour to a second shallow bowl and set next to your Panko.
    ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
    Flour in a shallow bowl ready for breading salmon
  • In a third shallow bowl, whisk your eggs and lemon juice together until smooth to form an egg wash.
    1 large egg, 3 tablepsoons lemon juice
    Egg was made from eggs and lemon juice to bread salmon
  • Working in order, place the cubed salmon into the flour first, tossing to evenly coat the salmon in a layer of flour.
    Cubed salmon tossed in flour
  • Next, drop the flour-coated salmon into the egg wash, ensuring all sides are coated in the egg and lemon mixture.
    Tossing flour-coated salmon in egg wash
  • Finally, drop the salmon into the toasted breadcrumbs, pressing the Panko into each side to ensure there's a generous outer layer.
    Adding outer layer of toasted Panko breadcrumbs to make crispy salmon nuggets
  • Line the Panko-crusted salmon nuggets up on your baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until the internal temperature of the salmon reached 125°F. Enjoy!
    Salmon nuggets lined up on a baking sheet ready for the oven

Pro Tips

  • If you want to use a convection oven, set your oven to 375°F
  • If you want to use an air fryer, set the air fryer to 375°F. Toast the Panko for about 7 minutes or until golden brown, and bake the nuggets for 4-6 minutes. 
Course Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Snacks
Cuisine American
Keyword 30 Minutes or Less, Fish Dinner, Pescatarian, Salmon, Salmon Dinner, Salmon Nuggets, Salmon Recipes
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1 thought on “Easy Crispy Baked Salmon Nuggets”

  1. 5 stars
    Great as an appetiser or a main meal – will also give’ em a try on the BBQ!
    Delicious

    (Review provided by a family/friend of marleysmenu.com)

5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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