Seriously, these baked salmon meatballs may be some of the best things you’ve eaten in awhile. They’re made even better with a dollop of creamy avocado sauce on top. Thanks to California Avocado for helping me to share this recipe with you.
It felt like we covered all of the seasons on spring break last week. A little spring skiing just 30 minutes from home, a few bouts of soccer at the park (in shorts!), at least one great flank steak meal and a few runs to burn off the Easter candy that always seems to linger. Curse those Cadbury mini eggs!
All of that fresh air and activity made us hungry. And not just for chocolate and jellybeans, but for filling protein, whole grains and lots of fruits and veggies. Which means that these baked salmon meatballs with avocado sauce disappeared from the plate in a matter of minutes. A couple of my kids’ friends were at the house when I first made these and they all gathered around the kitchen island, popping one after another into their mouths.
Kid-friendly? Yeah, I’d say so.
There are so many food reasons to get excited for springtime. Asparagus, cauliflower, strawberries and one of my all time favorites…avocados. California avocados, to be exact. For the past couple of years, I’ve been an ambassador for California Avocados. I continue to work with them because I am convinced that there is no avocado like a California avocado.
I can’t count the number of times that I’ve spooned an avocado straight out of the skin and into my mouth. With a little sprinkle of salt, thank you very much. As good as they are straight or sliced up for sandwiches and salads, their natural creaminess lends itself really well to sauces that taste and feel rich and luxurious, but don’t have a drop of actual cream in them. Healthy fats, fiber and vitamins? Win, win and win.
These baked salmon meatballs take very little time and effort to put together. Just throw some salmon into a food processor and give it some pulses until it’s finely chopped. If you don’t have a food processor, no worries. You can chop up that salmon the old fashioned way, with a sharp knife and a cutting board.
After that, incorporate the salmon with some onion, garlic, spices and cilantro, and form them into meatballs. I always use my cookie scoop to portion out even meatballs. It’s a time saver, for certain!
While the meatballs are baking, whip up the avocado sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender. Be sure to taste the sauce and adjust the salt and chipotle chile powder according to your preference.
If you can’t find chipotle chile powder at your local grocer store, you can use some adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers. It will lend the same great smokiness and touch of heat to the sauce.
Other avocado recipes:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Mini Avocado & Hummus Quesadillas
Cookin’ Canuck’s Kicked-Up Avocado Margaritas
A Southern Fairytale’s Avocado Fries with Home Ranch Dipping Sauce
Average Betty’s California Avocado & Hemp Seed Arancini
Souffle Bombay’s California Garlic Bread with Sautéed Spinach & Avocados
Baked Salmon Meatballs with Creamy Avocado Sauce
Ingredients
The Meatballs:
- 1 pound skinless salmon cut into chunks
- ½ medium onion grated
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat panko breadcrumbs see note
- 3 tablespoons minced cilantro
- 1 egg white
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground oregano
The Sauce:
- ¾ California avocado skin & seed removed
- 3 tablespoons fat-free plain Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ lime juiced
- 5 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder see note
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
The Meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Place the salmon in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, scraping down the sides as necessary. Transfer to a large bowl.
- To the salmon, add the onion, breadcrumbs, cilantro, egg white, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and oregano. Stir to combine.
- Using a 2 tablespoon portion of the salmon mixture, form meatballs by rolling between the palms of your hands. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
- Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes.
- Serve the meatballs with the avocado sauce.
The Sauce:
- In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the avocado, yogurt, garlic, lime juice, water, cilantro, chipotle chile powder, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
How wonderful these look! I just can’t seem to get enough of salmon right now, and love this fun meatballs twist!
Stephanie @ Back for Seconds says
Why have I never made salmon meatballs?? These look delicious!
Shawn @ I Wash You Dry says
I have an obsession with salmon patties, so I can only assume that I would devour all of these meatballs. Especially with that delicious avocado sauce! YUM!
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
These are the best idea EVER. And I love the idea of that avocado sauce too. YUM!
Liz says
Oooh, these salmon balls look terrific! And paired with avocado sauce is a heavenly match. I have an avocado waiting for this recipe right on my kitchen counter! Hooray!
Kate @ Framed Cooks says
I love it when ingredients I love (salmon!) show up in unexpected forms (meatballs!) – and the avocado sauce looks so springtime good. Pinning!
Lizthechef says
These look pretty wonderful – I would never have thought to process the salmon before it is cooked – brilliant.
claudia lamascolo says
I have everything in the house to try cant wait!
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch says
Mmmm Mmmm! I love the look of these meatballs! I’m a huge salmon fan so I can’t wait to make these!
Annalise @ Completely Delicious says
Yes! I’m sure I could down about 20 of these salmon meatballs without batting an eye. They sound incredible!
Ginny McMeans says
I love your process from the beginning to the end. Kid friendly recipes are so hard to find!
The Food Hunter says
I’m loving the avocado dip with these
Paula-bell'alimento says
Sounds like a fun spring break and hello salmon meatballs? Yes please.
Lauren Kelly Nutrition says
Pure genius! Is it weird that I want to drink the creamy avocado sauce?
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living says
These look amazing Dara – love the combo!
Rachel - A Southern Fairytale says
hello gorgeous! WOW. Those sound incredible, Dara. <3
Kriste says
Yum! I had all the ingredients but the chipotle powder, so I ran over to Penzeys to get some! Making these tomorrow and serving over zucchini noodles!!
Lora @cakeduchess says
How lucky you get to drive such a short while and get to enjoy beautiful mountains and spring skiing…that photo is so cute, Dara! Love the flavors in these salmon meatballs and the avocado sauce is wonderful!
[email protected] Mom says
How nice that you can ski just 30 minutes form home and the kids and you look like you had a fabulous time! I must say I love what you created here Dara. Most unique meatball I’ve seen in a long time and I adore that avocado sauce!
Martha @ A Family Feast says
Those meatballs look fantastic – but that avocado sauce really finishes the dish! Can’t wait to try this…totally my kind of meal.
Rose says
these look so delicious! really excited to try making them. do you have any suggestion s for what to serve with them? thanks!
Anne-Marie @ This Mama Cooks! On a Diet says
Those look amazing! At first I thought that was a weird food combination. Then it hit me – California roll sushi. Duh. And it’s pretty, too.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
Salmon + avocado are such the perfect duo!!! I had an avocado today at lunch and let me tell you… it was not from California. 🙁
Jennie @onesweetmess says
Wow, I want all the salmon balls. They’re stunning and look absolutely delicious.
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
Oh my! That salmon looks incredible. I don’t know if I could bring myself to toss it into the food processor. 😉 But the meatballs look like it’s probably worth it!
And what is up with the weather?! This craziness needs to stop. It snowed twice this winter but then we got some more in late March. Weird.
Heather / girlichef says
Heck yeah, I eat avocados “straight” all the time – love them! I also love salmon meatballs, so this sounds like an awesome little meal or nibble.
Nancy [email protected] says
Stunning! And brilliantly made!
KalynsKitchen says
I’ve made salmon patties, but never thought of making them in meatballs! Sounds delish.
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says
Whaaaaa?! I’m a seriously meatball lover but I would never ever have thought to make them with salmon. YUM!! Especially with that creamy avocado sauce on top!
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says
Salmon + Avocado is definitely one of my favorite flavor combinations! This would be such a fun, elegant party bite!
Mimi @MimiAvocado says
Those cute little salmon balls look so tasty! We’d love them on top of a Caesar salad with lots of avocado chunks.
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
These are like little balls of superfood heaven! Love that you used fresh salmon (for as much as I love salmon, the canned stuff makes me want to gag!) and that avocado sauce looks to die for!
Cathy Pollak ~ Noble Pig says
These are gorgeous! What a creative idea. We catch our own salmon in Oregon so I always have a freezer full. A must try recipe for me!
Colleen (Souffle Bombay) says
These are so smart, pretty and I’ll bet deee-licious! I often make salmon sliders or cakes, yet never thought of a meatball, love it! Thanks for the shout out as well!
Yolixtly. says
thank you! I cooked it today and it tasted delicious! I loved the dipping!
Laura NN says
My family always enjoys salmon, so I thought I’d give these a shot. They were A HUGE HIT! My 5-year old actually asked if I could make them every week. Thank you for the great recipe.
Melissa says
Planning to make these this week! I’m picturing them with zucchini spirals!
Lauri Felts says
how many appetizer size meatballs does this make? Can they be made ahead & frozen?
Candace says
I am curious. The recipe mentions panko bread crumbs (see note). Where is the ‘note’? bread crumbs are not mentioned in the article. What is a good grain free substitute?
Margarita Oviedo says
Can this be made in advance?
catherine stukel says
I made this last night. I altered it a bit because I’m a low carb dieter. Instead of bread crumbs I added ground almond meal. And I added old bay seasoning and chives, and garlic. In theory I would never have come up with this recipe nor did it ever cross my mind I could make “meatballs” with salmon.
I served Asian dipping sauces; although the avocado dip was a perfect mesh for a low carber. Your recipe, combined with your photos was an awesome help to me. I would do this again, for sure. Thanks for your photos and creativity.
Kristi Rimkus says
I saw this recipe over on Pinterest and had to stop by to tell you how delicious it looks. Salmon has become the new chicken in our house. When you eat it often you’re always on the hunt for new recipes.
Storytelling Cook says
I made these and posted about them – delicious! https://recipeinabottle.com/2016/06/26/55-daras-baked-salmon-meatballs/
Jen says
I love that you even included the WW points! I’m not a salmon fan, but I’m still going to try this one. What do you usually serve with it?
Dara says
Hi Jen, I usually serve them with brown rice and either a green salad or a slaw like this one or this one. I hope you enjoy them!
Erica says
Have you tried making burgers with this recipe?
Melissa says
Followed the recipe exactly and they are currently in the oven. So far they are very soft and pale so I have them in for extra time brushed with olive oil so maybe they can brown a little. The kitchen smells great though!
Donna says
These meatballs look amazing! I am not a fan of Salmon. I love most white fish. What other fish would you recommend using?
Leslie says
Dara, I don’t like cilantro. Shall I sub something or just leave it out? Thanks!
Dara says
Leslie, just leave it out. No problem!
Archana says
Dara, I had saved this recipe for over 3 months now and finally tried it today! Came out amazing!! Cant wait to make it again. Didn’t have any yogurt but the dip with avocado sounds so so good. I am going to try it again soon. Oh and everyone in my family loved the meatballs.
Dara says
That’s so good to hear, Archana! The meatballs are definitely great on their own, but I think you’ll love them even more with the avocado sauce. 🙂
Speckle says
I made these tonight, and they are GLORIOUS!
I wish I’d made a double batch.
Thank you so much x
Dara says
I’m so glad to hear that! They are always a hit at our house, too.
Erica says
Has anyone tried these with canned salmon? Thoughts?
Elizabeth says
Has anyone made these using canned salmon? If so, how did that work out for you?
Marti Kluth says
These are just awesome! I made them with some fresh salmon fillets, served with a side of blended brown/ white rice, a salad & two sauces. I didn’t have a ripe avocado so I used some fresh prepackaged guacamole instead & reduced the water. I also used regular chili powder as I didn’t have chipotle chili powder. The sauce was light & fluffy & a wonderful accompaniment with the rice. I also made homemade Thousand Island dressing & served that as an additional sauce. Needless to say they were gone in no time! This one will become a regular on the weekly menu. Great recipe!