salmon burger

a salmon burger to dress up

I love burgers but usually default to my favorite beef burger recipe when we’re grilling outside. A non-beef eating friend came over on Memorial day so I had an excuse to try out a couple of recipes so she wouldn’t feel left out. So I tinkered and came up with this. The result was delicious and will be a regular dinner and lunch in our house from now on. The leftover, cooked salmon burgers made a great base for salads for lunch the following day and my children loved them broken into noodles with some grated veggies for their dinner too.

I love it when I know a recipe has legs outside of the original, this is going to be added to my ‘little black dress’ file of recipes – ones where the same basic recipe and technique can be used with a variety of swap-ins (accessories) to get different results. I urge you to start thinking about recipes in this way too as it really opens up your options and allows you to get creative. My next plan is to try different flavors to make an Italian style (swap the ginger, coriander, soy and lime for basil, sea salt and lemon zest) and an Indian spiced version (swap the soy for a teaspoon of garam masala).

Salmon burger Ingredients (makes 4 burgers)

Active prep time – 10 minutes plus 1 hour chilling

Cooking time – 10 minutes

  • 450g (1 lb) wild salmon fillet, skinless and boneless. Frozen and 90% defrosted is perfect
  • 3 spring onions (green onions)
  • A handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves and stalks, around 10 stems
  • 1 inch of fresh ginger, finely grated (I keep my ginger in the freezer and grate it from frozen with my coarse Microplane)
  • 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
  • zest of a lime
  • a pinch of red chilli pepper flakes

Equipment

You can now buy the equipment I use in this recipe through my shop. I’ve spent years testing my favourite bits of equipment so rest-assured that whatever I recommend is the best tool for the job and will give you great results without cluttering your kitchen with unused tools. I receive a small affiliate fee from Amazon if you buy via my link. The products don’t cost you any more. These small fees help me keep creating all the free content I share.

To make

1.  If your salmon is fully defrosted, place it in the freezer for 15 minutes until it is very cold but not frozen. This will help it chop rather than purée when you mix it. Don’t be tempted to skip this stage as it really does make a big difference to the finished texture of your burger. If you have frozen salmon, just defrost it 90% through rather than freezing it.

2.  Put all the other ingredients (except the salmon) in a food processor and blitz until the herbs are finely chopped, a few bits are fine. It might help to roughly chop your onion and herbs first so they don’t get caught in the blades.

3.  Cut the salmon into roughly 2 inch cubes then add it to the food processor on top of the other aromatics. Then pulse for about 10 seconds before scraping the sides down and pulsing again until the salmon is chopped but not pureed.

4.  Remove the mixture from the food processor and form into 4 balls before squishing into 1 inch high burgers. At this stage the texture looks a bit odd, gelatinous really. Don’t worry, that is what you want. Put the burgers in the fridge for at least an hour or even overnight. This firms them up and also allows the flavours to develop.

5.  Cook them in a frying pan with a little oil, or on oiled tin foil on top of a barbecue for 5 minutes each side. I served mine on top of a lime and fish sauce-dressed shredded veggie slaw with a little mayo and Sriracha on top. Or stuff the burger, slaw and mayo into a whole grain toasted burger bun, maybe with a little picked ginger on top of the burger. Sweet potato fries are pretty delish on the side.

Get more recipes like this

Find more recipes for salmon, BBQs/grills and 30 minute meals here.

Sign up for more

Sign up for my free newsletter. You’ll get free seasonal recipes, tips and videos. You’ll also be first to hear about my online and in person courses.

!
!

I agree to be emailed about your products and services

Terms and Conditions checkbox is required.
Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

Follow me

Posted in , , ,