Salmon burgers are a meaty and healthy alternative to traditional burger options that will let you mix up your meals throughout the week, even if you don’t want to have a full-on grill sesh. These fish burgers are full of flavor, good-for-you fats, and hearty enough to load up with all of your favorite toppings. They’re also quick and easy to make, coming together in as little as 15 minutes if you’re using ground salmon.
Compared to other meat patties, salmon burgers are a bit more fragile. However, you can cook them on either the stovetop or a grill as long as you have a gentle touch and a fish spatula for careful flipping. A cast iron grill pan is a decent alternative to the grill if you’re not so sure about your fish burger skills.
This salmon burger recipe will make 4 patties. Alternatively, this recipe can produce 6-8 salmon sliders if you decide to form smaller patties.
Notes:
If you have a meat grinder, use that to break down your salmon fillets into a coarse grind. It helps to use slightly chilled chunks of salmon to get a clean cut. You can also break down a slightly chilled fillet with a sharp knife or even kitchen shears. Just stick your thawed fillets back into the freezer for 30 minutes, or process it when it’s partially thawed if you’ve got your timing right.
As an alternative, you can use a pack of our ground salmon for an even quicker, easier salmon burger. The main difference between using our fillets or pre-ground salmon is going to be texture: Hand-diced or home-ground salmon will be coarser in texture and will have some more chew, while our pre-ground salmon is more finely processed and will have a little less structure. You may find that you have a preference for one or the other, so we recommend trying both approaches to making salmon burgers.
Breadcrumbs are going to help bind your salmon burger together, and will also create some space between the particles of protein to produce a lighter salmon patty. Coarse or panko breadcrumbs are ideal, as they are most voluminous; however, any breadcrumb will do. As a gluten-free alternative, you can use gluten-free breadcrumbs or something like almond flour as a binder. If you’re using almond flour or something else that is equally dense, you may need to use a little more than ½ cup for this recipe.
Adding in shallot gives your salmon burger a hint of aromatic freshness, as well as some subtle crunchy-crispy texture throughout the patty. Make sure you dice them up finely so that they aren’t too chunky, since this can prevent your salmon patties from sticking together.
Integrating a bit of dijon mustard into the salmon burgers gives the patties a touch of zestiness, which will bring out the flavor of the wild salmon itself. Mustard, after all, is a classic condiment for salmon that complements its rich meatiness. You may want to keep the jar of dijon mustard out for later as well as one of your salmon burger toppings.
Using mayo will also add some brightness to the patties and also serves to bind together the protein. More importantly, mayo reduces the chance that your salmon burgers will stick to the pan or grill, and it will also improve browning.
For a little kick, add in a dash of ground cayenne pepper or squirt of sriracha. As an alternative, you might opt to use a spicy mayo — wasabi or chipotle mayo are nice choices. You could also simply stir in a bit of wasabi paste or adobo sauce into the burger mixture to better control the amount of spice you’re using.
Don’t skip seasoning your salmon burgers! Season it to your liking with salt and fresh cracked pepper. A teaspoon of salt is a good amount to use, but you may like it more or less seasoned.
You’ll be cooking your burgers on a hot pan, so use a cooking oil here that can withstand higher heats. Peanut, canola, or vegetable oils are good options, but you could even use something like clarified butter or ghee which will add a subtle buttery deliciousness to your burgers.
Use your favorite style of burger bun, whether that’s sesame buns, onion rolls, or mini brioche rolls. As for your burger toppings, think mustard, spicy mayo, bread and butter pickles, quick pickled onions or jalapenos, a crisp leaf of lettuce, or even a strip of bacon. You do you.
