This simple recipe for salmon burgers is made with ground sockeye salmon, making preparation incredibly easy — no food processor or mincing required. Dressed with a couple of zesty toppings, salmon burgers are a fun dish to share at your next summer gathering.
Salmon Burger Toppings
This salmon burger pairs perfectly with our recipe for an easy dill mayo and spicy quick-pickled shallots. You can also add classic burger toppings like lettuce, tomato, or sliced onions, though you may want to consider other condiments and additions that typically pair well with sockeye.
Other salmon burger toppings to consider:
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Avocado
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Remoulade
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Tartar sauce
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Goat cheese
How to Cook Salmon Burgers
While ground sockeye salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, its overall fat profile is quite lean. This is one reason why salmon burgers are a uniquely healthy alternative to conventional burgers. However, because of its lean fat profile, salmon burgers tend to be more fragile than patties made with ground beef.
Because they're a bit more fragile, salmon burgers are best cooked in a pan. Whether you're cooking them indoors or on a grill, cooking salmon patties in a pan allows them to develop a golden crust that helps to hold them together as they cook. Using a pan also ensures that you won't lose any parts of your burgers through the grates.
Another way to help your salmon burgers hold together is to let the raw salmon patties chill for about a half hour prior to cooking them. This firms them up so that they won't fall apart when flipping.
If you don't have the time to spare, the salmon burgers can cooked without this step and seared immediately. If they seem to break apart a little once they are placed in the pan, don't worry. Let them sear undisturbed until a good crust forms. The crust will help keep them together until the salmon patty is ready to flip — and then flip them gently.
What Is the White Stuff Forming on the Salmon Patties?
When searing your salmon burgers, you may notice a white substance forming on the patties as they cook. This is a naturally occuring protein called albumin that gets pushed out of the flesh of the salmon as it cooks, especially when using high-heat cooking methods. Because the structure of ground sockeye salmon is much more broken down than fillets, it's more likely that albumin will form on its surface.
Albumin won't affect the taste of the salmon burgers. However, if desired, you can wipe off any albumin that forms with a kitchen towel or paper towel before serving.
