Salmon Burgers with a Clear Method

Set out oz cooked salmon, fresh dill chopped, and fresh cilantro chopped before you start Salmon Burgers with a Clear Method. The batch is written for 6 burgers.

Count on 25 minutes of prep, 10 minutes of cooking, 2 hours of resting, about 2 hours from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

For the burgers

• 16- 20 oz cooked salmon
• ¼ cup fresh dill chopped
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 2 scallions white & light green parts only [reserved green parts for slaw or topping)
• ⅓ cup plain breadcrumbs
• ½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning or homemade alternative
• 1 lemon zested and then juiced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
• 1 large egg beaten

For the broccoli slaw

• 12 ounces broccoli slaw mix
• 12 ounces coleslaw mix
• 2 green onions dark green parts only (or whole thing but I used the light green and white parts in salmon burgers)
• ¼ cup neutral oil such as canola oil
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
• black pepper
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds

For serving

• tzatziki store-bought or homemade
• 5-6 hamburger buns

How the cooking goes

Bake the salmon

1. You typically use leftover baked salmon as opposed to canned salmon. This recipe can be adjusted to the amount of salmon you have leftover! You season a filet with salt, a little pepper and lemon. Then bake at 350°F for 20-35 minutes, until the fish flakes with a fork or is cooked to your desired doneness. When cooking burgers, you typically will cook it until it is warm inside but not hot. You can test it with a cake tester or a paring knife. That is medium.
2. You remove the skin and any brown/grey fat and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 3 days.

Prepare the burgers

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine salmon, dill, cilantro, chopped scallions, breadcrumbs, Old Bay, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix well with a fork and taste for seasoning. Add more salt if desired. You do try to keep some larger pieces of salmon, which is why you find the fork works well.
2. Mix in beaten egg thoroughly then form into patties. You made 5-6 around the size of a tennis ball, then flattened.
3. Set patties on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. You prefer a solid 2 hours. This helps the flavors to meld and to keep them from falling apart during cooking.

Prepare the Slaw

1. In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the slaw. Mix well with 2 forks, tasting for salt as you go.
2. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes but ideally 2 hours. [Isn’t it nice how that corresponds with the salmon patties!?].

Cook & Assemble the Burgers

1. Spray a large sauté pan with cooking spray or lightly oil with a neutral flavored oil (not olive oil) and heat over a moderate flame until hot but not smoking.
2. Put the chilled salmon burger patties to the pan and cook about 3-5 minutes on each side until a dark deep gold and hot through. This time will depend on how big each patty is and also how flat. The smaller or thinner the patty, the faster it will cook.
3. Spread a little tzatziki on the bottom bun, top with the salmon burger, more tzatziki, and the broccoli slaw.

After it comes off the heat

Give the plate the rest the method asks for. Cover leftovers and refrigerate them when the dish includes meat, eggs, or dairy.

If you want another plate from Sandwiches, open Deviled Egg Salad Sandwich Tossed to Order and Tuna Melt for the Home Table.