Beef burgers all the time can get old and monotonous. That is why we have got a great salmon burger recipe for this week. Sure you can buy prepared salmon burgers at the store, but they are usually frozen, tasteless, and have an unpleasant texture. Making salmon burgers out of fresh salmon may be a little more work, but the flavor difference is unbelievable.
When making a burger out of fish, it seems fairly straightforward that cheese would not make that great of a topping. So what should go on a tuna, salmon, etc. burger instead? A flavored aioli, an original sauce, or even a pesto can do wonders for enhancing the flavors of the fish. It is important to not make a sauce or spread that is too strong in flavor as it will cover the taste of the fish itself. It is important to let the fish in the burger shine, and then to top it off with flavors that will compliment instead of mask. That is why for this recipe a parsley pesto was used. Parsley, toasted walnuts, capers, and Pastamore Meyer Lemon Oil combine together to make a light and bright flavor.
Ingredients: Serves 4
4 buns (preferably small kaiser rolls)
Patty:
1 lb - Fresh salmon
3/8 Cup - panko bread crumbs
1/2 - shallot - minced
1/2 tsp - fresh dill - finely chopped (1/8-1/4 tsp dry)
1/2 tsp - salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/8 tsp - black pepper
1/2 - 3/4 - large egg (beaten)
Pesto:
1/3 Cup - toasted walnuts
2 Tbsp - capers
1 bunch - parsley
4 Tbsp - Pastamore Meyer Lemon Oil
1/2 Tbsp - fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp - water
2 pinches - black pepper
to taste - salt
Directions:
1. The salmon for the patties can be cut by hand or cut in a food processor. If it is going into a food processor, chop into rough pieces and add remaining patty ingredients. Do not run the food processor for too long as you want the texture of the meat to remain a little coarse. If cutting by hand, cut the meat into mince size pieces. Add all of the patty ingredients and place into the refrigerator. Allow to sit for at least a few hours so that they are not quite as moist. If they are too wet they will fall apart once they go on the grill.
2. To make the pesto, preheat the oven to 350° degrees. Once the oven is up to temperature, place the walnuts in the oven for 10 minutes. Once cooked, allow to cool before adding to the remaining ingredients and chop them into smaller pieces. Chop the parsley finely, and then add the Pastamore Meyer Lemon Oil, water, capers, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly and adjust seasoning to taste.
3. To cook the burgers turn the grill onto medium-high heat. Make sure that the grill is cleaned off from the previous use as fish burgers have a much more delicate flavor than other burgers. Flip the burgers only once during cooking. Cooking approximately 3-4 minutes per side (cooking time will depend thickness of burger and grill temperature). When the burgers are almost finished, place the buns on the grill to toast them.
4. To serve the burgers, place the salmon patty on the toasted bun and top with the parsley pesto (approximately 1-2 Tbsp).
These salmon burgers should be a great change from both prepacked salmon burgers and beef burgers. The burgers have a bright flavor that compliments the salmon very well. The parsley pesto tops off the burgers with a fantastic flavor.
When making a burger out of fish, it seems fairly straightforward that cheese would not make that great of a topping. So what should go on a tuna, salmon, etc. burger instead? A flavored aioli, an original sauce, or even a pesto can do wonders for enhancing the flavors of the fish. It is important to not make a sauce or spread that is too strong in flavor as it will cover the taste of the fish itself. It is important to let the fish in the burger shine, and then to top it off with flavors that will compliment instead of mask. That is why for this recipe a parsley pesto was used. Parsley, toasted walnuts, capers, and Pastamore Meyer Lemon Oil combine together to make a light and bright flavor.
Ingredients: Serves 4
4 buns (preferably small kaiser rolls)
Patty:
1 lb - Fresh salmon
3/8 Cup - panko bread crumbs
1/2 - shallot - minced
1/2 tsp - fresh dill - finely chopped (1/8-1/4 tsp dry)
1/2 tsp - salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/8 tsp - black pepper
1/2 - 3/4 - large egg (beaten)
Pesto:
1/3 Cup - toasted walnuts
2 Tbsp - capers
1 bunch - parsley
4 Tbsp - Pastamore Meyer Lemon Oil
1/2 Tbsp - fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp - water
2 pinches - black pepper
to taste - salt
Directions:
1. The salmon for the patties can be cut by hand or cut in a food processor. If it is going into a food processor, chop into rough pieces and add remaining patty ingredients. Do not run the food processor for too long as you want the texture of the meat to remain a little coarse. If cutting by hand, cut the meat into mince size pieces. Add all of the patty ingredients and place into the refrigerator. Allow to sit for at least a few hours so that they are not quite as moist. If they are too wet they will fall apart once they go on the grill.
2. To make the pesto, preheat the oven to 350° degrees. Once the oven is up to temperature, place the walnuts in the oven for 10 minutes. Once cooked, allow to cool before adding to the remaining ingredients and chop them into smaller pieces. Chop the parsley finely, and then add the Pastamore Meyer Lemon Oil, water, capers, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly and adjust seasoning to taste.
3. To cook the burgers turn the grill onto medium-high heat. Make sure that the grill is cleaned off from the previous use as fish burgers have a much more delicate flavor than other burgers. Flip the burgers only once during cooking. Cooking approximately 3-4 minutes per side (cooking time will depend thickness of burger and grill temperature). When the burgers are almost finished, place the buns on the grill to toast them.
4. To serve the burgers, place the salmon patty on the toasted bun and top with the parsley pesto (approximately 1-2 Tbsp).
These salmon burgers should be a great change from both prepacked salmon burgers and beef burgers. The burgers have a bright flavor that compliments the salmon very well. The parsley pesto tops off the burgers with a fantastic flavor.