I've been dreaming about these burgers ever since the men in my household brought home 36 pounds of fresh caught Chinook Salmon. We have mostly enjoyed the salmon baked and grilled, but it was time to make something different.
Here are my boys after a day on the river with the freshly caught salmon. Two of these lovely fish came home to us, 18 pounds each. The largest fish caught was in the 25 pound range. They are deboned, filleted and vacuum packed right at the dock. It's quite convenient.
The Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon offers some of the best salmon fishing in the world, not to mention some of the most beautiful scenery. Boats book up a year in advance, so if you are ever interested in heading out, plan ahead. These guys had a blast and look forward to their next fishing expedition.
Okay, back to the burgers. I wanted some textural crunch, so I pickled some cucumbers to be placed inside the buns. I didn't make them too sweet because I was using hoisen in the mayo and didn't want an overall sugary taste. I was looking for a tart crunch.
Also, the good folks over at Zoye recently sent me some of their soybean oil. With a smoke point of 465 degrees, I knew this would be the perfect oil to test out on these salmon burgers. I have to say, this was a great frying oil. It didn't smoke and had a very clean taste. I will definitely use it in many recipes to come.
I used my cast iron skillet to fry the salmon patties. It's much better at keeping temperature than my regular nonstick pan. They turned out beautiful.
These yummy things are ready for the buns.
Salmon Burgers with Spicy Hoisin Mayo
Ingredients
Cucumber Pickling
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 25-30 thinly sliced English cucumber slices
Patties
- 3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger root
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 1-1-1/4 pound skinless wild fresh or frozen salmon fillet, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 sesame seed hamburger buns
- cilantro leaves
Hoisen Mayo
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha
Directions
- For the cucumbers, combine water, vinegar, sugar, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add cucumbers. Let them stand for at least 30 minutes and drain before serving.
- For the mayo, in a small bowl combine mayo, hoisin, lemon juice and Sriracha. Set aside.
- For the patties, combine panko, green onions, cilantro, soy sauce, ginger, lime zest, salmon and egg in a large bowl. Divide the mixture into 4 equal parts, gently shaping each into a 1/2" thick patty. Press a thumb-sized indentation in the center of each patty. (If your patties are not staying together, most likely the fish is not chopped finely enough. Dump the whole mixture onto a cutting board and chop some more.)
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add patties, cooking for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until desired level of doneness. Remove to a plate.
- Squeeze lemon juice on each patty and place on a toasted bun. Top with hoisin mayo, pickled cucumbers and cilantro leaves.
Try these out for an amazing alternative to regular burgers. And it pairs amazingly with our Pinot Blanc!
Disclosure: Zoye provided me with their oil to try. All opinions about their product are solely my own.
One Year Ago: Cucumber and Hummus Snack
I am CRAZY about salmon burgers! Even more so than other types. I swear I could eat them 7 days a week and never get tired of them. I like the flavors you used for the sauces. I’m drooling a little. Ok, a lot actually.
I know, they are the best! And being able to use fresh caught fish is very lucky.
This is one of the better looking salmon burgers I’ve seen. Love your sauce dripping down and I can only imagine that fresh salmon taste. I also want to try your bahn mi burgers. Look fantastic.
Yes, both are so good…I’m ready for another bahn mi burger myself.
I’m so jealous of your abundance of amazing salmon. On the East coast, we have two salmon options: expensive or canned.
We do live in salmon land. I’m not sure what you pay on the east for fresh caught, maybe $20 a pound? With the cost of fishing for my husband and the two boys it was $500, or about $14 a pound for what they brought home. The worst is, they should have come home with one more fish that day but were unable to hook another. So I guess the price would have been better and a real deal. But that’s fishing for you, no guarantees. We really are enjoying the fish.
My hubby and I have been addicted to your aioli so I know this mayo is going to be amazing as well! Have a great weekend, Cathy!
Thanks Anna! I think that aioli would be good on here too.
Great photo Cathy. Made me instantly hungry. I think these sound fantastic and can’t imagine how good they are with that fresh caught salmon. Love your addition of those cucumbers. Pinned, have to try this one.
Cathy these are beautiful and they sound incredible! nothing better than fresh caught
I am SOOOO trying these!! My husband loves salmon…I like it too, but I’m tired of the way we make it. Burgers are so fun! Not to mention anything pickled is awesome and cilantro is my favorite herb!
These look amazing! Can’t wait to give them a try.
Question: Are all vegetable oil is made from soy beans?
Cheers,
Kathy
Yes, I do believe most are, but some are blends and not 100% soybean oil. It would be on the label as an ingredient if the oil is not pure soybean oil.
I LOVE salmon burgers! Your pictures totally have me craving one right NOW!
I recently saw this pinned on Pinterest and have to try it.
You will love it!
This is a big WOW!!! Fabulous. That picture with sauce dripping down, its making me feel like having one nowwww!
I LOVE salmon, and I know I will love these burgers! I love the cucumber pickles and the hoisin mayo….yum!
How fun for your boys to go fishing and catch some huge fish! That’s so convenient that they debone and vacuum pack them right there for you. The burgers sound (and look) delish! The combination of crisp pickles with the hoisen mayo sounds wonderful.
Holy smokes. I just made this recipe tonight with some leftover mahi mahi. One of the best burgers of my LIFE. Incredible, incredible recipe!!! So savory and flavorful!
I made your burgers and they are fabulous!. I cooked them up in my Calphalon pan and they came out fine!..
What a great salmon recipe – make burger patties with it! And wow, you actually catch your own salmon!
Thank you!
Gonna try that tonight!
Let us know how you liked it.
Have these in the fridge waiting to heat up later for our dinner. They look GREAT!
Enjoy!