Pickled cucumbers and cilantro leaves give these Salmon Burgers with Spicy Hoisin Mayo crunch and an herby freshness. They are absolutely the most flavorful fish burgers you could expect to enjoy. You are going to love these.
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.
Fresh salmon in the Pacific Northwest is pretty much a given. I have a freezer full of salmon, so much so I have to get creative with it. I love making Cheesy Hot Salmon Dip as an appetizer and smoking salmon has also become an obsession, just so I can put together this Smoked Salmon Brunch Taco Bar. Both the dip and taco bar are perfect for brunch.
Here are my boys after a day on the river with their 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 hoisin in the mayo and didn’t want an overall sugary taste. I was looking for a tart crunch.
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 burgers are ready for the buns.
Try these out for an amazing alternative to regular burgers.
And did you know I make wine? These salmon burgers pair perfectly with my Oregon Pinot Blanc.
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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
Hoisin 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.
One year ago from today I made this delicious Cucumber and Hummus Snack to get me through the afternoon. You should give it a try soon!
j3nn says
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. đŸ™‚
Cathy says
I know, they are the best! And being able to use fresh caught fish is very lucky.
Kiki says
Made this recipe with a few alterations and it was amazing
angela@spinachtiger says
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.
Cathy says
Yes, both are so good…I’m ready for another bahn mi burger myself.
jeri says
I’m so jealous of your abundance of amazing salmon. On the East coast, we have two salmon options: expensive or canned.
Cathy says
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.
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
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!
Cathy says
Thanks Anna! I think that aioli would be good on here too.
Lea Ann (Cooking on The Ranch) says
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.
Kristina says
Cathy these are beautiful and they sound incredible! nothing better than fresh caught đŸ™‚
Alexis (The Exhausted Mom) says
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!
startcooking says
These look amazing! Can’t wait to give them a try.
Question: Are all vegetable oil is made from soy beans?
Cheers,
Kathy
Cathy says
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.
baker street says
I LOVE salmon burgers! Your pictures totally have me craving one right NOW! đŸ™‚
bellini says
I recently saw this pinned on Pinterest and have to try it.
Cathy says
You will love it!
Minnie(@thelady8home) says
This is a big WOW!!! Fabulous. That picture with sauce dripping down, its making me feel like having one nowwww! đŸ˜€
Kim in MD says
I LOVE salmon, and I know I will love these burgers! I love the cucumber pickles and the hoisin mayo….yum!
Stephanie @ 52 Kitchen Adventures says
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.
Lindsay says
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!
chris says
I made your burgers and they are fabulous!. I cooked them up in my Calphalon pan and they came out fine!..
Julia says
What a great salmon recipe – make burger patties with it! And wow, you actually catch your own salmon!
Cathy says
Thank you!
Fabio Endrich says
Gonna try that tonight!
Cathy says
Let us know how you liked it.
Jane M says
Have these in the fridge waiting to heat up later for our dinner. They look GREAT!
Cathy says
Enjoy!
Bonnie says
Made these for dinner a few nights ago and we loved them. My husband has requested that these go on next week’s menu again! Thank you for the recipe!
Laura says
Made these for dinner last night, sans bun, and they were fantastic! Thanks for the recipe!
Deborah Alverson says
As someone who also has a freezer full of local PNW salmon, I’ll be making this for sure! Thanks for such wonderful recipes. I’m really glad this one came up in a search!
marie says
Thanks for the great recipe. Really delish!!! the kids loved them.
Lynn says
These look delicious! Can they be cooked on the grill?
Cathy says
I have not tried that.
Nicolai @ Instphil says
Loved to read your blog. And love your recipe, This is exactly i will try tonight!. Thank for sharing
3rdcoast says
I made the pickled cucumbers and burgers and used store bought siracha mayo. This recipe is a lot of work versus pan frying the salmon, but it’s worth it. These are the best spicy salmon burgers.
Krista Alfonse says
I made these tonight and they were amazing. Such good combination of flavors and they came together pretty quickly. The Hoisin Mayo is everything and the cucumbers added a little crunch which made the texture of the whole burger simply perfect. I made 4 and at freezing two of them. It seems they will freeze well. They were excellent. Definitely making them again!
Cathy says
Glad you enjoyed them.
Cecilia says
These were amazing! The only complaint my family had was that I didn’t make more
Cathy says
So glad to hear it.
Luna Regina says
You did such a great job putting this burger together, love it!
Sabrina says
My family loves salmon so I’m always looking for new unique delicious ways to make it. This recipe was amazing & did not disappoint. It was packed with SO much flavour & was a huge hit. Thanks for this, it’s a keeper!