On some of my trips to the Asian market, I am sometimes lucky enough to come across some leftover pieces of salmon that are packaged up and sold really inexpensively. When I find them, I buy up as many as I can and toss them in the freezer for a quick meal. Each pack may only contain a few tail or collar pieces of salmon after the prime pieces have been sold, but that’s OK, these will be perfect for what I have in mind – delicious salmon burgers.
It just so happened that I had a little rice leftover from the night before along with my lonely piece of salmon — a perfect storm when you need to make something new from a little of this and that. I prefer to use raw salmon, when making salmon burgers. The texture of the raw salmon helps to keep them together. If there is any skin, I remove that first, then cut up the salmon and toss it into a food processor for a rough chop or I do it by hand. If you choose to use a food processor, be careful not to overdo it — we don’t want salmon mush.
I also like to use a few tablespoons of homemade mayo in the salmon burgers and then serve the rest of the mayo on the side or as a sauce on top of the cooked burgers. The homemade mayo adds such a great flavor and helps to bind everything together – and since I did not add anything else, these are also gluten free.
If you don’t use the homemade mayo, you can always add an egg and some breadcrumbs as your binder ingredients. You can prep and freeze then fry them up when you need them, or fry them up the same day. Serve them next to a salad or on a nice soft bun, pita bread or a wrap — they make a perfectly delicious quick meal for a light lunch or dinner.
Salmon & Rice Burgers (makes 4 patties)
1 cup finely chopped raw salmon
1 cup leftover rice
3-4 tablespoons homemade mayo
1 ½ teaspoons dehydrated onion
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoon dried parsley
zest of 1 lemon
S&P **if you use the homemade may you will not need to use too much, but if you choose to use the alternative binder ingredients listed below, you may need to add a good pinch of both
NOTE: If you do not use the homemade mayo, you can add 1 egg, 1-2 tablespoons of jar mayo and 1 or 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs, just enough to keep everything together
Before you begin, decide whether or not you want to make your own mayo. If you choose to make it, then prepare it first and leave it in the refrigerator until everything else is ready. Use a food processor or whisk by hand.
Remove the skin and cut up the raw salmon into small pieces. Add the pieces to a food processor for a rough chop or do it from start to finish by hand.
Place the salmon in a bowl along with all of the other ingredients. Stir everything together for about a minute or two. The reason you stir it for so long is because you want to combine and moisten everything and then stir it to release the starch from the rice. The more you stir it, the more the mixture comes together in a firm ball. This quantity will give you 4 nice size burgers. You can scoop and form the burgers and freeze for later, or place them in a container or a plate, cover and refrigerate for about an hour before frying.
When ready to fry, place a nice layer of olive oil in your skillet and heat well, then add the burgers. Allow them to cook completely on one side and then flip. You do not want to flip them too much or you run the risk of them falling apart. So make sure to cook well on each side before flipping. Serve warm.
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