Salmon Burgers

Here we go with another late-summer burger recipe, this time featuring salmon!  Throughout my life I have not been a huge fan of food that "lived under water", but with all of the talk about salmon being such a healthy food, I felt I owed it to myself and my family to get it into the rotation.  I'm proud to say I've found quite a few variations that I really love - Maple Glazed Salmon, Salmon Cakes, and even some canned salmon mixed with mayo for an easy lunch.  Earlier this summer, I was shopping in Whole Foods and saw that salmon burgers were on special, only $2.50 instead of $5.00 each for a burger made with wild salmon, so I had to try them.  They grilled up beautifully and were delicious, but the regular price just seemed excessive for something I should be able to make at home!

Of course I decided to try to make them one afternoon when my fridge and pantry were sparse (we were even out of soy sauce!) and no time to go to the store, so when I went searching for recipes I was very limited on what I'd be able to try.  I came across a somewhat odd sounding Rachael Ray recipe for "Everything Salmon Burgers" which seemed to be trying to replicate the flavor profile of an everything bagel with lox and cream cheese.  That was a little much for me, but I liked the stripped down idea for the burger (well, it sounded good enough and I could make it quickly with what I had on hand!).

The result was perfect for me...with all of the seasoning and grilling, the salmon taste is not overly strong, but the burgers are flavorful, easy to throw together, and such a great way to eat more fish.  Note that I would NOT recommend going out and spending $20/lb for fresh wild salmon for this recipe - it is perfect for when you can get wild salmon at a bargain price.  My favorite is frozen wild salmon from Trader Joe's, which comes already skinned for $7.99/lb!  The previously frozen kind doesn't have the best texture when cooked as a filet, but is the perfect solution in a recipe like this :)

Salmon Burgers
adapted from Food Network

2 6-ounce skinless wild salmon fillets, cut into large chunks

1 tablespoon grill seasoning

1 tablespoon sesame and/or poppy seeds (I used all sesame)

1 rounded teaspoon dried dill (or 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped)

Olive oil for drizzling

Preheat outdoor grill if using to medium high. Prepare hot grill with cooking spray. 

Place salmon in food processor and pulse a few times to coarse grind meat to form burgers (do not puree!). Transfer fish to a mixing bowl and season with grill seasoning, seeds, and dill. Mix and form 3 patties. Drizzle the burgers with extra-virgin olive oil.

Cook burgers 3 minutes on each side.

Serve on toasted 100% Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns with Lemon Dill Sauce and your favorite toppings (we love beefsteak tomato and avocado slices!).

Serves 3

Baked Salmon with Dill

Earlier this week, I set out to make an ambitious dinner menu - Maple Glazed Salmon with Pineapple, broccolini, and sweet potato fries.  After starting after 7pm and hacking away at 3 large sweet potatoes, my motivation waned and I decided I couldn't quite take on the pineapple, too.  Instead, I remembered that I had dill in my fridge for an upcoming spanakopita meal (stay tuned!), and realized that making salmon without using the fresh dill that I had way too much of in the fridge would be a crime.  So I did a quick search for an easy recipe and came across one that was originally published in Cooking Light.  It was perfect - minimal prep and minimal ingredients that were all in my kitchen.

The resulting dish is definitely a keeper.  It was so easy to prepare and really made a weeknight salmon dinner a little more special.  Unfortunately I can't say the same for the broccolini and sweet potatoes that went along with it - I way overcrowded the pan for the broccolini so they really didn't get the full effect of the butter and garlic I intended to toss them with, and I am still trying to figure out how to make baked sweet potato fries that are crunchy (please let me know if you have suggestions!).

Baked Salmon with Dill
adapted from Cooking Light

2 6-ounce salmon fillets (preferably wild)
Oil spray
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 350.  Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with oil.

Place fish on the baking sheet and lightly spray fish with oil.  Sprinkle fish with dill, salt, and pepper. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.  Squeeze lemon over salmon before serving or serve with lemon wedge.

Makes 2 servings

Salmon Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce

I am always trying to eat more salmon, so when I saw canned wild Alaskan salmon at Trader Joe's, I bought a few cans to give it a try.  Problem was I wasn't quite sure what to do with it.  In the back of my mind, I thought I'd heard of salmon cakes, something I'd assumed would be similar to a crab cake.  But when I started searching for recipes, I wasn't having a lot of luck finding one that got good reviews, was simple to make, used canned salmon, and wasn't fried.  I thought those were reasonable criteria but I guess I was asking a lot!

I finally came across a recipe in Eating Well called Easy Salmon Cakes that got 3.7 stars out of 5.  Not quite the raving endorsement I'd hoped for, but they seemed to meet the other criteria.  Unfortunately, the comments muddied the waters quite a bit - it sounded like most of the people who rated them highly made some significant changes, so I wasn't going to be able to just follow the recipe.  Plus, these "easy" cakes were not so easy at all!  They called for sauteeing veggies, making breadcrumbs, and both sauteeing AND baking the salmon cakes.  So after reading the comments and trying to figure out what the general themes were, I made some adjustments to both the ingredients and the process and gave them a try.  Major changes were to cut down on the amount of breadcrumbs, add carrots for more moisture and flavor, keep the veggies raw, and just bake in the oven instead of sauteeing first.  Somehow I managed to get lucky on my first try and they came out great!

The website recommends serving them with Creamy Dill Sauce, which sounds good.  But I still had some Lemon Yogurt Sauce in my fridge from when I made Garbanzo Burgers, so I just added a spoonful of mayo and some chopped fresh dill and it worked great!  (Update: since this post, I have made a variation of the creamy dill sauce sauce a number of times, so I've added my version below!)

Salmon Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce

adapted from Eating Well

1 small onion, cut into chunks

1 stalk celery, cut into chunks
1/2 cup carrots, cut into chunks
12 ounces (2 small cans) canned wild salmon (skinless and boneless), drained well
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 + 1/4 cups plain breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch of salt

Lemon Dill Sauce
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I have had success with both whole and 1%)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon (or a good squeeze) of lemon
1 teaspoon dried dill (1 tablespoon fresh would also be great if you have some on hand)

Preheat the oven to 450.  Cover a baking sheet with foil and generously spray with oil.

Place veggies in a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped.  Pour into a mixing bowl and add salmon, egg, mustard, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, and ground pepper.  You may need to break up the salmon with a fork, and then mix until all ingredients are well combined.

Put 1/4 cup breadcrumbs in a small bowl and mix in a pinch of salt.  Use the side of your hand to score the salmon mixture into 8 equal portions (cakes will have about 1/4 cup of mixture each).  Form cakes by shaping with your hands, carefully coating with breadcrumbs, and placing on prepared baking sheet.  They will be a little prone to falling apart at this stage, so just gently place on the breadcrumbs and turn over, trying to keep them together as best as possible, and push them back together if a piece breaks off (I have actually found it's easier to make a ball from the mixture, roll it in the breadcrumbs, and then flatten into a patty on the baking sheet!).   

Generously spray the tops of the salmon cakes with oil.  Bake for 10-12 minutes (or until bottoms are golden brown), flip cakes, and bake for another 5 minutes to brown the other side.  While the salmon cakes are cooking, whisk together ingredients for dipping sauce.  Serve with a side salad or vegetable, or as a starter to a larger meal.

Do ahead: Prepare salmon mixture earlier in the day (while your kids nap, are in school, etc.!) and store covered in the fridge until you are ready to make your salmon cakes.
Serves 4

Maple-Glazed Salmon

You may have heard that salmon is super healthy.  It's incredibly high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential to our health but hard to come by in food.  I am generally not a huge fish/seafood person (people who know me have heard me claim that I don't eat anything that lives under water!), but after learning about the health benefits, I was convinced to give salmon a try.  I tried to maximize my chances of liking it - my first piece of salmon was at Atlantic Grill, one of the best seafood restaurants in Manhattan.  Then I made it myself using this recipe from Epicurious, which has the most delicious marinade.  Both tries were successful, but Atlantic Grill is really expensive and the marinade recipe requires a lot of ingredients that aren't easy to always have on hand. 

Then I found this maple-glazed salmon recipe from Real Simple magazine, and I was blown away.  I mean seriously, maple syrup?  How can you go wrong with that?  And the glaze has just 2 ingredients which I ALWAYS have in my fridge!  The original recipe suggests making it with pineapple, which I have done, but it really isn't necessary - you can serve the glazed salmon with whatever sides you want (my favorites are generally brown rice, sweet potatoes, and/or broccoli, but in the photo below we had cheddar-broccoli sticks, salad, and whole wheat rolls).  I've gotten to the point where I actually enjoy salmon simply with some lemon juice, salt, and pepper, but this is my go-to recipe when I feel like adding a little more flavor.

Maple-Glazed Salmon
adapted from Real Simple

1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 6-8 ounce wild Alaskan salmon fillets*
Pineapple and crushed red pepper (optional)

Preheat broiler on high, and cover a small baking sheet with foil.

Whisk together maple syrup and mustard in a very small saucepan (it helps to have a butter warmer for this).  Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until somewhat thickened.  Turn off heat.

Place salmon skin side down on prepared baking sheet, pat dry with a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper.  Spoon glaze over salmon, creating a thin coat and reserving remaining glaze. 

If you are using pineapple, cut into 1/2 inch thick triangles, place on baking sheet around the salmon, and sprinkle with a few flakes of crushed red pepper.

Broil until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily, approximately 8 minutes.  Remove skin from salmon and drizzle salmon and pineapple, if using, with remaining glaze.  

Serves 2

*In my opinion, using wild Alaskan salmon is essential.  Without going into too much detail, farmed salmon is not as healthy for us, not as tasty, and bad for the environment.  It is worth the money to get the wild, sustainable variety.  If you're looking for a bargain, my Trader Joe's sells frozen wild Alaskan salmon filets for $7/lb, which is amazing.  You can also buy canned wild Alaskan salmon for very reasonable prices, which I think is still better than buying farmed salmon - check out my recipe for salmon cakes for one idea of how to use it!