Wedge your burger and slaw between a fresh white hamburger bun for a fusion of East meets West.
How to make salmon burgers
These salmon burgers are the super-sized (and Asian-flavoured) cousins of my salmon fishcakes. If you’ve made them already, you’ll know I prefer to use raw salmon to cooked or canned. It definitely makes for a more moist and juicy burger. However, if cooked or canned is what’s available to you, go ahead! They’ll still taste great and be just as good for you. You’ll also notice that both recipes are carb-light, i.e. no potato. As these are burgers and will go in a bun, I don’t want to double up on starch. I just use a little breadcrumbs and an egg to bind the mixture together. Using a food processor is the easiest method. It minces the salmon for you and combines all the ingredients evenly. To flavour the salmon burgers I’ve gone Thai-inspired. I just love the pow-wow of ginger, chilli and lime. Don’t you??
What flavours to add
The burst and sparks of sizzling chillies in Thai street food has always attracted me, but some of the exotic ingredients can be tricky to track down. So I’ve made this recipe as accessible as possible while trying to stay true to my muse. A typical Som Tam is made with green, unripe papaya and teeny tiny, dried shrimp or black crabs. Not items my local supermarket stocks, or things my kids would ever eat! So, I’ve substituted papaya with cucumber for a similar colour and bite, and fish sauce, so no-one can complain the crustaceans are creeping them out. For me, peanuts are one of my favourite parts of this salad. However, they are easily omitted if you have any allergies. Salmon isn’t commonly used in South East Asian cooking either. But for my jumbo burgers, the firm fleshiness fits the bill. Plus, it has a high nutritional value and my kids don’t take offence to its level of fishiness.
Salmon burger sauce
Every burger has to have a saucy sidekick. For this Asian-inspired Thai-style version, what could be better than a bit of Sriracha mayo? ½ a cup of store-bought mayonnaise and a two generous (or not, up to you!) tablespoonfuls of Sriracha make this salmon burger an eye-popping, jaw-dropping, taste of Thailand.
Storage and leftovers
Everyone has fish fingers or fishcakes in their freezer, right? They are a busy parent’s failsafe- a reliably healthy and delicious meal when you’ve not had the chance to go shopping, or the weekly budget is tight. And what could be better than a homemade frozen fishcake? As this recipe is made using raw salmon and no potato filler, the salmon burgers will freeze well and cook as though they were just made. Both cooked and uncooked frozen burgers will last, well-wrapped, up to two months in the freezer (after that the salmon loses its flavour and that freezer funk takes over). Whether cooked previously or uncooked, both should be thawed overnight in the fridge before cooking as per the recipe instructions. Make sure the burgers are piping hot all the way through before serving. Then add your burger sauce and slaw!
More burger recipes
Homemade Beef Burgers Epic Smash Burgers Greek Chicken Burgers with Feta Burger in a Bowl (Bunless Burger)
