Serves 6

Need a side dish suggestion? This dish pairs really well with my Curry Roasted Cauliflower!

 

What You’ll Need:

A Food Processor

Kitchen Shears

A Sharp Kitchen Knife

Micro plane or Other Fine Grater

2 Medium Size Mixing Bowls

1 Large Mixing Bowl

Kitchen Scale

Medium Size Plate

Spatula, (Stainless steel is my preference)

Cast Iron Skillet or Stainless Steel Skillet (Cast iron is my fave….)

 

Ingredients for Salmon Burgers:

2 Pounds Wild Red Salmon (Alaskan King is a good choice)

1 Medium Red Onion, Chopped

¼ Cup Basil, Packed Tightly

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

2 Teaspoon Wasabi Powder

3 Tblsps Capers (That’s about 5 forks full out of the jar)

1 Tablespoon Grapeseed Oil

 

Ingredients for Cucumber Mint Relish:

1—12 inch English or Hot House Cucumber

1/2 Cup Red Onion, Chopped

Zest of One Large Lime

Juice From the Same Lime

1 Tablespoon Honey Ginger Balsamic

2-3 Tablespoons Fresh Mint, Chopped

½ Teaspoon Sea Salt

Shakes of Hot Sauce to Personal Taste

 

Preparation of Salmon Burgers:

1) Take about ½ of the salmon and place in food processor. Process until almost a puree.  Place the salmon in the medium size mixing bowl.
 
2) Chop balance of salmon finely and also place inside mixing bowl.
 
3) Add the chopped red onion, chopped basil, sea salt and wasabi powder and capers to the salmon.
 
4) Mix thoroughly using clean, washed hands.
 
5) Fill a medium bowl with cold water about 3/4 of the way full. Salmon burgers can be sticky, you can wet your hands in the bowl of water to help you form the burgers if necessary. Form salmon into 6-6 ounce salmon burgers and place on a plate. You should weigh at least the first one on your kitchen scale – just to get an idea of the size & volume.
 
6) Cover the salmon burgers with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator while you make Cucumber Mint Relish.

 

Preparation of Cucumber Mint Relish:

1) In a medium bowl, zest the lime making sure not to get too much of the white pith. Slice the same lime in half and squeeze juice into bowl. Add the rice vinegar,  sea salt and hot sauce to bowl, stir thoroughly.
 
2) Slice off the two edges of the cucumber and discard them.  Make one long cut down the middle of cucumber lengthwise.  Lay half of the cucumber on the its flat side on your work surface and make long strips and then chop the cucumber to dice.  Do the same with other half of cucumber and place in bowl.
 
3) Add the chopped red onion to cucumber mixture as well as the fresh chopped mint. Allow the Cucumber Mint Relish to rest at room temperature while you cook the burgers – this will marry the flavors beautifully.
 

Cooking the Salmon Burgers:   

1) Remove the Salmon Burgers from the refrigerator. The best pan to use for this is a cast iron skillet. Place cast iron or stainless steel pan on flame to warm on the stove at medium  heat .  When you feel heat radiating from pan while holding your hand about 1-inch above the pan, you know your pan is ready; now add your grapeseed oil.  If you are using cast iron, you may not need the full tablespoon of oil; seasoned cast iron is pretty non-stick. If you are using stainless steel, you will need the recommended 1 tablespoon. Swirl oil around to cover bottom of pan, if you are using stainless steel it is imperative to keep the temperature of the pan at medium heat so the Salmon Burger will not stick.
 
2) Place the Salmon Burgers in the preheated pan, you should hear a sizzle at this point. Watch your Salmon Burgers carefully; you will know they are ready to flip when the color of the fish turns just opaque crawling up the sides of the burger and they no longer stick to pan. You can test this by carefully picking up one small edge of a burger with your spatula. Flip Salmon Burgers when they are no longer sticking.
 
3) You will know your burgers are done on the second side when they are no longer sticking to the pan. Watch your heat as you do not want your burgers to cook too quickly on the outside and be too raw on the inside.
 
4) To serve, place the burger on the plate and top each with a generous spoonful of Cucumber Mint Relish – Enjoy!

 

Nina’s Tasty Tips:

1) Alternatively these burgers can be baked in the oven on a parchment lined baking sheet at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.
 
2) These burgers freeze very well. I always keep a few frozen, just as an insurance policy. To freeze them, double wrap them in plastic wrap. With the first layer of wrap, you should try to cover every square centimeter of the burger with the wrap – that is to say it should be touching. The second wrap is an insurance policy. Then, place the burgers in a freezer bag & squeeze all of the air out of the bag. Air is your enemy in this case; the less air, the less chance of freezer burn. You can freeze them for up to 6 months.
 
3) Make mini-burgers & top with the cucumber relish – it makes an impressive hors d’

 

Nutrition:

• 335 Calories
• 32 grams of Protein
• 9 grams of Total Carbohydrates
• 3 grams of Sugar
• 2 grams of Fiber
• 20 grams of Total Fat
• 3 gram of Saturated Fat
• 0 grams of Trans Fat
• 91 mg of Cholesterol
• 783 mg of Sodium
• 184% RDA Vitamin B12
• 67% RDA Selenium
• 64% RDA Niacin
• 35% RDA Phosphorus
• 33% RDA Sodium
• 25% RDA Vitamin B6
• 23% RDA Vitamin K
• 22% RDA Potassium
• 19% RDA Thiamin
• 18% RDA Riboflavin
• 17% RDA Vitamin A
• 17% RDA Pantothenic Acid
• 16% RDA Vitamin C
• 15% RDA Vitamin E
• 14% RDA Magnesium
• 10% RDA Folate
• 10% RDA Calcium
• Glycemic load: 3
• Total Omega 3 Fatty Acids: 2023