Thai Salmon Burgers

By AliceV

Step outside the box... Instead of hamburgers try these Thai Salmon Burgers.

Ingredients

• Sauce:
• 1 pound fresh, raw salmon (skinless or skin removed)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 whole wheat buns, toasted
• 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1/4 cup canned coconut milk (lite or regular)
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
• 2 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon-sized knob of ginger, grated
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• Slaw:
• 2 cups chopped napa cabbage
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Preparation

Step 1

Combine all the ingredients together for the sauce: the sweet chili sauce, fish sauce, coconut milk, brown sugar, garlic cloves, peanut butter, ginger, lime juice, soy sauce and peanut oil. Whisk until combined and fairly smooth. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the sauce and set it aside. Place the rest in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened. Set aside.

Add salmon to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it’s somewhat ground. You can also chop the salmon very finely with a sharp knife.
In a large bowl, combine the ground salmon with the salt, pepper, sliced green onions, panko bread crumbs, egg and 1/4 cup of sauce that you set aside. Mix until just combined, making sure everything is incorporated.

The patties can be slightly difficult to put together since they are so "wet." So to cook them, I heated a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, added 1 tablespoon of peanut oil then quickly formed the patties one at a time, placing them in the skillet. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until you can see the edges brown and the salmon becoming opaque so the burgers flip easily. Flip gently but quickly, and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the burgers are cooked through. The salmon cooks quickly so keep a close eye on them, you dont want a dry burger!

To make the slaw, quickly throw together the cabbage, carrots and peanuts, tossing well. Add 3-4 tablespoons of the sauce, then toss well to coat. Add additional sauce if desired. Place each burger on a bun and top with a heaping spoonful of the slaw and additional sauce if desired.


*Because of how wet the patties are, I am not sure how these would hold up on an outside grill.