This herby salmon burger recipe is simple, really delicious, and would make an excellent addition to your seafood recipe rotation!
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This recipe is…
We kept this salmon burger recipe super simple (though we listed some really delicious recipe variations in this article) and decided to really lean into the flavors of fresh herbs. The use of raw, fresh salmon, fresh herbs, and grated garlic really make a difference here …and the smear of Green Goddess dressing takes the whole thing to the next level.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
We served our salmon burgers on real-deal burger buns (GF, of course) with lettuce leaves and a very generous smear of the most delicious, herby Green Goddess sauce…YUM! Here’s everything you’ll need (find exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card).
For the Salmon Burgers:
- Salmon
- Fresh chives + parsley
- Garlic cloves
- Salt + pepper
- Egg
- Breadcrumbs
- Ghee or EVOO
- Hamburger Buns – we chose to serve our salmon burgers on buns! If you do the same, you’ll need 4 of your favorite hamburger buns on hand. If you want to serve your burgers protein-style, skip the buns.
- Butter Lettuce – you’ll also need butter lettuce for serving if you’d like!
- Feta cheese – optional, for serving
For the Green Goddess Sauce:
- Fresh parsley, tarragon, and chives – fresh is KEY here. No dried spices allowed!
- Fresh lemon juice
- Sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mayo
How to Make Salmon Burgers
The process is super easy. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Food process the salmon – to start, you’ll need to add the salmon to a food processor and pulse it until it is finely minced. If you don’t have a food processor, you can finely mince the salmon with a knife instead.
- Add the herbs, salt, pepper, egg, and breadcrumbs to the salmon – transfer the finely minced salmon to a bowl, then add the chives, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, egg, and breadcrumbs and mix with your hands to evenly combine.
- Heat the oil and form the salmon patties – add the ghee or olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat, then form the salmon mixture into four equally-sized patties.
- Cook the salmon patties – add the salmon patties to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes, until browned, then flip the patties and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until browned, then remove from heat.
- Make the sauce – to make the sauce, simply add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Assemble the salmon burgers + serve – to serve the salmon burgers, place each patty on a hamburger bun, top it with the sauce and butter lettuce, then serve!
How do you know when salmon burgers are done?
You’ll know the salmon patties are done cooking when they’ve cooked for about 4 minutes on each side, have turned from a dark pink/red to a lighter pink, and have reached an internal temperature of 145°F (if you don’t have an instant-read thermometer yet, this is our favorite one!).
Recipe Variations
While we decided to keep these burgers really simple, feel free to let your imagination run WILD here. Here are a few variations that we think are worth trying:
- Add dried cranberries and feta cheese – keep all of the original ingredients in, plus add crumbled feta cheese and cranberries for a sweet/savory take on these salmon burgers.
- Add shredded cheese, jalapeno, and bacon – swap the herbs in the original recipe for shredded cheddar cheese, finely diced jalapeno, and cooked and crumbled bacon! This one would be really delicious served with ranch dressing.
- Add coconut aminos, sesame oil, and sliced green onions – swap the herbs for coconut aminos, sesame oil, and sliced green onions, and the regular breadcrumbs for panko breadcrumbs. Add dried (or grated, fresh) ginger to the mix, cook, and top with a spicy mayo or sriracha!
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover salmon patties in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Be sure to store the buns, salmon burgers, and toppings separately. Stored this way, they’ll last for up to 4 days.
Reheat either in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, in an air fryer for 5-6 minutes, or in the oven for 15ish minutes.
How to Freeze
We’d stick to freezing already-cooked salmon patties (vs. raw patties) because they’ll be way easier to thaw and reheat. To prepare a frozen salmon patty, simply let it thaw for a couple of hours in the fridge, and then reheat it on a skillet (or in the oven) with a little bit of oil until warm!
Frequently Asked Questions
A few things, actually! The egg + breadcrumbs really act as binders here, but the fact that we’re using fresh, raw salmon really helps too.
Salmon is incredibly good for you (it’s loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and potassium), so yes, we’d say that these salmon burgers are a really great, healthy choice.
You can! You’ll want to make sure to fully drain the liquid from the can, though, and you may need to add another egg to help everything stick together (fresh, raw salmon holds together a bit easier than canned salmon). You’ll do everything else exactly the same!
Video
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Ingredients
For the Salmon Burgers:
- 1 pound salmon skin removed
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- 2 cloves garlic grated or finely minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon ghee or extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 hamburger buns for serving
- Butter lettuce for serving
- Crumbled feta cheese for serving
For the Green Goddess Sauce (optional):
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and stems
- ¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves
- 4 fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice about 1 small lemon
- ½ cup sour cream Greek yogurt, or avocado oil mayonnaise
Instructions
- Add the salmon to a food processor and pulse until it is finely minced. If you don’t have a food processor, you can finely mince the salmon with a knife instead.
- Transfer the minced salmon to a bowl, then add the chives, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, egg, and breadcrumbs and mix to combine.
- Add the ghee or olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat, then form the salmon mixture into four equally-sized patties.
- Add the salmon patties to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes, until browned, then flip the patties and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until browned, then remove from heat.
- To make the sauce, add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- To serve, place each patty on a hamburger bun, top it with the sauce and butter lettuce, then serve!
Nutrition
can you use canned salmon instead of fresh?
You can! You’ll need to fully drain the liquid from the can, though, and you may need to add another egg to help everything hold together.