Saturday, September 3, 2011

Smoked Salmon Burgers

You saw this coming, didn’t you? I couldn’t rave about those brioche hamburger buns and then not tell you about a burger. The fact is that, probably, just about any burger would be delicious with one of those buns. I know this because I’ve used one of those buns for a completely boring, frozen, garden burger and quite enjoyed it. But, that was a later use of a brioche bun. For their debut, I wanted to whip up something special in the way of a burger that would be truly worthy of them. Just when I finally decided to try making those buns, this salmon burger recipe was on the top of my to-try stack. I couldn’t ignore that kind of coincidence. The burger is from the June issue of Living magazine, and it’s made from fresh salmon fillets, cold-smoked or cured salmon, and dill. They’re quick to make and hold together well. If you’d like to grill them though, you might want to use a fish or vegetable tray on top of the grill rack just in case. And, if you choose to brown them in a skillet, they cook in just a couple of minutes per side.

The recipe calls for one pound of fresh salmon and two and a half ounces of thinly sliced smoked salmon. The fresh salmon is cut into large chunks which are chilled before being pulsed in a food processor. The goal is to chop the big chunks but not to a smooth state. The smoked salmon was finely chopped by hand and then stirred into the chopped fresh salmon. Last, chopped fresh dill was added, and the patties were formed. It’s suggested that four patties be formed from the salmon mixture, but since I was dealing with some rather large buns, I divided the mixture into three portions for a better fit. After heating a little oil in a skillet, the burgers cooked for a scant two minutes per side. They just begin to brown, and the salmon barely cooks through. They were topped with mustard and arugula.

The mix of fresh and cured salmon gave these burgers a nice mix of flavors which the dill accented well. And, chopping the fresh salmon just enough but not too much is the key to great texture. For three simple ingredients, they combined perfectly for a very worthy burger.



27 comments:

  1. This is my idea of heaven!
    Hope you have a fabulous labor day weekend!
    *kisses* HH

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  2. Salmon is delish!! I never make it with burger thought but absolutely look good!

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  3. This recipe SO trumps those long ingredient list-frozen garden burgers!!
    Thanks for the post :)

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  4. Yummy! I am a big fan of smoked salmon and burgers, so this version is for me. Wonderful.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  5. Love smoked salmon but never eaten it in a burger. Delicious looking.

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  6. So that's what you did with those gorgeous buns? Looks very worthy, indeed! A smoked salmon burger sounds divine- we never get enough of burgers in our house so I'm sure this one would be a big hit.

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  7. This is a nice change of pace from the standard burger. I have ventured forward to make chicken burgers, but now I see I do need to try salmon as well. This does look tasty!

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  8. Now this is the kind of burger I can eat. Looks super delicious Lisa!

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  9. The burger sounds incredibly good and the rolls are gorgeous! The two together are magical.

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  10. The smoked salmon burger sounds so good and just perfect with those homemade brioche rolls!

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  11. nothing beats home-made meat patties and they are so perfectly paired with the gorgeous home-made burger buns.

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  12. They look so nice, delicious and healthy! I would love such burger..

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  13. I gotta go back and grab the brioche hamburger bun recipe and THEN make this. Wow. I love it.

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  14. Have not thought of using smoke salmon to make burger, I gotta try, just got some at home.

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  15. Given that salmon is my absolute hands-down favorite fish...and that with these you get DOUBLE of it..I am so making this. Definitely the perfect burger for those buns!

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  16. I love salmon burgers. Yours looks so fresh and the dill is the perfect herb choice. With those brioche buns, this just might rival those po-boys from the other day. Beautiful photos!

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  17. Lisa,
    That mix of fresh salmon and smoked is brilliant. I bet it makes for a really nice texture and saltiness. And your brioche hamburger buns.....irresistible!
    -Erin

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  18. i made smoked salmon burgers recently too but i did not have these lovely homemade buns...

    to me, this is perfect healthy meal

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  19. Pretty, pretty, pretty! And those buns - oh my goodness. I'll have to make them to go with burgers on my Big Green Egg. I am officially obsessed with making burgers on it.

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  20. while i'm not too keen on salmon, i love fresh dill, so maybe its presence would tip the scales in favor of these burgers. they're pretty, i'll give ya that! :)

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  21. Salmon Burgers! Yum! Laced with dill, yummy!!! Nestled on your home made bun; perfecto!

    Thanks for sharing, Lisa...

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  22. This is definitely a winner all the way, the combination of fresh and smoked salmon is pure genius!

    You really made fantastic use of those gorgeous brioche buns...

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  23. Mmmmm! My mom used to make salmon burgers with canned salmon when I was growing up and they were one of my favorite things. Yours takes it up, oh, about a hundred notches! I love the touch of elegant, salty smoked salmon in it. Perfect! Love it, Lisa!

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  24. Wow. I want a burger like that! Not a fan of meat burgers.. but this one is perfect ;)
    GREAAAAT.

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  25. I love this! Now that I'm not eating beef burgers anymore, this is the perfect substitution! Looks amazing!

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  26. These look perfect for the end of summer. Someone just gave me some smoked salmon. Was going to use it on pizza. But burgers, here we come! ;)

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