Healthy Salmon Burgers

These Salmon Burgers are made from fresh salmon, lightly seasoned and pan fried to create a deliciously crispy coating on the outside and a moist and juicy center.  Make these healthy salmon patties in less than 25 minutes on the stove top, or even quicker in your Air Fryer.

Recipe Highlights

• They're lightly pan fried on the stove top, but you can also cook them in your air fryer using less oil
• They're high protein, nutritious and very filling
• Eat them on a burger, turkish bread, or wrap
• Goes well as a light lunch, or dinner with veges or salad
• Easy to add different spices and flavourings, even grated veges like carrot, zucchini, or sweet potato
• Slather them with your favourite dressing for the ultimate flavour sensation
• Makes 6 generous sized burger patties
• Cook them all and freeze half for later

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

• Salmon:  Either fresh or frozen skinless salmon fillets will work.  I tend to use fresh salmon fillets I've bought the day before as they don't have a lot of moisture in them. If you only have skin on, peel it off before adding to the food processor.
• Breadcrumbs:  I use plain wholemeal breadcrumbs, however panko crumbs would also work great and give a slightly more textured salon burger
• Onion:  Brown or white onion is ideal and finely chopped is best.  At a pinch you could also use shallots
• Mayonnaise and Dijon Mustard: these help to add flavour to the burgers and whilst I love using both, you could get away wit using just one or the other.
• Lemon juice:  lemon juice adds freshness and lightness to the patties and balnces the flavours.  Alternatively you could also use lime juice.  Fresh is ideal, but bottled will also work.
• Spices:  I like to use cayenne peapper for a little bit of heat.  However you could leave it out if making for those that don't like spice
• Herbs:  I used fresh chopped parsley, but you could use whatever you have on hand.  Herbs help to add  freshness to the patties. 
• Salt and pepper:  this is to season the patties and you only need a little.  Regular salt and pepper is fine, or otherwise you could try a little garlic salt or celery salt in place of regular salt for a slightly punchier flavour
• Oil:  I use a little vegetable oil for lightly frying the salmon burgers.  Alternatively you could use grapeseed oil, or extra virgin olive oil.  If cooking on the stove top, spray oil may not be enough, however it will be fine to use if cooking them in your air fryer.

Fresh Herb Addins

• Chopped Fresh Corriander and Mint:  a perfect combination if you're going to an asian flavour base
• Chopped Fresh Dill: the classic flavour pairing for salmon giving it an earthy and fresh flavour
• Chopped Fresh Garlic chives:  for those who love garlic savouriness this is a great option

Making Salmon Burgers or Salmon Patties as my family call them is really simple and using a food processor to mince up the salmon makes very quick work of it

Other Addins

• Mustard Powder:  for an extra savoury bite
• Smoked Paprika:  add some additional smoky undertones
• Grated Veges:  grated carrot, potato or zucchini made using a box grater are easy to incorporate into the mix for an extra hit of hidden veges.  Check out my Salmon Fritters recipe for how I combine hidden veges.
• Lemon Zest:  For additional freshness, this goes particularly well with Dill

How To Make

1. Mince Salmon:  Cut salmon into  chunks and put it into food processor. Blitz until the mixture becomes pasty, stopping to scrape down the sides if needed.

2. Add Flavourings:  Add mayonnaise, some breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, lemon juice, mustard, cayenne, and onion to the food processor. Pulse until all the combined.

3. Roll in Crumbs:  Spread the remaining breadcrumbs onto a dinner plate. Divide ground salmon mixture into 6 pieces and gently form into balls. Once the balls are formed, dip each patty into breadcrumbs and flatten slightly.

4. Lightly Pan Fry:  Warm-up vegetable oil over medium-high heat and once hot lightly fry patties on both sides until crisp and golden brown (about 2-3 minutes per side), doing it in batches if your pan is not big enough.
5. Pat of Excess Oil:  Transfer patties to a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil. 

6. Burger Assembly:  Assemble the burgers with your favorite lettuce and vegetables, adding mayonnaise and a drizzle of hot sauce on both bottom and top buns.  Serve while warm.

Another great serving idea that I often turn to is to top with avocado, sweet chilli sauce and wrap in a fresh crisp lettuce leaf.  I like using cos lettuce for this purpose because they are sturdy and don't easily break when you're holding it in your hand eating it!

Recipe Tips

• Fresh Salmon:  Make sure to pat dry the salmon to remove excess moisture before blitzing in the food processor.  Too much excess moisture will make the salmon burger mixture more difficult to work with.
• Frozen Salmon:  Make sure to defrost the salmon before blitzing in the food processor.  I find its best to either defrost in the microwave using the appropriate defrost settings, or take the salmon out of the freezer the night before you need it and place it into the fridge overnight to thaw out.
• Freezing cooked salmon burgers:  let the burgers cool, wrap individually in plastic wrap, or store in individual zip lock bags for easy grab and go.  I like to store my individually wrapped burgers in a container with a secure lid in the freezer so they don't get squashed.  Freeze for upto 3 months.
• Defrosting and reheating cooked salmon burgers:  Defrost overnight in the fridge, or use your microwave settings.  To reheat, you can either lightly fry in a little oil, add to a baking tray on top of parchment paper and bake for around 10 to 15 minutes, or reheat at 180 for a few minutes in your air fryer.

Common Questions

These salmon burgers are not just for eating on a bun.  They are ideal for mixing in with a bowl of rice, wrapped in cos lettuce, on a bed of mango salsa, in a burrito bowl, or atop some sweet potato mash.  They are such a versatile food item that is easy to pull together in under 30 minutes and pairs with well, with just about anything.

Healthy Salmon Burgers

Kim MorrisKim

These Salmon burgers (patties) are great on a bun for an easy dinner in under 30 minutes, or are great served with vegetables or salad for a low carb healthy dinner option. They freeze well too.

5 from 1 vote

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Course Dinner

Servings 6 burger patties

Calories 274 kcal

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

½x1x2x3x

• ▢ 500 grams /1 pound salmon - skin and bones removed
• ▢ 1 cup breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1 medium brown onion - diced
• ▢ ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• ▢ 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 pinch cayenne
• ▢ 2 teaspoons parsley, diced - optional
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Salt and pepper

Sauce

• ▢ 6 tablespoons mayonnaise (1 tablespoon for each burger bun)
• ▢ 6 teaspoons hot sauce (1 teaspoon for each burger bun) - (eg: sriracha or chili sauce)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Cut salmon into chunks and put it into food processor. Blitz until the mixture becomes pasty, stopping to scrape down the sides if needed.
• Add mayonnaise, 4 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, lemon juice, mustard, cayenne, and onion to the food processor. (If using parsley, add as well). Pulse a few times until all the ingredients are combined.
• Spread the remaining breadcrumbs onto a dinner plate. Divide ground salmon mixture into 6 pieces and gently form into balls. To make it easier (although they form nicely!) have a small bowl with warm water next to you to dip your fingers in it. Once the balls are formed, dip each patty into breadcrumbs and flatten slightly.

Stove Top Instructions

• Warm-up ⅓ cup vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and once hot lightly fry patties on both sides until crisp and golden brown (about 2-3 minutes per side). You may need to do it in batches if your pan is not big enough.
• Transfer the patties to a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil.
• Squeeze fresh lemon juice on each patty before serving (optional).

Air Fryer Instructions

• Arrange patties in your air fryer so they are not touching. Depending on how big your air fryer is, you might need to do multiple cooks.
• Preheat air fryer to 200 degrees C or 390 degrees F and cook for 12-14 minutes.

Burger Assembly

• Assemble the burgers with your favorite lettuce and vegetables, adding mayonnaise and a drizzle of hot sauce on both bottom and top buns. Serve while warm.

Notes

1. Salmon:  Either fresh or frozen skinless salmon fillets will work.  I tend to use fresh salmon fillets I've bought the day before as they don't have a lot of moisture in them. If you only have skin on, peel it off before adding to the food processor.
2. Breadcrumbs:  I use plain wholemeal breadcrumbs, however panko crumbs would also work great and give a slightly more textured salon burger
3. Onion:  Brown or white onion is ideal and finely chopped is best.  At a pinch you could also use shallots
4. Mayonnaise and Dijon Mustard: these help to add flavour to the burgers and whilst I love using both, you could get away wit using just one or the other.
5. Lemon juice:  lemon juice adds freshness and lightness to the patties and balnces the flavours.  Alternatively you could also use lime juice.  Fresh is ideal, but bottled will also work.
6. Spices:  I like to use cayenne peapper for a little bit of heat.  However you could leave it out if making for those that don't like spice
7. Herbs:  I used fresh chopped parsley, but you could use whatever you have on hand.  Herbs help to add  freshness to the patties. 
8. Salt and pepper:  this is to season the patties and you only need a little.  Regular salt and pepper is fine, or otherwise you could try a little garlic salt or celery salt in place of regular salt for a slightly punchier flavour
9. Oil:  I use a little vegetable oil for lightly frying the salmon burgers.  Alternatively you could use grapeseed oil, or extra virgin olive oil.  If cooking on the stove top, spray oil may not be enough, however it will be fine to use if cooking them in your air fryer.
10. Nutritional information does not include the salad or buns.  It only includes the salmon patty and sauce

Nutrition

Calories: 274kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 20gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 2g

Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.

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