Wicked Good Burgers: Salmon Burger

Don’t you just love it when a book makes you excited for an upcoming season? That’s how Wicked Good Burgers makes me feel – full of excitement for summer! Written by Andy Husbands, Chris Hart, and Andrea Pyenson, best-selling authors of Wicked Good Barbecue, this is THE book of Summer 2013.

You’re probably saying to yourself “I don’t need a burger cookbook. My burgers are pretty good!” Well friend, let me just say that this book will take your burgers to the next level and make them not only pretty good, but WICKED good. Some outstanding recipes include: Housemade Bacon Sous Vide Burger; Vietnamese Pork Burger; Scallop and Shrimp Burger; Duck Fat Fries; Cumin Scented Black Bean and Mushroom Burger; and Ginger Beer Float. 

The authors will guide you from the basics of burgers (grinding your meat, shaping, and cooking) as well as detailed instructions on equipment. The chapters have a little something for everyone – from the meat lovers to the vegetable addicts, Wicked Good Burgers has the perfect recipe for the perfect burger, as well as great sides (did someone say Harpoon IPA Beer Batter Onion Rings?!) and finishes off with a chapter on Frappes, which seems to be the best and most delicious way to wash down a burger on a hot summer night.

I wanted to try my hand on making a fish burger, salmon to be more precise and oh dear, was it delicious! The herbs, soy sauce, and mustard in the patty make it for an extremely flavorful burger that’s topped with more herbaceous goodness and a soft bun. Now, is it summer yet?!

Salmon Burgers

Recipe reprinted with permission of Fair Winds Press, from Wicked Good Burgers [Fearless Recipes and Uncompromising Techniques for the Ultimate Party] by Andy Husbands and Chris Hart with Andrea Pyenson

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 ½ pounds 1.1 kg salmon belly*
• 1 tablespoon 15 ml soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon 5 g dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ cup 15 g minced fresh parsley
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ cups 75 g panko
• Kosher salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons 28 ml vegetable oil, for cooking
• ½ lemon
• 6 hamburger buns the book recommends making them from scratch if you have the time!
• arugula for garnish
• 2 tablespoons 30 g creme fraiche, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon 3 g minced chives, for garnish
• dilled Salmon roe page 41, optional

Instructions

• Cut 2 pounds (900 g) of the salmon into strips and place in the freezer until stiff, about 20 minutes. Roughly chop the remaining 1/2 pound (225 g) of salmon. Remove the salmon from the freezer and grind, using the coarse or medium grind plate.If you do not have a grinder, place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade and pulse until coarsely ground.
• In a large bowl, combine the ground and chopped salmon with soy sauce, mustard, garlic, parsley, egg, and bread crumbs.
• Using your hands, shape the salmon into 6 patties, about 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick. Season with salt. Heat a skillet over high heat until very hot. If you have an infrared thermometer, the skillet should register at least 500°F (250°C). Or test by brushing on a bit of oil.
• When the skillet starts to smoke, it is ready. Brush the skillet with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the skillet without overcrowding. (You may have to do this in batches.)
• Cook for 3 minutes. Turn the patties over and cook on the other side for 2 minutes until the exterior is crispy and the burgers register an internal temperature of 135°F (57°C). Transfer the patties to a platter, squeeze with lemon, and tent loosely with foil. While the patties are resting, toast the buns.
• To serve: Spread Dill Mayonnaise on the the bottom halves of the buns and place the burgers on top. Add a dollop of creme fraiche, a sprinkle of chives, 2 teaspoons (11 g) of Dilled Salmon Roe (if using), and a few leaves of arugula. Place the remaining halves of buns on top.

Notes

*The key to this burger is using belly. Your fishmonger will probably be thrilled to sell it to you because customers usually gravitate to more popular steaks and fillets. But in our opinion the belly is the best part of the fish. It is used a lot for salmon tartare, but we like it for burgers, too, because it is the fattiest part of the fish. In addition to being incredibly flavorful, it will stay juicy when it is cooked.

Servings: 6 burgers

Now, we want to know: What’s your favorite kind of burger and what sides do you typically serve it with? 

Disclosure: This book was sent to me by the publisher. I was not obligated to write this post.