Easy Salmon Burgers: Stove top and in the Oven

Fish as an entrée has never let me down!

Of all the fish, salmon is one of my favourites. Chances are that if I see a fish entrée on a menu and if its salmon, I will voice my favour at least once before deciding my order. That’s how predictable I am! Seriously! 

Come summer, I look forward to buying fresh salmon in store – hopefully some that’s been caught wild off the coast of Alaska or the Northwest – and cook at home. 

Salmon, though is in danger of becoming extinct in the wild due to over fishing. Farmed salmon is the most common kind that is available to purchase or to eat at restaurants. After reading more about the environmental impact of fishing and how the demand for salmon has impacted the stability of wild populations, I am more aware and conscious about not buying or ordering too much salmon. 

But, every once in a while I succumb. And when I do, I buy too much! So, after I had cooked filets, I decided to make burgers with the rest of my purchase. This is what led the burger recipe shared here. 

Here’s How to Make the Easy Salmon Burgers in an Oven and on the Stove Top

Total Preparation Time: 

Inactive: 15 minutes, Active: 20 minutes   

Yields: 8-10 patties 

Ingredients for Easy Salmon Burgers 

• Salmon (preferably in season salmon, if not frozen will do)  ~ 1/2 pound (~ 325 gm/ 11-12 oz),
• Onion – 1 medium-sized; chopped, 
• Mint – 1/2 cup, finely chopped,  
• Coriander (cilantro) –  1/2 cup, finely chopped, 
• Green chilli – 1 (optional), 
• Ginger – 1 inch pieces, finely grated, 
• Garlic pods – 2 to 3, finely chopped or grated, 
• Besan/ Chickpea Flour (Optional) – 1/4 cup, 
• Bread crumbs – 1/4 cup, 
• Salt and pepper to taste, 
• Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp, 
• Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp, and, 
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp (optional), 
• Olive oil – 2 to 4 tbsp and more as needed, 

Other spices as per taste – I would recommend adding Cajun Spices to turn up the flavour by a few notches. 

Process: 

Preparing the Burger Mix

To begin, clean and cut the salmon. If you have a filet with the skin on, see here for skinning it. 

Once that is done, wash and pat dry. Cut into smaller cubes, transfer to a bowl. If you have an immersion blender, use that to roughly mince the salmon. Or transfer to a food processor and pulse to get a coarse mince. Take this out into a mixing bowl  and keep aside. 

Next, prepare all the other ingredients. Wash the herbs and then chop onions, green chilli (if using) and the herbs. Grate or finely chop ginger and garlic. 

Transfer all these to a bowl, including bread crumbs and besan. Season with the spices and mix well. 

Once your seasoning mix is ready, combine with salmon and mix again so that all the ingredients are evenly spread and salmon is seasoned well.

A note on binding agents used:

The use of besan is something I have transferred over from the process of cooking pakoras. Besan works as a binding agent while also providing additional flavour. I used bread crumbs for their ability to bind and absorb excess moisture. If possible and at hand, I try to use seasoned bread crumbs to enhance the flavour of a burger mix.

This is my personal preference. Start by using bread crumbs and then decide if you’d like to experiment with other options. 

Burgers on the Stovetop 

To cook burgers on the stove top, start by heating a heavy bottomed pan. I used my cast iron skillet. Once hot, lower the heat to medium high and add olive oil. There are two ways for shaping the actual burger patty.

First – Take a tablespoon or more of the salmon mix and place it directly in the pan. Pat it flat with the back of the spoon until it is a decent sized disc and about 1/2 inch thick. 

Second – Alternatively, use your hands to first make a little ball and flatten it into a burger. Place gently in the pan with hot oil. 

Cook on the first side for 1 to 2 minutes until it starts browning and you can see the burger changing color from pink to an opaque white. Turn over and cook for another 2 minutes. At this point both sides should have a rich brown color and the fish should be cooked through. If you can still see some pink peeking out, cook longer until the patty seems firm. 

Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels before serving. 

Cooking burgers in the oven: 

Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 180 C. 

I prefer to place my pizza stone – which is cast iron, in the oven as it preheats. 

As before use either your hands to make patties or take the mix with spoon and spread it on the baking tray. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the salmon isn’t pink, turn once in between.  

Remove and serve! 

Easy Salmon Burgers truly are as simple as that to make!

I enjoy these patties as a snack by themselves or between slices of bread or inside a soft bun with some salad and spicy dip. All that’s needed is a cool drink to polish it off!