Good Kitchen Blog: Yummy Salmon Burgers with Slaw

I know, I know. But for as weird-sounding as salmon burgers are, they are so extremely good.

We’re talking crispy outsides, flaky insides, and a perfect golden color, not to mention lots of nutrition, THANK YOU SALMON.

They are also easy to make and require (usually) minimal, if not zero, grocery shopping, assuming you keep a decently stocked pantry. I love, love, love these crispy pan-fried little guys.

And as if the salmon burgers weren’t good enough already to eat on their own (which, um, they are), I need you to make this slaw to serve your salmon burgers in/on/around. It is nothing fancy – just a shredded cabbage, yogurt, herbs, garlic, and vinegar situation, but paired with the salmon burgers? the crispy-salty-tangy combo is an ON POINT combo. Plus, again with the super nutrition. Plus Sugar Free January friendly.

Let’s Talk Herbs for Salmon Burgers

Dill isn’t really in season at the moment, but I do love to have these salmon burgers with a little dill. You can usually buy it at the grocery store in those little plastic clamshells that cost too much. Know the ones I’m talking about?

But if you’re not super excited about the expensive-winter-dill-in-a-clamshell situation, you can use 1) freeze-dried dill, which I keep in my spice collection year-round, and 2) any other fresh herb! I made a version of these with parsley and cilantro when I didn’t have any dill, and mwah. They were still totally delicious.

Dill would still be my first choice, but as with all my favorite recipes, you can play with that a little bit.

Slaw for salmon burgers in a mixing bowl.

Yes, We’re Using Canned Salmon

And now for the big question. Do you use canned salmon? Subtext: is it gross?

Answer: Yes, I use canned salmon, and NO, it most certainly is not gross in these salmon burgers if you are buying the right stuff.

Fresh salmon that you’ve already cooked would also work if canned salmon is too weird for you. But I’d like to take a moment to assure you that it is very possible to find non-gross canned salmon if you do a little searching and are willing to spend a little extra for higher quality. I really like Wild Planet canned salmon. It is caught in Alaska, and Wild Planet prioritizes sustainability and conservation of marine ecosystems with all their products. Not sponsored, just a superfan. You can also buy it here on Amazon (affiliate link). And because it’s canned, you can just keep it in your pantry and have it at the ready whenever you need a little salmon burger happiness.

God bless pantry meals.

Check out our video for how to make Salmon Burgers:

Salmon Burgers with Slaw

★★★★★

4.9 from 43 reviews

Author: Lindsay
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 3-4 burgers

Print Recipe

Description

These salmon burgers are THE YUMMIEST! and made with just five ingredients. The best for a quick + easy high protein lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

Salmon Burgers

12–14 ounces cooked salmon
2 eggs
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, like chives, parsley, or dill
a squeeze of lemon juice
olive oil for pan-frying

Cabbage Slaw:

1 head green cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2–3 tablespoons white distilled vinegar (more to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs like chives, parsley, or cilantro
a drizzle of olive oil

Instructions

For the Salmon Burgers: Flake the salmon apart. Mix all burger ingredients together and form into 3 large or 4 medium patties. Heat olive oil over medium heat, ideally in a nonstick skillet. Fry the burgers for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. Place on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt.
For the Slaw: Mix all slaw ingredients together. Taste and adjust.
Serve: Serve up those hot salmon burgers on a bed of creamy slaw. I top mine with a dollop of extra yogurt and a swizzle of oil and more herbs. Can’t stop me.

Notes

Breadcrumbs are important here. Panko gives a really nice texture whereas whole wheat breadcrumbs would be a good choice if you want to skip the refined grains. If you use a seasoned breadcrumb mix, reduce the amount of salt in the burgers by about 1/2.

For the salmon, you could use leftover steamed, poached, grilled, baked, whatever kinda salmon. If you don’t have any cooked salmon handy, use canned salmon! That’s what I usually do. I would recommend looking for a brand of canned salmon that is caught in the US. I really, really like Wild Planet for quality canned salmon. You can read more about their sourcing/fishing methods here.

If you happen to have a jar of Sunshine Sauce in your fridge, use that to make the slaw! Just mix cabbage with yogurt, add some Sunshine Sauce, and polish it off with a little dill. Super yummy.

The burgers will keep pretty well in the fridge (~3 days) or freezer (~3 months). When you’re ready to eat, pop them in a nonstick skillet to reheat because it will retain crispiness! The slaw, however, is best eaten right away. It probably has one day max in the fridge once it’s been mixed up.

Gluten Free: We tried three different GF options – almond flour, crushed Chex cereal, and GF oats. All three turned out to be great substitutes, but we liked the smooth texture and flavor of the almond flour version the best. Almond meal would work just as well too.

Category: Dinner
Method: Fry
Cuisine: American