Our fresh Salmon Burger is packed with so much great flavor, the perfect way to change up your weekly burger night! Made with simple ingredients, like real salmon, fresh herbs, and topped with the most amazing green goddess slaw, avocado slices, quick pickled onions, and some microgreens!
The Best Salmon Burger
You will find us grilling up the perfect burger recipes all summer long! A few of our favorites are the best bacon cheeseburger, juicy turkey burger, but this easy salmon burger recipe might be our new favorite burger recipe. You can top these fresh salmon burgers any way you want, but we highly recommend the toppings that we listed out in the recipe card below. The flavor combination is so good!
Looking for More Burger Recipes?
If you love them as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Pork Burger + Spicy Mayo Slaw!
What You Will Need
- raw salmon fillets – some people like to use canned salmon, but we love cutting fresh salmon fillets into large chunks and pulsing in a food processor.
- celery & sweet yellow onion – finely mince both for some added flavor!
- fresh chives, dill, & parsley – a perfect combination of fresh herbs that nicely compliment the fresh salmon.
- dijon mustard & garlic – just a little bit of each for the best flavor depth in these burgers.
- lemon zest – a touch of acidity to amplify and lighten all those added flavors!
- Old Bay seasoning, kosher salt, & ground black pepper – simple seasonings that are always a must when cooking any type of fish.
- breadcrumbs – either grab some at the local grocery store or learn how to make breadcrumbs!
- butter – one tablespoon in the hot skillet to cook up your salmon burgers.
- coleslaw mix + green goddess salad dressing – mix together in a large bowl for a fresh and creamy slaw that is an essential piece of these homemade salmon burgers.
- hamburger buns – just grab your favorite, brioche buns, whole wheat, gluten-free, etc.
- toppings: quick pickled onions, avocado slices, microgreens or arugula.
How To Make Salmon Burgers
The first step to making these quick salmon burgers, are to prep the burger toppings. We start by whipping up the green goddess salad dressing in a small food processor and the quick pickled onions in a small bowl or mason jar. Once they are ready, place them in the fridge until ready to use.
Now take turns pulsing the onion and celery in the food processor to create a finely minced texture. Use a sharp knife and cutting board to remove the skin from the salmon and cut the fillets into 1-inch chunks. Place them in the food processor.
Add the rest of the burger ingredients to the food processor. Quickly pulse 1-2 times so they are cut into smaller chunks, but not pulverized.
Place the salmon mixture in a medium bowl and gently fold in the breadcrumbs. Next, form the salmon burger patties and sprinkle the outside of them with some additional bread crumbs.
Bring a cast iron skillet to a medium heat, add the butter to melt, and then cook the burgers for 4-5 minutes per side or until their internal temperature reaches 135 degrees F (use a meat thermometer). They should be nice and golden brown on the outside.
While the burgers rest for about 5 minutes. Quickly mix together the green goddess dressing with the coleslaw mix.
Now it’s time to top that burger! On the bottom bun, place some green goddess slaw, add the salmon burger, and top with red onions and avocado slices.
Salmon Burger Toppings
There are so many great topping options for a classic salmon burger! In this recipe we used fresh avocado slices, quick pickled red onion slices, green goddess slaw, and a few microgreens. You could also add a salmon dill sauce, tomato slices, lettuce leaves, cucumber slices, grilled pineapple, green onions, or any of your other favorite toppings.
Option to add a drizzle of green goddess dressing for some added sauce and then place the other half of the bun on top.
Best Ways To Serve Salmon Burgers
These perfectly cooked salmon burgers can be served with just about anything! If you make a big batch of the green goddess dressing you can drizzle some over a side salad, make some grilled potato wedges, sweet potato fries, easy grilled asparagus, or simple grilled broccoli.
Recipe FAQ
- Cooking techniques: in the recipe card, we show you how to cook these burgers on the stovetop in a large skillet. But you could also cook them directly on a preheated grill! Just grill them over direct heat (or on a grill pan) for 3-4 minutes per side and then move to indirect heat until they reach an internal temp of 135 degrees F.
- Meal prep: these salmon patties can be made the day before cooking and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Just pull them out when you are ready to cook!
- Frozen: whether you are cooking the burgers first or not, individually wrap the patties in plastic wrap, stack in a freezer safe container with parchment paper in between burgers and store for up to 3 months. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat.
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Salmon Burger Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 burgers 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
A delicious, flavorful Salmon Burger recipe paired with a cool and creamy green goddess slaw – perfect for burger night!
Ingredients
Salmon Burgers:
- 1lb fresh salmon, remove skin
- 2 tablespoons celery, minced
- 3 tablespoons sweet yellow onion, minced
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs (regular or gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon butter (sub plant-based)
Green Goddess Slaw:
- 2 cups coleslaw cabbage mix
- 1/2 cup green goddess dressing (homemade or store-bought)*
Toppings:
- 4 buns of your choice (regular or gluten-free)
- 1 avocado, sliced
- quick pickled onions
- (optional) kale microgreens or arugula
Instructions
- Prep Dressing + Onions: If you are making the homemade green goddess dressing and quick pickled onions – prepare those now and place in the refrigerator.
- Prep Salmon + Celery + Onions: Cut the salmon into 1 inch chunks. Separately, place some celery in a food processor and process until minced. Set aside 2 tablespoons. Repeat with onion (the celery and onion need to be finely minced so the texture of the burger is spot on and it holds together).
- Pulse Ingredients: Add salmon, minced celery, minced onion, dill, chives, parsley, dijon mustard, garlic, kosher salt, ground black pepper, lemon zest and Old Bay seasoning to a food processor. Pulse just 1-2 times or until the salmon is no longer in 1 inch chunks, but isn’t pulverized. We are looking for smaller chunks (you shouldn’t need to pulse more than 3 times).
- Form Patties: Pour salmon mixture out into a bowl and add 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Use a spoon to fold in (this will act as a binder). Form salmon mixture into 3-4 patties. Sprinkle each side with some breadcrumbs (this helps form a little crust when cooking which also helps the burger hold its form).
- Cook: Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add butter, let melt and swirl to coat the pan. Add burgers to the pan and let cook 4-5 minutes per side or until the center reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees F. You can turn down the heat, as needed, if the outside is getting too dark.
- Rest + Slaw: Remove from pan and let rest 5 minutes. In a medium bowl combine the coleslaw mix and green goddess dressing. Toss to combine.
- Build your burger: Take the bottom bun and load it up with the Green Goddess Slaw. Top with a burger and then some quick-pickled onions, sliced avocado and then arugula (or micro-greens) – if using. If you have extra green goddess dressing feel free to add a little to your top bun before placing on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- *Green Goddess Dressing: I can’t recommend our homemade green goddess dressing enough here – when I initially tested this recipe I took a shortcut and got some store-bought green goddess dressing .. it just isn’t the same! If you have a brand you know and love, go for it, but just know it is worth it to make the homemade stuff and the recipe will turn out the best that way!
- Quick Pickled Onions: love these, but you can also use raw, sliced red onion.
- Number of Burgers: you can either make 4 smaller burgers or 3 bigger burgers, totally up to you – the bigger burgers will just have to cook a bit longer of course!
- Grilled: option to grill these, if you want – ensure grill grates are very clean and greased. Bring grill to medium-high heat and cook over direct heat for 3-4 minutes per side, then move to indirect heat until they reach an internal temp of 135 degrees F. – feel free to put down a piece of heavy duty foil or other grill mat if you prefer!
- Storage: store leftover burgers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 burger
- Calories: 624
- Sugar: 8.1 g
- Sodium: 1188.8 mg
- Fat: 29.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 55.4 g
- Protein: 37.7 g
- Cholesterol: 77.8 mg
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