Burger Basics
Whether you grill year-round or wait for Memorial Day to hit the coals, we’re celebrating National Burger Month — which happens to be in May.
As a heart-healthy protein alternative to beef burgers, here are eight sensational seafood burgers that showcase the best qualities of wild-caught seafood.
Bacon Tuna Burgers with Gingery Aioli
A hint of minced bacon, folded into the tuna mixture adds a hit of smoke, while the lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and jalapeño add interest to these East-West-inspired burgers.
Parsley-Dill Salmon Burgers
This flavor combination, with lots of tender herbs, screams springtime, but we love it anytime. Serve it with sweet potato fries and a mixed green salad and dinner is served! Make a double batch and freeze individually-wrapped burgers that you don’t cook right away. While we don’t recommend re-freezing our fish, in this case, the mayonnaise and panko help maintain the texture. Added bonus: no need to thaw before cooking.
Tuna Nicoise Burgers
Here, distinctive Provencal ingredients — olives, capers, and anchovies — are combined with fresh tuna and mayo to create burgers reminiscent of a Nicoise salad. Grill or pan-sear the burgers and serve them on soft brioche buns or a crusty baguette drizzled with peppery olive oil and fresh lettuce leaves.
Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Salmon Burgers
These easy salmon burgers are dairy- and gluten-free and contain no fillers or binders, just salmon and seasonings. The key is to partially freeze chunks of salmon before chopping them in your food processor. Serve these on soft Italian rolls or ciabatta rolls with a dollop of pesto-mayonnaise and sliced red onion.
Ginger-Scallion Salmon Burgers
Fresh ginger, lemongrass, and scallion come together with tender keta salmon to create an Asian-inspired burger that’s as much at home on a toasted bun with all the fixings as it is over a bowl of rice with sautéed spinach and a sticky sweet soy glaze, as seen here. The salmon is chopped by hand (it’s not as daunting as it sounds) to allow better control of the texture.
Banh Mi Fish Burgers
Halibut or salmon burger meat is a natural choice for these super-delicious, Vietnamese-inspired sandwiches because the work of chopping the fish is already done by our fish processors. Every delicious morsel of fish is carefully scraped from the bones, yielding tender little bites, perfect for burgers, stir-fries, or tacos.
White Bean Salmon Cakes with Chile Aioli
Not technically a burger, this protein-packed, antioxidant-rich dish is as good for the soul as it is for the heart. White beans act as a binder, eliminating any need for bread crumbs or egg and so it’s dairy-free and gluten-free. And they add a lovely creamy texture to the salmon. Pan-fry the salmon cakes until lightly browned, then serve them with a green salad or wrapped in lettuce leaves.
Tex-Mex Chipotle Salmon Burgers
Salmon is a natural canvas for the big bold flavors of cumin, coriander, and smoky chipotle chile powder. Chopping the salmon by hand (not as daunting as it sounds) allows for better control of the texture. Too coarse and it falls apart, and too fine and the burger becomes rubbery. Serve this burger on a toasted bun with all the fixings alongside grilled corn for a perfect summertime (or anytime) meal.
