Nutty Salmon Burgers

This recipe for Salmon Burgers is the meal-time equivalent of an award show sweep. Made almost entirely with fresh salmon and using crushed cashews as a binder. These burgers let the salmon design the set, choreograph the score, and steal the show all at once.

Ingredients

FOR THE BURGERS:
1 ¼ pounds salmon fillets – skin and pinbones removed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs – such as cilantro, parsley, dill, chives, or a mix
1 cup Farm Fresh Nuts Raw Cashews Half’s and Pieces ground to a fine pulp
2 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil – plus additional as needed

FOR THE SAUCE:
¾ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh herbs – such as cilantro, parsley, dill, chives, or a mix
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

FOR SERVING:
Buns or lettuce cups
Arugula – optional
Sliced tomato – optional
Instructions

Place the salmon in a cutting board and cut crosswise into very thin, ¼-inch strips. Now, take a second pass at cutting, going over the pieces in the opposite direction so that you cut the strips into a dice. Continue cutting the salmon until the pieces are very small, about 1/8- to 1/4-inch each. (Be patient. Moist, tender patties will be your reward.)

Using a food processor, add the cup of raw cashews and grind until a fine texture is achieved.

Transfer the salmon to a large mixing bowl. Add the herbs, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, salt, ginger, ground cashews and black pepper. With a fork, mix to combine.

Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. With your hands, compact each portion into a patty that is about 1-inch thick. They might not hold together at first, but keep squeezing. Place the patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet or large plate. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or cover with plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

While the burgers chill, prepare the sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, vinegar, herbs, garlic powder, and salt. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Sauce in a small bowl

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ½ tablespoon oil. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, gently lower the salmon patties onto it. Cook on the first side until crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Gently flip burgers and cook on the second side until crisp and the burgers register 145 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, about 4 minutes more.
Salmon burgers in a skillet

Serve the burgers immediately (on buns or inside of lettuce cups), topped with lots of the sauce and a sliced tomato if you like.
Notes

TO GRILL: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (about 400 degrees F). Just before grilling the burgers, oil the grill VERY well. Add the burgers and cook as directed in Step 5, being careful just to flip them once if possible. If you want to 100% safeguard against the burgers sticking, you can grill them on a piece of aluminum foil coated with nonstick spray. Toast the buns on the grill if desired.

If you’d like to toast the buns, you can do so either on the grill, in your skillet after you are finished cooking the burgers (cover them with foil to keep them hot), or place them cut-side up on a baking sheet and toast in the oven under your broiler for 30 seconds to 1 minute (watch VERY CAREFULLY).

TO MAKE AHEAD: Assemble your patties up to 1 day in advance, storing them in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator. You can also prepare your sauce up to 1 day in advance and store it in a separate airtight storage container in the refrigerator.

TO STORE: Refrigerate burgers and sauce separately in airtight storage containers for up to 2 days.

TO REHEAT: Very gently reheat burgers in a nonstick skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat. I also like to splash a bit of water into the skillet, then cover it to help the burgers steam.

TO FREEZE: Individually wrap burgers, and freeze them in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

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