Tips for making salmon burgers

I want to try making a salmon burger using a salmon fillet, feta or cheddar cheese, spinach and maybe a hint of mint.
I've never done this before, any ideas of what I should use to hold it together? So when it is on the grill it doesn't fall to bits. I could use one of those basket thingys so I flip that instead of the actual burger.

Not a clue, but except for the spinach, it sounds really good!!!

You better start eating your greens Cincy...if not you will look like this

Canuck wrote:I want to try making a salmon burger using a salmon fillet, feta or cheddar cheese, spinach and maybe a hint of mint.
I've never done this before, any ideas of what I should use to hold it together? So when it is on the grill it doesn't fall to bits. I could use one of those basket thingys so I flip that instead of the actual burger.

I don't really know, but I'd do it like this...

Salmon has a relatively low amount of gelatin, but flakes when cooked. I would try this in a food processor, adding the bread crumbs last until the consistency is firm enough to mold. Once you get the proportions of salmon, egg, and veg. right you can do whatever with the spices because they won't imbalance the proportions too badly?

8 oz salmon
1 large egg
about 2 oz spinach, drained if frozen
1/4 c. cheddar or feta
1/3 c. bread crumbs (Italian?)

Never done it, but I would follow the meatloaf rule... flake up the salmon with a potato masher or a fork, add an egg or two, depending on how much salmon you have... then get the consistency right with breadcrumbs.... I would be careful doing these On the grill... would get it hot first, and them bump down to med-lo so they will cook slowly... oil the grill by dipping half an onion in olive oil and rubbing it on the grates...

let us know... I'm allergic to salmon... have tried it once as a kid and 3 times as an adult and never managed to keep it down... it LOOKs good.

pez wrote:flake up the salmon with a potato masher or a fork

You think he should cook the salmon first? Not disagreeing, just wondering...

I was thinking raw, cut into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes, then toss into the food processor... if you got one... then pulse until consistency looks right.

meta4 wrote:

pez wrote:flake up the salmon with a potato masher or a fork

You think he should cook the salmon first? Not disagreeing, just wondering...

I was thinking raw, cut into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes, then toss into the food processor... if you got one... then pulse until consistency looks right.

Ok ... do you guys have your own cooking show on a the FW public channel?

lol...Meta's all-around knowledge of things never ceases to amaze me. He cooks, he's a computer whiz...his sh*t is strong!

I was thinking cutting the salmon into small bits like you said Meta.
Then the basket thingy might be good, this way I don't have to flip the burgers, just the basket.

My thought process was this:

Gently wash and pat the salmon dry. I have about a pound of salmon.
Cut them into small pieces using a very sharp knife.
Add the feta or cheddar (thanks meta for the amount).
Lightly saute some fresh spinach in olive oil and just a clove of fresh garlic.

Mix all of the above with whatever I have to use to hold it together.

Thanks to you guys (meta and Pez) for the bread crumbs, eggs suggestion. I was lost there.

Pez when you tried salmon was it wild or farmed? Just curious. Did you try it smoked too?

Edit: I forgot to add: chop a little bit of fresh mint and mix it in.

Thanks Cincy

Canuck, you've made me very hungry just thinking about those! I'm gonna have to try them and let you know how they come out. I might be off a bit with the cheese/breadcrumbs ratio but prob not too much either way. You know when you got it right when they don't fall apart when grilled or pan sauteed an flipped.

Oh, have you ever tried Stilton cheese? Also, Asiago, Parmesan, or Romano, about 1/4 c. would go great with the mint. I love mint so I'd throw about 3 sprigs in there.

Are you talking a White Stilton or a Blue Stilton?
Actually a good parmesan would really make em tasty. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Ok, I am hungry now. Gotta eat some chocolate.

Yes, I love mint too, this year I planted about 5 varieties. I think.

I will let you know how they turn out. Also I will be grilling them on charcoal. Hopefully this rain goes away tomorrow.

Edit: For the cheeses I generally like stronger tasting cheese.

For this if I use a cheddar I will get a 5 year old white cheddar. And around here I get good quality parmesan imported from Italy.
We do have good a selection of cheeses available to us.

meta4 wrote:Thanks Cincy

Canuck, you've made me very hungry just thinking about those! I'm gonna have to try them and let you know how they come out. I might be off a bit with the cheese/breadcrumbs ratio but prob not too much either way. You know when you got it right when they don't fall apart when grilled or pan sauteed an flipped.

Oh, have you ever tried Stilton cheese? Also, Asiago, Parmesan, or Romano, about 1/4 c. would go great with the mint. I love mint so I'd throw about 3 sprigs in there.

I'm not sure what your cooking tastes like, but you can sure post about it just fine. Available for hire?

LTRT wrote:

meta4 wrote:Thanks Cincy

Canuck, you've made me very hungry just thinking about those! I'm gonna have to try them and let you know how they come out. I might be off a bit with the cheese/breadcrumbs ratio but prob not too much either way. You know when you got it right when they don't fall apart when grilled or pan sauteed an flipped.

Oh, have you ever tried Stilton cheese? Also, Asiago, Parmesan, or Romano, about 1/4 c. would go great with the mint. I love mint so I'd throw about 3 sprigs in there.

I'm not sure what your cooking tastes like, but you can sure post about it just fine. Available for hire?

No Kidding, they have got me mouth watering starving now!!!!

Ok, we'll make food for everyone... Meta you up for that?

Canuck wrote:Are you talking a White Stilton or a Blue Stilton?
Actually a good parmesan would really make em tasty. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Ok, I am hungry now. Gotta eat some chocolate.

Yes, I love mint too, this year I planted about 5 varieties. I think.

I will let you know how they turn out. Also I will be grilling them on charcoal. Hopefully this rain goes away tomorrow.

Edit: For the cheeses I generally like stronger tasting cheese.

For this if I use a cheddar I will get a 5 year old white cheddar. And around here I get good quality parmesan imported from Italy.
We do have good a selection of cheeses available to us.

I think I've only had 'true' Blue Stilton but I would love to try some white. I wonder if you get any Gruyère up there? My friend turned me onto it and it's freakin' amazing. It's a relatively new "registered" name... I think since 2000? Love Cheddar, I used to think I really loved cheddar and then I had aged cheddar. I had some extra sharp white cheddar and Asiago with breakfast this morn.

I think the thing I like best about the stronger cheeses is that they add so much flavor using less. You know what I mean? I love a good American or mild Colby or Provolone on a sandwich but a little bit of the real funky stuff makes a dish take off without adding a ton of fat grams or calories. Not that I even count fat grams or calories that much but some people do.

Canuck wrote:Ok, we'll make food for everyone... Meta you up for that?

Hey... we must supply what the market demands! If we do the public access show in FTW, I think we'd have a bigger audience than anything I've seen lately.

(to everyone) Thanks for the compliments (they are appreciated)

Canuck wrote:I was thinking cutting the salmon into small bits like you said Meta.

You sound handy with a sharp knife, maybe consider butterflying the salmon and using the rest of the ingred as a stuffing, baked.

meta4 wrote:
I think I've only had 'true' Blue Stilton but I would love to try some white. I wonder if you get any Gruyère up there? My friend turned me onto it and it's freakin' amazing. It's a relatively new "registered" name... I think since 2000? Love Cheddar, I used to think I really loved cheddar and then I had aged cheddar. I had some extra sharp white cheddar and Asiago with breakfast this morn.

I think the thing I like best about the stronger cheeses is that they add so much flavor using less. You know what I mean? I love a good American or mild Colby or Provolone on a sandwich but a little bit of the real funky stuff makes a dish take off without adding a ton of fat grams or calories. Not that I even count fat grams or calories that much but some people do.

Oh yeah we get a wide variety of cheeses here. Some really good cheese shops around the city.
Yes, I like Gruyere very much. I also like the smoked Gouda and the Spiced Gouda.
New Zealand has some good cheese too.
Here at a couple of the farmer's markets they sell cheeses that are freshly made from raw sheep's milk. I like those as well.
Can you tell I like cheese? LOL. We get a good variety of Italian made cheeses too.

For breakfast I just had two slices of a herb and garlic bread (the bread has whole cloves of garlic) and a bit of white Australian cheddar.

Unfortunately I couldn't do my salmon today, it is pouring cats and dogs here.
Definitely tomorrow I will do my salmon burgers and I might substitute the spinach with some swiss chard, just for a tryout.

Did you BBQ today? I am going to my cousin's for dinner we will BBQ in his garage.

Canuck wrote:Did you BBQ today? I am going to my cousin's for dinner we will BBQ in his garage.

I haven't done a lot of BBQ this summer. We BBQd last night and had fresh sweet corn and burgers. The burgers were awesome. The corn was really good too.

Tonight's probably going to be a pizza.

Pizza on the barbie?

Meta, the burgers were fantastic, If I may say so myself...LOL.

Unfortunately I didn't do them on the BBQ due to weather. Pretty rainy weekend here.

I used a 2 year cheddar, sauteed baby spinach and swiss chard with garlic and of course the mint. I added a bit of oregano, and sage (three leaves).

Canuck wrote:Pizza on the barbie?

Meta, the burgers were fantastic, If I may say so myself...LOL.

Unfortunately I didn't do them on the BBQ due to weather. Pretty rainy weekend here.

I used a 2 year cheddar, sauteed baby spinach and swiss chard with garlic and of course the mint. I added a bit of oregano, and sage (three leaves).

Cool. So what did ya do? Pan saute? I'd imagine they'd hold together better in the skillet than on the grill but with the egg/breadcrumb/cheese glue they probably would have been fine on the grill. Interesting to find out sometime.

So did you serve them on buns or just the patty solo?

Yes, I did them in the pan. I think it would hold on the grill too. That will be my next attempt.
I served them on some mini potatoes, sweet potatoes and ripened plantains, these were boiled then sauteed in onions, garlic and herbs.

Canuck wrote:Yes, I did them in the pan. I think it would hold on the grill too. That will be my next attempt.
I served them on some mini potatoes, sweet potatoes and ripened plantains, these were boiled then sauteed in onions, garlic and herbs.

Holy carp, maple leaf man! You're a regular gourmet!

If we do the show, you get to be the host, I'll just do some of the prep, finish work, and maybe come up with a few good entree every once in a while.

Are you kidding me? From the details you have with measurments and all that stuff it would be great discussing stuff. Putting a plan in place, a menu and working with each other's ideas. It would just be fun.
To me it was so good, I had to take a picture...LOL, I have it on my computer at home. I know, I know. I was just so darn tootin proud of myself...I couldn't help it.

Now, the next time I do it, I will make a mango chutney to put on top too.

Canuck wrote:Are you kidding me? From the details you have with measurments and all that stuff it would be great discussing stuff. Putting a plan in place, a menu and working with each other's ideas. It would just be fun.
To me it was so good, I had to take a picture...LOL, I have it on my computer at home. I know, I know. I was just so darn tootin proud of myself...I couldn't help it.

Now, the next time I do it, I will make a mango chutney to put on top too.

Ok, you gotta post the photo... please!

.... what are your thoughts about leg of lamb?