Salmon Burgers with Cilantro Mayo

"I would eat these over beef burgers any day."

That is what Scot said.  He isn't a meat only kind of guy (you know the guys I am talking about...when asked what kind of burger they want, they answer, "animal"), but it does still say a lot about these burgers.  They were reallll good.

Scot and I had a little incident last night with our beef burgers.  We were so excited to eat the burgers on the homemade buns, that we were both chowing down.  Then, we both realized that our burgers were completely raw.  And that we bought ground sirloin on manager's special.  And that we both had a stomach ache.  We spent most of dinner talking about how and when we were going to get sick.  Wondering if it would be a 12 hour food poisoning or just a quicky.  And I am a medium/medium rare kind of girl, so don't be thinkin' we are just babies.  It was like eating uncooked ground beef.  Whoops!  

Well, turns out, we could handle it.  We survived!

These salmon burgers were a refreshing change from last night's catastrophe.  First, they were cooked.  Bonus!  Second, they were perfect with the homemade buns.  Third, they were seriously amazing.  Perfect with the cilantro mayo.  It has that fish sandwich flavor combo that we all love.  

I didn't follow the recipe exactly...but kind of.  Hard to say.  I did add some chopped green onion and cilantro to the salmon mixture.  The burgers stay together pretty well, but you do have to be careful with forming and flipping.  If they really aren't working for you, add more panko or egg, as necessary.  It also helps to fry in a bit more oil than you might want to.  Kind of seals the deal.  

Salmon Burgers with Cilantro Mayo

from Annie’s Eats adapted from Paula Deen via Food Network

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

6 tbsp. panko bread crumbs

1 clove garlic, grated

1 lb. salmon fillets, skinned, boned and finely chopped

1 large egg, lightly beaten

11/2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. salt

1-2 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil

For the cilantro mayo:

1 clove garlic, grated

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup cilantro

Dash of cayenne pepper

Squeeze of lemon juice

For serving:

Burger buns

Green lettuce

Sliced red onion

Sliced tomatoes

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the diced bell pepper, panko, garlic and salmon. In a small bowl combine the egg, soy sauce, lemon juice and salt. Add the liquid mixture to the bowl with the salmon and toss gently until well incorporated. Form the mixture into four equal patties.

To make the cilantro mayo, combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined and smooth.

Lightly coat a grill pan or skillet with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Heat over medium high heat until hot. Cook the patties about 5 minutes per side, until cooked through.

Place the burgers on the buns, spreading one side of the bun with the cilantro mayo. Top as desired with lettuce, onion and tomato.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 10 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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