Salmon Burgers, etc.

I think that just reading my blog gives the impression that we only eat pork chops fried in lard, with butter sauce. That is totally not true. It's just that so many of the things we eat are so easy to make that I feel stupid even giving the recipe. This isn't a good heuristic for evaluating recipes, though, since lots of people want recipes that are super-easy. And so...

Salmon Burgers

1 lb (450 g) salmon filet
1 red onion, chopped finely
1 T minced ginger
2 T teriyaki sauce
2 T mayonnaise (scant)
1/2 c chopped cilantro
2 t sesame oil
2/3 c plain breadcrumbs
salt, pepper, chili pepper
[optional: flour; a beaten egg; a plate full of panko breadcrumbs)

1. Remove pin bones from salmon, if needed, and chop finely. (I recommend chopping it into small strips and then chopping the strips across with a big chef's knife. I don't think the food processor would be good.)

2. Mix all ingredients together. Form into patties. They will seem a bit coming apart-y, but they will firm up when cooked.

3. Either fry the patties in a lightly-greased non-stick pan (my choice tonight), or bake them in a 375-degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or give them the full anglaise treatment (dredging each patty in flour, shaking off the excess, dipping it in the beaten egg, and then in the panko) and either bake as above (very nice) or go the hell on and fry in 2 inches of peanut oil. Needless to say this last option is the tastiest, but not by much, so feel virtuous and avoid it, if you like.

This makes an awesome sandwich on a good whole-wheat roll, with a pickle made of thinly sliced cucumber, shallot, and chillies. But how about:

Steamed Carrots:

peel carrots and cut into rounds on the diagonal, put in a microwave-safe bowl
grate 1/2 inch ginger and put in bowl
add 2 T water to the carrots
cover with plastic wrap; microwave for 4 minutes or so, till tender
add salt, pepper, 2 t butter, and 1 t maple syrup

Brown Rice with Sesame:

1 c brown rice
1/2 c raw sesame seeds
1 T peanut oil
1/2 t sesame oil
1 c (or 2 c, see below) chicken broth or water

1. Toast sesame seeds in a dry, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes, till golden brown.

2. Add peanut oil and rice to pan; cook 2-3 minutes more, till rice is fragrant.

3. Add sesame oil and broth to rice mixture; bring to boil and then transfer to a rice cooker; cook till done (about 30 minutes). If you don't have a rice cooker, then add 2 c broth rather than one, and cook over low heat for 50 minutes, then let stand covered for 10 minutes. Fluff and serve. Mmmm, hippie-ish. (But good!)

See Mandos; it's not all about the lard. Who loves you, baby! And woof! Gotta give you something to eat every now and again ;)

Comments

[Mandos]

Now THAT burger looks cool! A salmon burger might just hit the spot, especially since the very unhappy discovery that two pounds of shrimp (not kosher either, but perfectly halal according to majority vote) had gone bad in my freezer...or more likely, had gone bad before they reached my freezer. And I had gotten the OTHER ingredients ready for Thai red curry. I was tempted to eat them anyway out of spite, but I was afraid they'd kill me or something.

[Mandos]

My mother actually makes something very similar, actually, only with tuna, and with a far more Pakistani twist. They're called "cutlets" except they have nothing to do with what people mean by cutlets in the West. Using fish was her innovation.

[Russell Arben Fox]

Great recipe, Belle; I love salmon burgers. Next time we make them I'll have to take your advice and try adding some teriyaki.

[Paula Helm Murray]

Well, if you were to read Seantaclaus' LJ, we'd be awash in cheesecake in our house. Alas, we have more nights like tonight where we all go - "fark it, we've got enough things in the fridge.... we'll hunt." (It helps that we've four adults and no children, children really really need to eat regularly to be healthy ...) That there are things like barbecue pulled pork and chicken ready to go, as well as a couple kinds of fresh sausage helps though. I scrambled a couple of eggs.

I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog, this is he first time I've ever commented. Keep up the good work.

[woof]

Thank you, darling. I am a firm believer in the chop-it-up-and-fry-it school of leftovers.

[Another Damned Medievalist]

For the first time, I must disagree. Burgers and other patty-like objects are horrible things to do to a poor salmon. Good wild salmon is too nice to alter much, and farmed salmon is a tool of the devil that should be boycotted out of existence ...