I love a good burger, but from time to time I need a break from meat and crave something else. Nothing sings out to me more than seared tuna, but if needs must, I will settle with fresh salmon (ho hum its a hard life being a chef;-) It needs more cooking than tuna, but it doesnt want to be over cooked and dried out. A little rawness is perfect and not a hygiene worry as long as the salmon is super fresh
for me the secret to a good burger is three fold, qualty ingredients, great seasoning and that smokiness of flavour that comes from a hard wood fired BBQ
but for these burgers we will use pans and a pre-heated oven. Instead of the normal burger buns we will use what the Americans term 'biscuits' which is a type of scone made with buttermilk. They have a lighter more delicate texture than scones, are easy to produce and DEE-licous! Click on the link below for the recipe
just had a family mini burger night last night, so will post some pics later
mini seared salmon burgers
boneless salmon steak
500
gm
onion - small
1/2
pc
garlic clove
1 - 2
pc
gherkin - large
1
pc
capers
1/2
tbs
coriander - chopped
1/2
tbs
chilli - chopped
1/2
tsp
egg yolk
1
pc
cracked pepper
sq
tomato - beefsteak
2
pc
red onion - small
1
pc
baby lettuce - eg baby gem
1
pc
biscuits - 7cm
12
pc
peel and thinly slice the onion into rings, thinly slice the tomato and pick and wash the lettuce leaves, set aside
cut the biscuits into two or simply pull the top away from the base and set aside
remove the skin and ensure all bones are removed from the salmon, cut into approx 1/2 - 1cm dice
place into in a large bowl, and add the finely dice onion, crushed garlic, finely chopped gherkin, capers and chopped coriander
season with sea salt and freshly milled pepper and bind with the egg yolk
form into 5cm diameter patties (approx 3 cm thick) and place onto a baking tray
place into the freezer for 15 minutes, this will help them retain thier shape
remove and drizzle with a little oil
heat a griddle pan or frying pan over a medium high heat, when hot add the salmon patties
cook until nicely brown on one side and turn over and brown the other side (approx 2 minutes per side)
remove and serve immediately
to serve
place a lettuce leaf on the base of a biscuit, cover with a tomato slice, bacon and slices of avocado
place a burger on top and enclose with the other half of the biscuit
serve with a selection of sauces on the side e.g. thai sweet chilli, mayonnaise, tartare, greek style yogurt, teriyaki or diluted golden miso paste
chef notes
Important - do not over crowd the pan or the temperature of the pan will drop and the burgers will stew in thier own juices. It is far better to cook them in smaller batches
