Kick Butt Salmon Burgers

As I was sitting at my desk today at work, I probably should have been thinking about coefficients of friction and how to improve my MATLAB code, but instead, I was thinking about salmon burgers. I immediately wanted to get home to try out a new recipe I had just formulated in my mind.

And let me tell you--it turned out amazingly. I will never buy store-pre-made-in-a-box-salmon-burgers again!

Ingredients

Two 7.5 oz cans of canned Salmon

3 Tbsp of oat bran

1 egg

1 Tbsp of olive oil

1/4 tsp of garlic powder (or a clove or two of garlic, minced)

1/4 tsp of pepper

1 Tbsp of salsa pureed (optional)

1/4 cup of finely chopped onions

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1 pablano pepper, minced (bell pepper works too if you don't want the spiciness)

4 or 5 basil leaves* chopped

*I was hesitant about the basil, but oh man, it worked perfectly and added a wonderful flavor! 

Directions

* Makes 6 medium sized patties*

1. Drain the cans of salmon and rinse off some of the saltiness and oil (if you want) with water swirled in the can holding the cut lid on. 

2. Dump the salmon into a mixing bowl, pick out any bones you may find, and mash down the salmon to break it up. 

3. Add the oatbran, oil, pepper, garlic, salsa, egg, onion, pablano pepper, cheese, and basil and stir all together until it's mixed well. 

4. Get your skillet warmed up to medium heat with some olive oil.

5. Form patties with your hands as big or small as you'd like and set in frying pan. 

6. Once a quick sear is made, turn down the heat to medium low and cook until nice and browned on each side. Maybe 6 or 7 minutes on each side. It really doesn't matter how long you cook them since the salmon is cooked. Just get them warmed through the middle so the egg cooks a bit and the cheese starts to melt. 

7. Enjoy! 

The patties were a bit crumbly, but easily reform-able. These would also be great on top of a salad or with some rice!

I had to resist seconds.