Look, I know it’s been a year since I started this here blog. [Insert Excuses.]

Here is a recipe for something that allows me to eat salmon twice a week.

For those of you who don’t know me personally, which at this point in my blogging career is probably nobody, my husband is a commercial troller. Plus, we like to fish recreationally. So because half of the adults in our house catch fish, specifically Salmon, for a living + catching more fish for fun = a metric buttload of salmon in our chest freezer. “How is this a problem?” You may ask, because Wild Salmon is at least $8.99/lb where you live.

Because Salmon, no matter what VooDoo you do, always tastes like salmon. If you eat it twice a year, this isn’t a big deal. If you are trying to eat it twice a week, it gets old. Really. Fast. (If you are pregnant, married to a commercial troller who has to process 5-gallon buckets of salmon every week then you may dry heave while vacuum sealing that precious commodity.)

Hence my discovery of fresh/raw salmon burgers. They taste like salmon, kind of, but don’t feel like you are eating salmon. Plus the recipe is pretty versatile. Unlike several salmon cake/burger recipes this uses raw salmon that you then cook like you would a Red Meat Burger. It ends up with a better texture and isn’t a dry hockey puck of salmon+mayonnaise that can happen if you use cooked salmon. (Using up leftover salmon is a whole ‘nother discussion that I would like other people to chime in on.)

So here you go. This recipe doesn’t have exact measurements because it is based on chunks of salmon that get pulled out of the freezer. I adapted it from numerous versions available on The Interbob, most notably from Cooks Illustrated. If you have questions email me or leave a comment and I will try to help.

This recipe works without eggs because you turn those organized salmon proteins into a sticky mess that holds these things together. (Those are actual science words. I should know. I do science for a living.)

Basic Salmon Burgers

1 chunk of salmon pulled from your freezer, maybe 1 to 1.5 pounds (The fattier fish do the best with this so I suggest using King/Chinook or Sockeye.) Skinned then cut into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes.

1 shallot, cut into quarters

2-ish tablespoons mustard (I use Dijon but Western Family Yellow is ok)

1/4-ish cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup finely diced herbs (I use a mixture of chives and italian parsley because that’s what grows without any problem in my garden)

1/2 cup panko

Salt and Pepper to taste

Put the shallot into your food processor. Pulse it a couple of times until it is a coarse dice approximation. Add 1/4 of the cubed salmon. Process this into a pink-slime paste. mmm-mm Pink slime. Add mustard and mayonnaise and pulse until combined. (feel free to increase or decrease mustard and mayo for your tastes.)

Add the rest of the salmon to the food processor and pulse a few times so that everything is mixed. Dump the salmon into a bowl and fold in herbs and panko. Add salt and pepper in whatever quantity you find appetizing.

Divide the mixture into evenly-sized patties. They tend to be 1/2 to 3/4 cup in size. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet, flatten, and place in the freezer for up to 20 minutes.

Cook the burgers using your desired method. Grill is great, but also fried in butter in a cast iron pan is good.

Serve on bun of your choice with a fancy mayonnaise or whatever. I add capers, lemon, and parsley to mayonnaise. Stuff lettuce in there too so combat all the mayonnaise.

I have doubled this recipe to have some burgers ready to go in the freezer for when I get home from work and don’t want to cook but am feeling too fancy for another Newman’s Own frozen pizza. It’s easy to overload a food processor, though, mine maxes out at about 2-ish pounds of salmon.