Here’s the salmon burgers recipe you need! They’re easy and have the best flavor: each bite is perfection slathered with remoulade sauce.

Salmon burger recipe

Here’s an impressive dinner idea that’s calling your name: this irresistible Salmon Burgers recipe! These burgers are so deliciously satisfying, we’re kicking ourselves this hasn’t been part of our dinnertime repertoire until now. Each bite is hearty and juicy, topped with a creamy remoulade sauce that takes it to rockstar status. This is a great way to feel like you’re eating red meat, without the meat! It’s every bit as satisfying, we think.

The keys to great salmon burgers

Salmon burgers are a great healthy alterative to red meat. Or if you’re someone like us, they’re a splurge to compliment our 90% plant-based diet! We’d resigned ourselves to veggie burgers forever, until this salmon burger came along. Our entire family gave it 5 stars! Here’s what to know about making this salmon burger recipe:

  • You’ll use raw salmon. No need to pre-cook it! You can use any type of salmon, though of course the better the salmon the better the flavor. Want to use canned salmon? Go to Easy Salmon Cakes.
  • A food processor is handy, but a knife works too! Whiz the dough to get the right texture: or you can use a knife to finely chop.
  • Refrigerate before cooking. Firming the burgers for 15 minutes does wonders for the texture.
  • Pan fry for 5 minutes per side. Then it’s a quick pan fry in healthy olive oil. It comes out lightly crispy on the outside and browned to perfection.
Salmon burger recipe

Best salmon to buy

One think we like about this salmon burgers recipe: because you’re adding seasoning and shaping it into patties, you don’t need the most expensive, beautiful fillet. You can get away with lower quality salmon in a burger! But like any recipe, the better the raw ingredients the better the flavor. Here’s what we’d recommend for this recipe:

  • Fresh salmon is best. You can find decent frozen salmon. But for the very best salmon, buy it fresh from your local seafood counter.
  • Buy wild caught salmon. Fish that is wild caught in your country is usually a sustainable choice. There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide.

Salmon burger sauce ideas!

Once you’ve cooked up your salmon burger, pair it with a tasty and delicious sauce for maximum deliciousness! Here we’ve gone classic with a traditional Remoulade Sauce. But there are so many options, each with a different vibe. Salmon burger sauce ideas to try are:

  1. Remoulade sauce, a traditional French and Cajun mayo-based sauce (our top pick!)
  2. Tartar sauce, a common seafood sauce
  3. Lemon dill sauce, for a Mediterranean spin
  4. Creamy cilantro sauce, a zingy dairy-free option
  5. Cilantro lime ranch, a creamy cilantro-based ranch
  6. Dill sauce or Cucumber sauce, Greek-yogurt based Mediterranean sauces
  7. Horseradish sauce, creamy with a spicy bite!
  8. Spicy mayo, mayo with zing
  9. Special burger sauce, all your favorite condiments in one
Salmon burger sauce
Remoulade is the ideal salmon burger sauce

Salmon burger toppings

Once you pick a sauce, you can customize your salmon burger toppings to go with the theme. There are so many great ideas, so we’ve got a separate list going! Here’s what we used, and a few more ideas:

What’s panko?

These salmon burgers use panko to hold them together. Not used to working with this ingredient? Here’s what to know:

  • Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb mixture that is airier and lighter than traditional breadcrumbs. We like using panko because it’s light and crunchy, and makes a great texture.
  • Need a substitute? You can use coarse breadcrumbs or even homemade breadcrumbs.
  • Is all you can find regular breadcrumbs? Use only ½ cup instead of ¾ cup panko, because regular breadcrumbs are very finely ground.
Salmon burger

How to make this recipe gluten-free

Can you make these salmon burgers free? Yes. Here’s what to do:

  • Look for gluten-free panko or breadcrumbs in stores or online. It’s pretty easy to find these days!
  • Try a gluten free breadcrumb substitute like rolled oats or crushed gluten free crackers.
  • Use a gluten free bun, or try these bread substitutes.

What to serve with a salmon burger

Want to make it a meal? Here’s what we’d serve with these tasty salmon burgers to make them a meal:

Salmon burger toppings
Try salmon burger toppings like guacamole and pico de gallo

This salmon burgers recipe is…

Pescatarian and dairy-free. For gluten free, see the notes above.

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Salmon burger recipe

*Best* Salmon Burger Recipe


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes (+15 minutes chill)
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 burgers 1x

Description

Here’s the salmon burgers recipe you need! They’re easy and have the best flavor: each bite is perfection slathered with remoulade sauce. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound salmon, skin and bones removed
  • ½ cup fresh parsley or cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ cup panko or coarse breadcrumbs (gluten free if desired)*
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • Olive oil, for cooking
  • ½ cup Remoulade Sauce or another salmon burger sauce (see above)
  • For serving: Bun, red onion, tomato, lettuce

Instructions

  1. Remove the salmon skin and cut the raw salmon into chunks. Add it to a food processor with parsley or cilantro, capers, onion powder and kosher salt. Pulse 8 to 10 times until roughly chopped; be careful not to over-process. (Alternatively, chop everything with a large chef’s knife until it has a uniformly roughly chopped texture.) Remove blade and stir in the panko, Dijon mustard and mayonnaise (you can do this in either the bowl of the food processor or transfer to a bowl). 
  2. Form the dough into 4 burger shapes that are about ¾ inch thick. Refrigerate 15 to 30 minutes to firm up the texture (or up to 24 hours; if you refrigerate more than 1 hour, allow to stand at 15 minutes before cooking). While the burgers rest, make the Remoulade Sauce.
  3. When ready to cook, you can pan fry or grill: Coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Add the burgers and cook for 4 to 5 minutes total, until browned on each side and the inside registers 130 degrees Fahrenheit on a food thermometer. Or, grill the burgers on medium high heat for 5 to 8 minutes until cooked through.
  4. Serve on a bun garnished lettuce, tomato, red onion, and Remoulade Sauce or other salmon burger sauce. Make ahead and storage: Store refrigerated up to 2 days, or wrap in freezer safe wrapping and freeze up to 3 months. Allow to defrost in the refrigerator the night before cooking. 

Notes

*If all you can find is regular breadcrumbs, use ½ cup since they are much finer ground than panko. 

  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Seafood

Keywords: Salmon burger recipe, Salmon burger sauce

More favorite salmon recipes

Salmon is one of our top choices when it comes to fish and seafood! Here are a few more salmon recipes to enjoy:

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

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5 Comments

  1. Loved these. My kids did too. Have u ever made the Patties and frozen them for use later. Our salmon comes frozen. I worry about refreezing it but would love to take these up to our cabin pre made

    1. Great question! You can make the burgers in advance — must make sure to cook them too! Then freeze the cooked burgers wrapped in plastic. Let them defrost in the fridge overnight, then you can reheat them lightly in a skillet. Good luck!