In the quest for a real good fish burger I turned my thoughts to using ground ‘fresh’ salmon. Living in the ‘prairie’ Province of Alberta, here in Canada, the most economical way to buy fish is either canned, frozen or smoked. The fresh fish we buy in our grocery stores here has to travel somewhat before it gets to us. Definitely, it goes without saying that the flavor is not going to be what people living on the coast experience. Nevertheless, with a little ingenuity we make it work. Brion and I both enjoy to have fish or seafood at least a couple of times a week.
To complete my ‘stuffed burger series’, I’ve made a a serious attempt to come up with a Mushroom-Cheese Stuffed Salmon Burger. I like the idea of putting a filling in between the salmon meat patties. So often fish burgers are deep-fried and overcooked, resembling the taste of what I imagine cardboard would taste like. Using fresh mushrooms and cheese certainly makes for a nice moist burger. Then just to make it a little more ‘gourmet’, top it off with a dollop of Fresh Cucumber-Dill Sauce.
Hopefully, out of the seven options, you were able to find at least one that will become a favorite at your house. By using some of these strategies to save you time, effort and money you will be able to get the most out of those wonderful days of summer ahead.
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Stuffed Salmon Burgers with Fresh Cucumber-Dill Sauce
A flavorful moist stuffing compliments the fresh salmon in this burger which is equally as good served with rice instead of a bun.
The cucumber-dill sauce works as a good condiment in either case.
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Rating: 5
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Rate this recipe!
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Instructions
Cucumber-Dill sauce
In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Mushroom-Cheese Stuffing
In a saucepan, melt butter & saute mushrooms with onions until golden. Add the garlic & saute for one more minute. Season with thyme, salt & pepper. Remove from heat, drain any excess liquids from sauteed mushrooms; chop the cooked mushrooms into small pieces. Add bread & cheese to mixture. Set aside.
Salmon Patties
In a bowl, combine all salmon patty ingredients; mix well. Shape into 12 patties. Divide filling among half of the patties. Top with remaining 6 patties & press gently to seal edges enclosing all the filling.
Preheat barbecue grill to a medium heat. Place salmon burgers on a sheet of greased aluminum foil or in a foil baking dish. Set pan on barbecue & cook for 6-8 minutes on each side or until burger is cooked through. Serve on lightly grilled Ciabatta buns with Cucumber-Dill sauce.
Recipe Notes
- Like in the case of some of the other burger choices, I made up a double recipe of the salmon patties ahead of time. Scoop them into an air-tight plastic container; cover them well with plastic wrap & freeze. When you want to serve, make the stuffing & sauce for however many your cooking, thaw some salmon 'scoops' & flatten into patties. Fill & cook as directed. Fast & easy, works for me!
For as long as I can remember, I personally have had a love affair with the ‘Big Sur’ coastline in California, USA. The spectacular beauty of this rugged 145 km (90 mile) coastline, with the natural drama playing out between land and sea is breathtaking.
Over the years many of our vacations have either been in this area or it has made a fabulous ending to a long flight coming back from Europe, before returning home to Canada.
One of the special memories I have from this vicinity was the quaint little European-style village of Carmel-by-the-Sea, located about 190 km (120 miles) from San Francisco.
Some 30 years ago, actor Clint Eastwood, was elected mayor of Carmel for a two-year term. During that time he opened a restaurant/bar there called the ‘Hogs Breath Inn’. You had to enter it through a long , cobblestone alley corridor. The outdoor patio was nestled between the restaurant and the bar. A massive wall mural and numerous stone fireplaces all added tremendously to the wonderful ambiance. It was here that I first tasted a Portobello Mushroom Burger.
Every time Brion and I have returned to Carmel, we have made a point of eating lunch at the Hogs Breath Inn, just so I could taste that burger again. The Portobello mushroom seemed to have been marinated and then grilled on a barbecue. On top of it were some battered onion rings, lettuce and tomato. All of this came in a grilled Ciabatta bun with pickles and a side dish of your choice.
Of course, never having been someone who could just leave it at that, I had to see if I could push this idea just a bit further. Along came some more recipes for the ‘Stuffed Burger Series’. If you like these ingredients, I think you will really enjoy them.
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Portobello Mushroom Burgers
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Ingredients
Seafood-Avocado Portobello Mushroom Burgers
- 2 Tbsp butter,
- 2 leeks, finely chopped all of white & part of green
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 avocados, large, peeled & mashed
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 2 pieces sun-dried tomato, chopped fine
- 120 grams crabmeat
- 120 grams shrimpmeat
- 1/4 cup Zesty Italian dressing
- 30 grams Parmesan cheese
- 55 grams Asiago cheese, shredded
- 30 grams mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 6 Portobello mushrooms, large
- 6 Ciabatta buns or your choice
Spinach-Cheese Portobello Mushroom Burgers
Ingredients
Seafood-Avocado Portobello Mushroom Burgers
- 2 Tbsp butter,
- 2 leeks, finely chopped all of white & part of green
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 avocados, large, peeled & mashed
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 2 pieces sun-dried tomato, chopped fine
- 120 grams crabmeat
- 120 grams shrimpmeat
- 1/4 cup Zesty Italian dressing
- 30 grams Parmesan cheese
- 55 grams Asiago cheese, shredded
- 30 grams mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 6 Portobello mushrooms, large
- 6 Ciabatta buns or your choice
Spinach-Cheese Portobello Mushroom Burgers
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Seafood-Avocado Filling
Remove brown gills from the undersides of mushrooms using a spoon; discard gills. Remove stems, reserve for another use if desired. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add leek & garlic, & saute until tender. Remove from heat; cool.
Gently combine mashed avocado with next 7 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir into cooled leek mixture.
Dip round side of mushroom caps into Italian dressing; drain slightly. Arrange rounded sides down in a foil baking dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese evenly into mushroom caps; then top evenly with seafood/avocado mixture, pressing filling to compact slightly. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover & refrigerate if making in advance.)
Preheat oven or barbecue to 350 F. Combine Asiago & mozzarella cheese; sprinkle mushrooms with cheese mixture. Place foil baking dish with mushrooms in oven or on barbecue. Bake until tender & filling begins to brown, about 35 minutes. If necessary, cover loosely with aluminum foil so tops don't burn. Serve on slightly grilled Ciabatta buns. Serves 6
Spinach-Cheese Filling
Remove brown gills & stems from mushrooms. Dip round side of mushroom caps in Italian dressing; arrange, rounded side down, in a foil baking pan. Preheat oven or barbecue grill to 400 F.
Place spinach in a microwave safe bowl, sprinkle with a few drops of water & microwave on high for one minute. Chop cooked spinach; mix with cheddar & cottage cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Spread spinach mixture onto prepared mushroom caps.
Bake in oven or on barbecue until mushrooms are tender, about 12 minutes. Nice served on slightly grilled wholewheat buns. Serves 4
