I know, I know. But for as weird-sounding as salmon burgers are, they are so extremely good.
We’re talking crispy outsides, flaky insides, and a perfect golden color, not to mention lots of nutrition, THANK YOU SALMON.
They are also easy to make and require (usually) minimal, if not zero, grocery shopping, assuming you keep a decently stocked pantry. I love, love, love these crispy pan-fried little guys.
And as if the salmon burgers weren’t good enough already to eat on their own (which, um, they are), I need you to make this slaw to serve your salmon burgers in/on/around. It is nothing fancy – just a shredded cabbage, yogurt, herbs, garlic, and vinegar situation, but paired with the salmon burgers? the crispy-salty-tangy combo is an ON POINT combo. Plus, again with the super nutrition. Plus Sugar Free January friendly.
Let’s Talk Herbs for Salmon Burgers
Dill isn’t really in season at the moment, but I do love to have these salmon burgers with a little dill. You can usually buy it at the grocery store in those little plastic clamshells that cost too much. Know the ones I’m talking about?
But if you’re not super excited about the expensive-winter-dill-in-a-clamshell situation, you can use 1) freeze-dried dill, which I keep in my spice collection year-round, and 2) any other fresh herb! I made a version of these with parsley and cilantro when I didn’t have any dill, and mwah. They were still totally delicious.
Dill would still be my first choice, but as with all my favorite recipes, you can play with that a little bit.
Yes, We’re Using Canned Salmon
And now for the big question. Do you use canned salmon? Subtext: is it gross?
Answer: Yes, I use canned salmon, and NO, it most certainly is not gross in these salmon burgers if you are buying the right stuff.
Fresh salmon that you’ve already cooked would also work if canned salmon is too weird for you. But I’d like to take a moment to assure you that it is very possible to find non-gross canned salmon if you do a little searching and are willing to spend a little extra for higher quality. I really like Wild Planet canned salmon. It is caught in Alaska, and Wild Planet prioritizes sustainability and conservation of marine ecosystems with all their products. Not sponsored, just a superfan. You can also buy it here on Amazon (affiliate link). And because it’s canned, you can just keep it in your pantry and have it at the ready whenever you need a little salmon burger happiness.
God bless pantry meals.
Check out our video for how to make Salmon Burgers:
Salmon Burgers with Slaw
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 burgers 1x
Description
These salmon burgers are THE YUMMIEST! and made with just five ingredients. The best for a quick + easy high protein lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Salmon Burgers
- 12–14 ounces cooked salmon
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, like chives, parsley, or dill
- a squeeze of lemon juice
- olive oil for pan-frying
Cabbage Slaw:
- 1 head green cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2–3 tablespoons white distilled vinegar (more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs like chives, parsley, or cilantro
- a drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
- For the salmon: Flake the salmon apart. Mix all burger ingredients together and form into 3 large or 4 medium patties. Heat olive oil over medium heat, ideally in a nonstick skillet. Fry the burgers for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. Place on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt.
- For the slaw: Mix all slaw ingredients together. Taste and adjust.
- Serve: Serve up those hot salmon burgers on a bed of creamy slaw. I top mine with a dollop of extra yogurt and a swizzle of oil and more herbs. Can’t stop me.
Notes
Breadcrumbs are important here. Panko gives a really nice texture whereas whole wheat breadcrumbs would be a good choice if you want to skip the refined grains. If you use a seasoned breadcrumb mix, reduce the amount of salt in the burgers by about 1/2.
For the salmon, you could use leftover steamed, poached, grilled, baked, whatever kinda salmon. If you don’t have any cooked salmon handy, use canned salmon! That’s what I usually do. I would recommend looking for a brand of canned salmon that is caught in the US. I really, really like Wild Planet for quality canned salmon. You can read more about their sourcing/fishing methods here.
If you happen to have a jar of Sunshine Sauce in your fridge, use that to make the slaw! Just mix cabbage with yogurt, add some Sunshine Sauce, and polish it off with a little dill. Super yummy.
The burgers will keep pretty well in the fridge (~3 days) or freezer (~3 months). When you’re ready to eat, pop them in a nonstick skillet to reheat because it will retain crispiness! The slaw, however, is best eaten right away. It probably has one day max in the fridge once it’s been mixed up.
Gluten Free: We tried three different GF options – almond flour, crushed Chex cereal, and GF oats. All three turned out to be great substitutes, but we liked the smooth texture and flavor of the almond flour version the best. Almond meal would work just as well too.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Fry
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: salmon burgers, seafood burger, dill recipe, seafood recipe, canned salmon
One more thing!
This recipe is part of our best sugar free recipes page. Check it out!
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Not sure one can find sustainable canned salmon in Denmark, but I will definitively go look for it.
If you take suggestions for posts, would you maybe consider making a ‘things always in my pantry’ post. I recently moved alone, and I am not sure how to stock my kitchen.
Kind regards from Denmark, and happy belated birthday to Afton!
Ditto! Love the idea of a pantry post!
I’ll be looking for sustainable salmon in Germany, too. Fingers crossed!
This was my first time using canned salmon and I have to admit, I was skeptical. They were so delicious!! Will definitely be adding these to our regular rotation. Such a quick, satisfying dinner.
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These are such a good idea for a quick and tasty dinner! I added some Cajun seasoning and will mix in diced bell pepper next time. Definitely going to start keeping canned salmon on hand.
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YUM!
Ugh, I really hate canned tuna, but maaaaybe you’ve convinced me to try canned salmon? Or maybe I’ll just buy fresh 😉. Amyway, thanks for the recipe!
yesss pantry friendly meals are the best and im totally digging this combo!
These look AMAZING! I really love your photography. I use canned salmon a lot and love it:) I don’t think it’s gross at all. I always have canned fish in my cupboard for back pocket recipes. It’s a healthy hack.
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I am such a fan of salmon burgers… and dill… so am loving this recipe! Thanks Lindsay!
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Thank you SO much for trying out a GF option for us. I think my tastebuds and yours are related. I love pretty much every recipe you have come up with and it’s always a joy when I don’t have to mess around with them to make them GF.
So excited about the salmon burger recipe with slaw. No need for canned salmon from the store when you live in Alaska and have a fabulous son in law who keeps you supplied with salmon! Yippee!
Thank you for the recommendation on a type of canned salmon that isn’t awful. The grayish, slimy, nasty situation going on in most canned salmon is totally revolting to me. I’ve never actually been to Whole Foods (gasp!), but I would venture there just for canned salmon that was delicious.
This looks delish and quick and easy! I’ve been reluctant to try canned fish other than tuna but you’ve convinced me to give it a try. It does make sense to have it in the pantry.
We love salmon burgers at our house, so I don’t think they are weird. 🙂 I have never served them with slaw, but I think it i s a great idea. Great recipe!
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Oh yum! I’m putting this one on my To-Do List. My mama used to make tuna cakes when I was little. I love salmon, so I know these are good. 🙂
One of my & my husband’s go to meals is similar to this – a salmon patty recipe (that includes some finely diced green bell pepper for extra crunch & nutrients) + braised red cabbage (only 5 ingredients: cabbage, butter, onion powder, apple cider vinegar, water). We get our canned salmon at Costco. So good!
Are these based off of the Food Network salmon burgers that you posted about on Instagram awhile back? (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/salmon-burgers-with-green-apple-slaw-3894917). I saved that recipe because it looked good to me — I like that you cut the green apple (didn’t seem appealing to me, either). Would add a little tiny sugar or honey to the slaw to round it out.
These sound really great. Thanks for the inspiration.
I have one recipe that I grew up with that uses canned salmon. It’s essentially a salmon loaf, but my kids gobble it up. We will definitely try this, because I’d love to learn more things to make with canned salmon.
And yes, it is gross picking out some of the bones, but so cheap, so healthy, so easy!
Could these be baked in the oven instead of pan-fried?
I don’t see why not! 🙂
These actually sound really good. I love using slaw on burgers!
This looks amazing! I am definitely gonna try this on the family. 😀
like a big crab cake, I like it and even without a bun (preferred anyway) thank you for this recipe and like the cabbage slaw too!
Omg I need this right now! might try this (:
Yum ! Will definitely give it a try this week ! Any dairy-free alternative for Greek Yogourt ?
We don’t have any idea that come to mind – but you could maybe possible omit so the dressing is more like a vinaigrette?
Coconut yogurt? You could also try soy sour cream if you’re not opposed to soy.
Thanks for the recipe inspiration! Finally got around to trying this- turned out great!
Fyi- I subbed instant mashed potato flakes for the bread crumbs and it worked well 💜
Also added a bit of sugar to the slaw (personal pref.), and made a sauce to top out of Greek yogurt, a little mayo, smoked paprika, garlic powder, Frank’s hot sauce, and lemon juice.
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Glad you enjoyed this, Anna!
For those who hate canned tuna, canned salmon is way better … especially cooked, I am SOOOO excited to try this recipe. Second the idea to make more “basic pantry” posts.
I love everything Ive tried from you … thank you!
This looks so good! I adore salmon. I’ll have to look for fresh, though, because we don’t have a Whole Foods by us and I really don’t need 12 cans of salmon delivered to my house. 😉 Sadly, I’m the only one in the house who will eat salmon, but I’ll just have to save this recipe for boys’ night out! Thanks for sharing!
Do you have a Fred Meyer? I just looked at their app and they say they have the brand she mentioned. 🙂
This is my kind of food, I love Salmon any way you fix it….can’t wait to fix both recipes…I always use Mayonnaise in my cole slaw, but will try it this way for a change….. giving it a 5* because I know it will be 🙂 just found your website I think, I belong to so many blogs, can’t keep up with them all…..So what was for dessert ? I just made Banana Nut Bread today…..pretty yummy, and the heat from the oven sure felt good…..:)
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Love Salmon Burgers! They’re just to simple to make. I particularly like the slaw you’ve got to go with yours Lindsay.
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