These flaky salmon burgers are rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and filled with flavor. Try them plain or jazzed up with spicy sauce and zesty slaw. 

I love fish and seafood or all kinds, but my most recent obsession is pouched and canned salmon. My fixation started a few months ago at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Association Annual meeting. I was a speaker at the conference, and part of my honorarium was admission to the conference, including lunch. That’s the first time I tried pouched salmon. I fell in love!

My long -time colleague Laura Ali was there working on behalf of Starfish Tuna, which happens to be a Pittsburgh-based company. Lunch was as a salad buffet filled with loads of colorful vegetables and salad toppings to choose from. At the end of the buffet line was the protein options – a variety of tuna and salmon pouches compliments of Starfish tuna.

At the time, I had never tried the salmon pouch. I was so in. I couldn’t get over what a clever idea this was. As someone who lives on the go, I was so excited over this new meal on the go idea. These pouches are shelf stable, so anytime I needed a quick protein for my salad, all I have to do it rip, dump and eat. Genius!

A few weeks later, I received a package in the mail from Trident Seafoods. It included some educational materials as well as some samples. Yes – more salmon! Receiving food samples just happens to be a huge perk of my job. I can’t complain! 

This time I was sent a can of wild Alaskan salmon. Before my pouched salmon experience, I had only eaten salmon fillets. I was missing out by not including pouched and canned salmon in my diet. Let me tell you why.

I love salmon fillet, but when you live on the go, preparing fresh fish is not always a possibility. Keeping a few cans and flavorful pouches of salmon in your panty means you can have it anytime you want, and you have options. Add it to a salad, top it crackers, scoop it up with carrots, or make a salmon burger!

Which brings me to this post. I’ve made salmon burgers out of leftover salmon fillet, but I wanted to see if canned salmon would taste just as good. So, it was time to test it out.

Whether you already love salmon, or you are trying to eat more fish, you’ll love these simple salmon burgers with slaw.  

Be sure to keep a few pouches and cans of salmon in your pantry for days you don’t have any fresh protein to prepare. That way, you can whip up a delicious, healthy meal in minutes without needing to run to the store.

All you do is combine salmon, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, fresh cilantro, lime juice and lite mayonnaise. I add a bit of salt and pepper, too.

Once the ingredients are combines, form them into patties and pan-sear them in some olive oil.

You can also make these salmon burgers using leftover salmon fillets from a dinner.

The best part about these salmon burgers is that they can be made simple – as a burger on a bun or over simple slaw. I like to jazz them up by topping them with a spicy sauce, so I included the directions for both below.

They’re a delicious way to get your daily dose of omega-3s!

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Simple Salmon Burgers with Spicy Sauce

These flaky salmon burgers are rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and filled with flavor. Try them plain or jazzed up with spicy sauce and zesty slaw. 

Servings: 2 Burgers

Author: Heather Mangieri, RDN

Ingredients

• 1 6 ounce canned or pouched salmon
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp onion, diced
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise, lite
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp olive oil (for pan searing)
• 2 tbsp sour cream, light (for spicy sauce)
• 1-2 drops Habenero Sauce (for spicy sauce)
• 3 cups shredded cabbage (for the slaw)
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots (for the slaw)
• 1/4 cup lite mayonnaise (for the slaw)
• 1/12 tsp salt (for the slaw)
• 1/8 tsp pepper (for the slaw)

Instructions

• Combine canned salmon, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, onion and cilantro in a bowl and stir until well combined.
• Combine mixture into 2 patties.
• Warm olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium-high heat for ~5-6 minutes on each side.
• Spicy Sauce: combine sour cream, plain Greek yogurt and Habenero sauce.
• To Make the Creamy Slaw: combine the shredded cabbage, carrots, salt, pepper and mayonnaise in a bowl, then store in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour
• Serve salmon patties over on a bed of creamy slaw and topped with ~ 2 tbsp. spicy sauce and cilantro.

Notes

• Recipe makes 2 burgers

 

• Nutrition Facts(per patty and 2 tbsp spicy sauce):310 calories, 14 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 26 g protein, 17 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 960 mg sodium, 6% daily calcium, 10% daily iron, 8% daily potassium.

 

• Nutrition Facts (with 1 cup slaw): 400 calories, 20 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 27 g protein, 24 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 1160 mg sodium, 8% daily calcium, 10% daily iron, 10% daily potassium.

 

• Meal Planning Servings (without slaw): 1 CHO; 4 PRO; 3.5 FAT
• Meal Planning Servings (with slaw): 1.5 CHO; 4 PRO; 5 FAT

 

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