Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pickled Vegetables — In a saucepan, combine water, vinegar, sugar, and minced garlic. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Pickled Vegetables — Remove from heat and add the sliced cucumbers, jalapeños, and red chili peppers to the hot liquid.
- Pickled Vegetables — Let stand for at least 30 minutes to pickle, then drain and set aside.
- Burgers — In a large bowl, combine the finely chopped salmon, panko bread crumbs, green onions, cilantro, 1 tbsp teriyaki sauce, and sriracha sauce. Stir well until fully mixed.
- Burgers — Add the egg white and mix gently until the mixture just comes together (don't overmix).
- Burgers — Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form patties the size of hamburger buns.
- Burgers — Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Burgers — Add salmon patties to the hot skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes until the bottom is golden brown and a nice crust forms.
- Burgers — Flip salmon patties carefully and cook for 3 minutes.
- Burgers — Baste the patties with additional teriyaki sauce and cook for an additional 2 minutes until the salmon is cooked through (internal temperature should reach 145°F).
- Assembly — Toast the hamburger buns lightly if desired.
- Assembly — Place a salmon patty on the bottom bun.
- Assembly — Layer with micro greens or lettuce.
- Assembly — Top with a generous portion of the pickled cucumber, jalapeño, and chili pepper mixture.
- Assembly — Drizzle additional teriyaki sauce over the top.
- Assembly — Cover with the top bun and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Notes
- Knife over food processor — Finely chop the salmon by hand for the best texture. A food processor turns it into paste — you lose the coarse bite that gives the patty character.
- Keep it cold — If the salmon mixture starts warming up while you're forming patties, chill it for 5 minutes. Warm fat smears and makes the mixture sticky and hard to shape cleanly.
- Don't move the patties — Once they hit the hot skillet, leave them. Moving them early breaks the crust before it sets. Wait until the bottom releases naturally, 3-5 minutes in.
- Make the pickle ahead — The pickled vegetables hit peak flavor around the 2-hour mark. If you can start them the night before, do it. They hold for a week in the fridge.
- Bun selection matters — A brioche or potato roll handles moisture better than a standard hamburger bun, which goes soggy fast under the teriyaki glaze. Toast either way.
- Shoestring fries work well here — the salt and crunch hold up against the sweet heat of the burger. Seasoned sweet potato fries are solid if you want the contrast to lean slightly sweeter.
- An Asian slaw — shredded cabbage, julienned carrots, sesame oil, rice vinegar, a touch of ginger — is the textural complement this burger is asking for. Keep it sharp and underdressed. The teriyaki glaze has enough sweetness already.
- For a lighter spread, edamame with flaky salt or a seaweed salad rounds out the plate without competing with the burger. If you're serving a group, set the extra pickled vegetables and teriyaki sauce on the table — people will want to rebuild.
- Raw salmon patties are best used the day they're made. They'll hold in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before cooking, but don't freeze the raw mixture — the texture breaks down on thaw.
- Cooked burgers keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. Store patties separate from the buns and pickled vegetables. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat — you'll recover some crust that a microwave can't give back.
- The pickled vegetables are the exception: they improve with time. Keep them in the pickling liquid in a sealed container and they'll hold for up to a week.