These easy salmon burgers are made with canned salmon, yogurt, breadcrumbs, and a few easy-to-find seasonings. Serve them with an easy avocado sauce!
Do you know what the difference is between salmon cakes, salmon patties, and salmon burgers?
I'm just gonna say it-- there isn't one!
EXCEPT-- maybe sometimes there IS a tiny difference.
And that difference would be-- in how you serve the fish cake.
I'm serving these salmon burgers like a sandwich, with a tasty avocado sauce and some greens.
In other words, I'm serving them on a bun-- burger-style.
If you prefer your fish burgers bun-free-- you can do that too.
Why Use Canned Salmon for Salmon Burgers?
Because it's incredibly easy!
There's no cooking the fish first, or trying to dice raw salmon-- you simply start with a high quality canned salmon.
This recipe works best with canned pink salmon or canned red (Sockeye) salmon.
Once you've got some salmon, you'll mix the salmon with a few other ingredients (like breadcrumbs, spices, yogurt, and an egg)-- and mix it together with a fork.
That's right-- no food processor or any other special equipment needed.
Can I Skip the Egg?
The egg helps bind these salmon burgers together. In other words, it keeps them from falling apart.
So no-- in this recipe, you can't simply leave the egg out.
That said-- there are tons of ways to replace eggs as binders out there. If you try one and it works for you, let me know and I can give it a shot!
Can I Swap the Avocado Sauce for Avocado Slices?
You betcha.
But if you love avocados, give this sauce a try.
You simply blend together (or mash with a fork) a little avocado, yogurt, and lemon juice.
It's finger-lickin' good.
It's also a ridiculously delicious salad dressing-- I use it in this King crab salad.
If you're not an avocado fan, try topping these salmon burgers with the mustard yogurt sauce from this easy salmon patties recipe.
Make a batch, dig in, and then freeze a few salmon burgers for later!
Salmon Burgers with Avocado Sauce
Ingredients
Salmon Fish Cakes:
- 1 can salmon (~7.5oz) Pink or Red (Sockeye) Salmon
- ½ cup plain yogurt (whole milk)
- ⅔ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 twigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 egg
Avocado Sauce:
- ½ cup plain yogurt (whole milk)
- 1 avocado
- 1 lemon, juiced
Salmon Burger Toppings (Optional):
- sandwich buns or sandwich bread
- microgreens
- spinach or lettuce
- tomato
Instructions
- Drain any juice from the salmon can.
- Gently mix 1 TB olive oil, along with the rest of the salmon burger ingredients together with a fork. Mix until incorporated, and then stop. (Do not use a blender or food processor for this step, because you don’t want to purée the fish.)
- Divide the mixture into 4 equal parts, and then use your hands to form 4 patties.
- Chill the patties in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
- While fish cakes chill, add the yogurt, avocado, and lemon juice to a blender and blend until smooth.Alternatively, mash all the ingredients with a fork until smooth. (This version will be less creamy, but still delicious.)
- Heat remaining 1 TB olive oil in a heavy pan. Sear the fish cakes for about 4 minutes per side, or until golden.
- Serve burgers while still hot, along with the avocado sauce and any desired bread or toppings.
- Leftovers:Store leftover patties in the fridge, and use within 1-2 days. Sauce will not keep well, and should be used immediately.Make Ahead + Freeze: Let salmon patties cool, and then wrap individually and tightly with wax paper, plastic wrap, or foil. Store in an air-tight container in the freezer, and use within three months. To reheat, simply unwrap the patties and cook again. Cook until golden. Patties may take 2-3 minutes longer to cook from frozen.Sauce should not be frozen.
Cynthia says
This is a great meal for work nights since its quick and easy. My family and I are not huge avacado fans so I made the dijon mustard yogurt sauce from your salmon patties recipe. It was the perfect thing to give the salmon some extra zippyness.
Sarah says
Yay! I’m so glad you loved them 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!