Healthy and delicious salmon burgers with lemon dill sauce. You won’t believe how simple and quick it is to prepare and grill at home!
It’s hard not to enjoy an excellent, and juicy Angus half pound burger with hickory smoked bacon and thick cut cheddar cheese (okay maybe that’s just what I’m craving), however sometimes it’s nice to try something a little lighter yet still satisfying.
I’ve often grilled portioned salmon fillets for burgers, but I wanted to incorporate more flavor into the actual fish itself this time. The best way to do that is to create your own homemade salmon patties! It’s so simple and holds together very nicely on the grill.
I was surprised how easy it is to create salmon patties, I’ve seen them sold at Costco and Trader Joe’s thinking that they were a great idea, yet looked a little boring. So to bump up the flavor of the salmon patties. I incorporated some common ingredients that compliment this fish very nicely; lemon and dill.
I hope you give my salmon burgers with lemon dill sauce a try, it’s a great healthier meal option!
To keep the salmon patties moist and flavorful I added mustard, shallots, capers, dill and breadcrumbs into the ground salmon. The breadcrumbs help to keep the patties tender and stay together as they are being cooked, almost like a meatball. To enhance the flavor in the patty, perfect. I added fresh dill, basil, shallots, lemon, mustard and spicy cayenne pepper to the mayonnaise base.
The bun is also just as important, as it sandwiches all of the ingredients together in one happy package. I used King’s Hawaiian bread hamburger buns that I toasted on the grill. If you haven’t tried them before, you’re missing out!
You can add any additional fixings that you like to make your salmon burgers, even more, tasty. I like to add crisp bibb lettuce, sliced red onions, creamy avocado, and ripe tomatoes. My father-in-law doesn’t eat red meat, so I’m excited to make these salmon burgers for their next visit!
How do I prevent the salmon burger patties from being too dry when I grill them?
When cooking fish, the concept of carryover cooking (food continuing to cook even after it has been removed from the heat source) does not occur as significantly as it does with beef and pork. These salmon patties will cook very quickly on the grill due to the direct high heat and covering. After you’ve cooked the patties for about 4 minutes on each side, check the center of the patty with an instant-read thermometer. Once the thermometer reads around 130°F the patty is done cooking, so remove them from the grill and serve right away. If you keep the patties “warm” on the side of the grill, or in the oven it will continue to dry out. Fish doesn’t need additional time to rest to get to get to the desired doneness.
| Prep Time | 45 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 20 ounces salmon fillet (skinless) cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 5 tablespoons shallots minced
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 2 tablespoons dill chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper ground
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs finely ground
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon peel grated
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons shallots minced
- 2 teaspoons dill chopped
- 2 teaspoons basil thinly sliced
- 4 hamburger buns
- 4 Bibb lettuce leaves
- red onions thinly sliced
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- 4 slices tomato
- Combine all lemon dill sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Add cut salmon pieces, mustard, shallots, capers, dill, salt and pepper into a food processor or blender. Pulse and scrape down sides until the salmon is a coarsely ground, you want some small chunks and not overly pureed. Transfer mixture to a medium-sized bowl and add breadcrumbs, mix with a spatula until combined. Evenly divide the salmon mixture into 4 patties, about ½ inch thick. Cover and refrigerate until ready to grill.
- Heat grill to medium-high heat. Clean and oil the grill grates. Grill patties for 4 minutes covered, turn over and cook 3 to 4 more minutes covered. The internal temperature should be about 130°F, do not over cook!
- Grill the buns for a few minutes until warm and toasted.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of lemon dill sauce to each bottom bun, top with a salmon patty, avocado, tomato, onion, lettuce and top bun. Enjoy!
I have never made salmon burgers before but thought these looked delicious, so i figured i would give them a try. they turned out to be absolutely amazing!! this recipe is so delicious and so easy. I made it for a few people and everyone loved them. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Hi, this looks really great! I have a question though.. I don’t have a grill! Is there any way to cook the patties without a grill and still have it come out tasting great?
I tested this recipe for an upcoming barbecue and used a slightly toasted brioche hamburger bun. It was absolutely delicious! The lemon dill sauce was a great addition.
Thank you Amanda, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! Brioche buns are my go to choice as well 🙂
Sooooo good!! The sauce was amazing! I subbed onion and pickle for shallots and caper and used Panko bread crumbs and dried herbs but it still turned out so good! Also used canned salmon, drained but had to add an egg to hold it together. I did a “pantry-friendly” version since we are snowed in. Used everything I already had. This recipe halved made 3 large burgers. Thanks so much! I’ve had dried dill for the 5 years I’ve been married and this was the first time I’ve used it, but I liked it so much I’m going to be looking specifically for recipes with dill.
You are amazing Abby! I love how you improvised and made the burgers with ingredients you had at home. I can’t wait to hear how you use dill more in your cooking 🙂