Fried mashed potatoes (made with golds, russets and purple Peruvian potatoes) accompanies a serving of Caesar slaw & salmon burger.

We’re about halfway through the school year. That means it’s time to assess where we are on groceries in order to tweak our list for next year. It also means our menus from here to the end of the year need to include food based on quantities and expiration dates. Recently I reorganized our freezers and was surprised (and pleased!) to see how much salmon we have left. Vacuum-sealed, it will keep through the summer and welcome us into the next school year. Even so, the abundance of salmon inspired us to find some new recipes to try with one of our favorite fish. Jack is famous for his “shio-yaki” style fish. This is fish broiled with a simple seasoning of salt and pepper–easy and one of the best ways to showcase the flavor of good fish. But I figured it was time we gave our culinary skills a stretch. So…

Salmon Burgers alone are not an earth-shattering idea, but serving the burgers atop a Caesar-syle slaw made for a truly noteworthy entrée. Enhanced by the color of the purple cabbage and of the salmon burgers themselves, every bite was wonderful–from the initial crunch to the flavor of the medley of salty anchovies, freshly cracked pepper, lemon, and dijon mustard.

To make the salmon burgers, start with 3/4 pound of salmon prepared shio-yaki style.

Shio-yaki salmon (shio = salt; yaki = broiled or char-broiled)

• 3/4 lb fresh salmon fillet, skin on
• sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
• olive oil

Place pan under broiler and preheat. Place salmon skin-side down on a cutting board and rub in sea salt and pepper. Let stand for a few minutes. When broiler pan is hot, spray or brush with olive oil and place salmon fillet skin-side down. Salmon should sizzle when it hits the pan. Cook approximately 10 minutes per inch, or until white fat can be seen coming out of the salmon. Avoid overcooking.

Salmon Burgers: (Makes 5 burgers)

• 3/4 pound cooked or canned salmon, flaked. Include chopped skin, if desired. (See above for cooking suggestion)
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• sea salt (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 2 cups Saltine cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• egg whites from 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Place flaked salmon, ground pepper, salt, lemon juice, garlic, basil, tarragon, cracker crumbs, and egg whites in a glass mixing bowl. Mix together and make patties to the size desired. (Makes five nice-sized burgers.)

Add about three tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium high. Cook the salmon burgers about 3 minutes on each side.

Caesar Slaw: (Makes enough slaw for 2+ servings)

• 3 cups chopped purple cabbage
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (or more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 4 anchovies (about 3/4 tablespoon–about 1/2 of a tin) finely chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil

In a glass bowl, add pepper, garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, dijon mustard and olive oil. Mix together using a whisk or spoon. Add the cabbage and mix thoroughly, until all is coated.

Place a serving of Caesar slaw on a plate, then the salmon burger atop the slaw. Try it with a favorite lager!

Stay tuned for our next salmon adventures. Yum!