Photo by Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post
Made with chopped fresh salmon seasoned with lemon, dill and mustard, these salmon burgers have a Greek flavor accent which is punctuated with an accompanying tzatziki sauce (an herb-flecked cucumber-yogurt sauce). Serve on burger buns, in a pita pocket, over a green salad or in lettuce wraps—all deliciously different, and healthy ways to get out of a basic-burger, or same-old grilled salmon, rut.
Salmon Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1/2 medium English cucumber, trimmed, unpeeled
3/4 cups plain Greek yogurt (low-fat or whole)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 small clove of garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the burgers:
3 slices whole wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed
1 pound skinless salmon fillet
2 scallions, (white and light green parts) thinly sliced (¼ cup)
3 tablespoons minced celery
2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Burger buns or lettuce leaves, for serving
Directions:
To make the sauce, grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Place the cucumber in a fine mesh strainer and strain for a minute or two, pressing out as much liquid as possible. (Note: the cucumber liquid may be reserved as a flavor addition to water with lemon.)
In a medium bowl, stir together the grated cucumber, yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Makes about 1 cup sauce. Sauce will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Give it a stir before serving.
To make the burgers, place the bread in food processor and process into fine crumbs. (You should wind up with about 1 ½ cups of crumbs.) Transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Cut the salmon into large chunks then place in the processor and pulse until chopped but some pieces still remain visible, about 10-15 pulses; add to the bowl with the breadcrumbs.
Add the scallion, celery, dill, mustard, lemon juice, egg white, salt and pepper to the bowl and mix to combine. Form the salmon mixture into four burgers and place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set. Spray or brush a grill or grill pan with oil and preheat over a medium-high heat. Grill the burgers until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with the sauce, on whole grains buns, or with lettuce leaf wrappers.
Makes 4 servings
Serving size: 1 burger and ¼ cup sauce
Per serving (burger and sauce only, sauce made with low-fat yogurt):
Calories 290, Total Fat 11 g (Sat Fat 2 g); Protein 32 g; Carb 18 g; Fiber 2 g; Cholesterol 55 mg; Sodium 590 mg; Total Sugar 5 g (Added Sugar 0 g)
