There's Somethin' Fishy Goin' on........

I don't like fish. I never have. Growing up in the panhandle, that's pretty much a mortal sin. Everybody needs to like fish...it's just the way it is.

One thing that I do like is burgers. I'll take a sloppy, greasy cheeseburger any day. But, in efforts to be more health conscious, I decided to compromise and find a healthier alternative to the regular American cheeseburger. I found recipes for black bean burgers, but all the comments I read about them said they tasted like crumbly cardboard. So, I chucked that idea. During my search, I came across a recipe for salmon burgers by Paula Deen (of course). At first, I wasn't thrilled with the idea, but I decided to give it a try anyway, and OMG, I'm so glad I did. They were AMAZING! And very simple to make, not to mention, very healthy!

Here's what you need to make them:

1/2c. red bell pepper, diced
1/2c. yellow bell pepper, diced
3/4c. panko
2 cloves garlic, minced
2lbs. salmon fillets, skinned and finely chopped
1 lg. egg, slightly beaten
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt

In a medium bowl, combine peppers, panko, garlic, and salmon. Add egg, soy sauce, lemon juice, and salt. Use hands and combine all the ingredients. Form the mixture into 8 patties.

Lightly coat a grill pan or skillet with cooking spray.  Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Grill patties, 5 minutes per side, or until desired degree of doneness (I also threw the buns on the grill at the same time to get toasty.)

While the fishy patties were grilling, I made a seasoned mayonnaise, using 1c. mayo, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp. soy sauce, and 1/2tsp. sesame oil.

Spread the sesame mayonnaise over toasted buns. Top each with a lettuce leaf, tomato, slice of red onion, and a salmon patty (which I topped with melted provolone cheese.)

Yeah.....it was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself....

Happy Cooking!

-G