Salmon-Quinoa "Burgers"

I shared photos of this deliciousness on Instagram and my “poll” indicated that many of you wanted the recipe, which made me super excited because it’s SO delicious and SO good for you! I was also struck by the number of viewers who did not answer the slider poll and I imagine were grossed out by the idea of this (which gave me a laugh!), but maybe you’ll come around and give it a try. Maybe if I’d called it a Salmon-Quinoa “Cake” it would have drawn more interest. I struggled with the Burger vs. Cake naming because for me, “fish cake” does not sound so appetizing but “burger” is inherently delicious. Okay anyway…about the recipe:

I adapted this from a saved recipe in my recipe file from about 4 years ago. I just knew one day I would have leftover quinoa and a can of wild salmon I was desperate to use. When I say “adapted” that’s typically because I look at a recipe for a general, big-picture, overview, of how I’m going to prepare this. Then I change the entire thing to suit my needs and taste. In this recipe, I halved it and changed the ingredients to reflect what I actually had on hand and what sounded more to my taste, as well as the preparation. You should feel free to do the same. Don’t like sundried tomatoes? Awesome. Add in the chopped red pepper + chopped roasted red pepper like the original recipe called for. Don’t have shallots? Use onion. Don’t love onions? Leave them out! It’s so adaptable.

I ate these on top of a salad with a yogurt sauce. But the next day I wrapped them in large Collard leaves with the sauce inside to make a wrap. SO DELICIOUS! I really hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 1 can, wild salmon (7.5 oz is what I used)

  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (doesn’t have to be exact; I used slightly more); make sure it’s cooled

  • 2-3 large sundried tomatoes (this is where you can swap with 1/4 c of chopped red pepper or roasted red pepper)

  • 1/4-1/2 small shallot (to taste!)

  • 1 tbsp chia seeds

  • 1 egg

  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (or to taste)

  • 1/8 tsp chili powder (or to taste)

  • 1/8 tsp cumin (or to taste)

  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375.

  • Open and drain salmon; place in large mixing bowl.

  • Add quinoa, sundried tomatoes, chia seeds, and spices. Mix well.

  • Add egg & mix.

  • Mixture will be wet, but should form patties very well. Add more chia seeds if the mixture seems too wet to form patties.

  • Use your favorite baking sheet (I used parchment with mine, but you don’t have to). One trick I used was lightly coating my hands in olive oil a couple of times while forming the patties. It kept them from sticking to me too much, as well as the pan. If you do not do this, just make sure to lightly oil the pan so they don’t stick.

  • Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until you can flip them with no crumbling. Flip and then allow to bake for 15 more minutes. *If the first side isn’t browned when you flip the patties, turn up the heat to 400 degrees. These only need to be slightly browned, unless you decide you prefer them deeply browned. Then, a minute or two in the broiler would be a good idea.

  • I made a yogurt sauce for spreading on top: Whole milk Greek yogurt, lemon juice, salt or garlic salt, cumin or dill or whatever spice you like. Mix it to taste and ENJOY!

Recipes, Mains, Chronic StressStacey Wenzel#recipes #mains #proteinComment