Elana's Pantry

New York Times Bestselling author Elana Amsterdam founded Elana’s Pantry, the go-to website for easy, healthy, grain-free, Paleo recipes, in 2006

sesame salmon burgers

Sesame Salmon Burgers

45 Comments

These high protein Sesame Salmon Burgers pair nicely with Garlic Ginger Bok Choy.

I really like making these quick and easy gluten free burgers because they not only consist of highly nutritious wild salmon (obviously), they’re also packed with superfoods such as garlic, ginger and sesame seeds.  Sometimes I like to prepare the salmon mixture ahead of time (think the night before, so that the flavors can meld into the salmon and intensify) and then cook the patties in a skillet the following day for dinner.

Print Recipe
Sesame Salmon Burgers
Serves:about 12 burgers
Ingredients
  • 1 pound salmon, skin removed
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon ume plum vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
  • ¼ cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
  • ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon coconut flour
  • coconut oil, for frying
Instructions
  1. Rinse the salmon, pat dry and cut into ¼-inch cubes
  2. In a large bowl, combine salmon, oil, ume, garlic, ginger, scallions, sesame seeds and eggs
  3. Stir coconut flour into mixture
  4. Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to form mixture into patties
  5. Heat the coconut oil in a 9 inch skillet over medium-high heat
  6. Cook the patties for 4 to 6 minutes per side, until golden brown
  7. Transfer patties to a paper towel-line plate and serve hot

If you’re looking for other quick and easy gluten free burgers check out my Green Chili Turkey Burgers and Shrimp Burgers.

Here are more gluten free burger recipes you may enjoy:
–Turducken Burger Recipe from Diane of The W.H.O.L.E. Gang
–Sweet Potato Black Bean Vegetarian Burger Recipe from Seamaiden of Book of Yum
–Quinoa-Salmon Burgers (Gluten-Free + Egg-free) from Ali of Nourishing Meals

Comments

  8. Made these tonight. Baby and I loved them, hubby liked them, 3-year-old refused more than one bite, then demanded vanilla wafers (which she did not receive!). Hubby and I ate them dipped in a sauce of mayo mixed with hot sauce (Frank’s). Wasabi would have been more appropriate but we didn’t have any.

    Reply

  9. Was the salmon supposed to be cooked in advance? My mix is like soup. Some others added almond flour, so I will try that, but just wanted to check about cooking the salmon. Thanks for the recipes–gluten free is new to me, so your site is very helpful.

    Reply

  10. Thanks for your wonderful recipes which help so many of us out here in our kitchens. You think of EVERYTHING…all the little details.
    We’re each so lucky to learn from your knowledge. You’re the BEST!
    I’m so ‘hooked’ on your info and many little tidbits. Take care!

    Reply

  11. I found that shaping the patties and placing them in the freezer (I laid them out on a baking sheet with wax paper) for about an hour helped to keep them together nicely when it came time to cook….delicious!

    Reply

  13. I made these last night and decided to use a few pulses in my food processor to blend the ingredients as my salmon chunks were too big and I could tell it was not going to hold together. I love the taste, but I did find that the ones I made last night ended up too dry, which I really don’t like with salmon. So this morning for breakfast I used more of the uncooked salmon blend and was really careful to cook them less and I liked the outcome much better. I think that Elana’s cooking time is too long for my liking. I prefer a more moist interior.

    Great flavors!

    Reply

  14. I dont know where to post this comment but I just wanted to say I am so glad that you do not use soy! I totally agree about it and Im just so thankful for all of your recipes. Each new one I try is my favorite. Thank you!

    Reply

  15. These were amazing! I didn’t have the ume plum vinegar (and couldn’t find it at Fresh Market) so I used red wine vinegar instead. I also put have of the mixture in the food processor and added a half cup almond flour to help them stick together. I didn’t have any problem with them falling apart. Thanks for all the great recipes.

    Reply

  17. Rin & Susan – how big were yours? I just made these, and made mine were very small. I also made sure to pan-fry them properly before flipping – this formed a crust that keeps them together.

    They were delicious, although I felt the flavour was a little one-dimensional so will next time add some five-spice powder. I served these with chilli jam for a light lunch and look forward to trying them again, I think they’d also make great “meatballs”.

    Thanks Elana!

    Reply

  18. I just made this recipe, and it was tasty, but I have to ask…was there supposed to be almond flour in it? The mixture was very soupy and forming patties was out of the question. I tried dropping a spoonful in the pan, but it predictably broke apart. I added some almond flour to the rest of the mixture (maybe 1/2 cup?) and the results were much better. The flavor is excellent. I think I might also add some cooked quinoa next time, as that would make an interesting texture (like quinoa fritters with salmon in them).

    Reply

  20. I’ve seen your website several times but this is the first time I am making a recipe here. I am trying to transition to the primal/paleo diet. Baking with almond flour is the next step for me (been doing buckwheat/quinoa and bean flours, and regular old “gluten free” before this).

    I like this recipe as it’s cheap yet flavorful. I didn’t have ume vinegar or sesame seeds so I subbed some roughly ground blanched almonds and other spices to make it more of a mediterranean dish. I think it will be in the rotation regularly, thanks!!

    Reply

  21. Hi Elana! Made these salmon burgers last night, and they were terrific. My husband and I loved them, and 3 out of 4 of my kids ate them without complaint. :-)

    I had frozen salmon, so I partially thawed it, then put it in the food processor with all ingredients except sesame seeds and scallions; blended it to a smooth consistency, then hand mixed in seeds and scallions. Using a disher, I scooped evenly sized balls of the salmon mixture into the frying pan, then flattened them to patties using a spatula. It was very quick and easy.

    We ate them as burgers last night; then this morning my husband and I ate the leftover patties for breakfast, with asparagus spears and sliced tomatoes.

    Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply

  22. Elana, this sounds so good. I love salmon in all forms (okay, well, except canned), and I think these would be delightful. I really need to try that ume plum vinegar. Never had it!

    Reply

  23. Oh yum!!!!
    I love the flavor of these salmon patties!
    Having the skin removed at the market made cutting the salmon super easy.
    I added about 3 heaping soup spoonfuls of almond flour (maybe 1/4 – 1/2 cup), and they held together well.
    I’ve grown very bored with my regular seasonings for salmon and salmon patties — this was just the thing!
    : )
    Noel

    Reply

  25. I tried to make these with fresh salmon and omitted the sesame seeds (allergy) and they fell apart in the pan. Any suggestions? What did I do wrong?

    Reply

  26. Mmm i love fish burgers as I don’t eat red meat! Your recipe looks fab, love the asian flavours. Definitely going to try this someday to take to school maybe wrapped in lettuce with some grated carrot and tahini sauce! Great recipe.

    Teenie Foodie

    Reply

  29. I made these tonight for dinner using canned salmon because I had some to use up and they turned out wonderful! All of us (all 7 of us that is) really liked these and they will become a new addition into our dinner rotation! Thanks so much for sharing! ps..I served them with baked asparagus, home made dinner rolls and cut up strawberries and it was quite a delicious meal! :o)

    Reply

  32. This sounds like another lovely recipe I must try!
    One thing I do miss about your recipes; you don’t tell
    us how many people they feed (approx.) or how many
    (i.e. patties) this amount of salmon makes. It would be
    most helpful if you included this information with
    each recipe.

    Thanks so much!

    Reply

  33. YUM, love salmon. the vinegar is VERY high in sodium. any suggestions on what to replace it with, or can we just leave it out?

    Reply

  34. This must be fresh salmon, not canned, or you wouldn’t say to cut it into cubes — what a good idea! Sesame seeds sound like be a good flavor combination with salmon. I love broiled salmon, and salmon salad, and salmon croquettes, and now these patties look like they could join the list.

    Thanks,
    Pat

    Reply

  35. I love this picture! It definitely makes me crave these burgers. I love how the star of the show here is the salmon.
    My kids love salmon in all forms (smoked, grilled, burgers, etc.) and I can’t wait to try these on them. Their favorite condiment on salmon is a fresh pineapple salsa that they love to help make.

    Reply

  36. Every once in a while, I try a salmon recipe because it’s supposed to be good for me. So far, I’ve never really liked salmon. Here’s hoping this one will do the trick!

    Reply

  37. Hi Elana :)
    These look great. I will be making these this week!
    How many patties does this recipe yield?
    Thank you!

    Reply

  38. These looks delish, the picture changed my mindset and now I want to try them as well. We live in the middle of the prairie and the next time I get to a decent health food store, I’m going to look for Salmon. Thank you!

    Reply

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