Name: Spicy Citrus Salmon Burgers
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3 small filets salmon (4-6 ounces each); 1 tablespoon lemon zest (half a lemon or so); salt (to taste); 3 scallions (ends removed); 1 clove garlic; 1 egg; 1/4 - 1/2 cup panko bread crumb; butter lettuce leaves (for serving); 3 sandwich buns (for serving); 2 tablespoons mayo; 1 tablespoon sriracha hot sauce (plus more to taste)

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I made us burgers in December because I'm kiiiiiind of sick of big meat and pumpkin-spiced things. Only kind of, so don't freak out. We just needed some normal food, ya know?

You get me.

These burgers are super easy, and very yummy. We were huge fans. The recipe below should actually make three burgers, but I made 2 massive patties that ended up not fitting on our buns like an idiot, so ignore half these pictures. I'm not a good cook. The sweet salmon with the spicy sauce and lemon running through it is just...YES. You'll love these, and how fun for a weekend meal! Maybe Saturday lunch? I'll do burgers, you do beer. Sold.

In addition to salmon (1 4 ounce or so filet per burger) you need garlic, scallion, lemon zest, panko, and an egg. For the toppings, buns, lettuce, sriracha, and mayo. That's Japanese mayo, but seriously use anything that you like.

Make the burger mixture first! In a food processor, add the salmon, egg, lemon zest, garlic, scallion, and panko with a sprinkle of salt. Start with a little panko - we can add more later. How much you need will depend on how wet your salmon is.

Whir all this together, and add more panko until the mixture is sticky and almost coming together like a dough - you want to be able to form loose patties with your hands, kind of like working with ground chicken.

When the mixture is a consistency that you feel comfortable with (don't freak out, it doesn't have to be perfect), gently form it into patties.

You can coat your hands with water or cooking spray to do this, but I find it's best to just work quickly and GENTLY. Mold the patties while kind of trying to barely touch them, if that makes sense. If you mash too hard you'll end up with all the salmon in between your fingers. If the first burgers are grody looking, mash them up again and start over - no worries! When the patties are formed, set them into the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up a bit.

While the burgers are chilling, heat a large dry skillet to medium heat and toast the buns in it, then set them aside. Leave the heat on and add some olive oil - we'll use the same pan to make the burgers.

Make the spicy sauce too! Sriracha and mayo - that's it! As much or as little Sriracha as you like - I go half and half, but that's pretty spicy.

Now, let's make burgers! By now, the pan used to toast the buns with the oil that you added should be hot. Grab the burgers from the fridge, and SUPER DUPER GENTLY slide them in to the pan. A spatula coated with olive oil might help this process.

How long your cook your burgers depends on your salmon preference - not cooked all the way through is totally fine if you're not finicky about raw egg (mayo, people) or raw fish. For medium, the burgers can go 3 minutes on each side, but mainly we want to LEAVE THEM ALONE on each side so that a nice crusts develops. My method is to drop the burgers in, hear them sizzle (turn the heat up if they don't), then flip them once the edges become slightly opaque. When I can see the salmon cooking up the sides of the burger I can be pretty sure that a nice crust has forms.

So, long story long, after 3-5 minutes of sizzle, flip the burgers and let them cook on the second side.

While the burgers finish cooking, let's assemble! Buns with lettuce on the bottoms, please.

Add a salmon patty to each burger bun, and top with spicy mayo. Burger!

These are really delicious. The citrus in the salmon is GREAT, but if you aren't into lemon you can leave it out. Because of the panko and the egg, these get a nice texture too, so they hold together nicely. The key to cooking is to do a hot pan for the CRUST, then go as short as you can on cooking time for a non-dry center.