If your weekly burger night needs a bit of a refresh, turn to salmon sliders. These ultra-savory burger bites give you a new way to cook that salmon fillet that’s been waiting patiently in your freezer. The mini burgers feature tender, buttery salmon mixed with panko, fresh herbs and zesty horseradish. Tucked into dinner rolls along with soft, spreadable cheese and crispy lettuce, even your kiddos will enjoy dinnertime with these sliders on the menu.
Ingredients for Salmon Sliders
- Bread crumbs: A bit of bread crumbs in the salmon mixture keeps the moisture inside the burgers as they cook. No one wants hockey puck sliders, after all!
- Herbs and spices: Delicate flavors like dill and shallot flavor the salmon without overpowering it.
- Egg: The egg works as a binding ingredient in these sliders, keeping the burgers from crumbling apart once they’re cooked.
- Salmon: There are several types of salmon to choose from, but we recommend a basic Atlantic salmon fillet for these sliders. You’ll want to make sure to remove the salmon skin before cooking since you’re processing the raw fish with other ingredients to make a burger mixture.
- Dinner rolls: Bake buttery dinner rolls from scratch, or buy fresh bakery buns at your local grocery store. You could even use Hawaiian rolls in a pinch.
Directions
Step 1: Mix the burger ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, shallot, dill, horseradish, egg, salt and pepper. Set the bowl aside. Place the cubed salmon in a food processor, and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer the chopped fish to a bowl, and add the bread crumb mixture. Mix it lightly just until incorporated (overmixing could result in tough sliders). Shape the mixture into eight 1/2-inch-thick patties.
Step 2: Grill the burgers
On a lightly greased grill rack, grill the burgers, covered, over medium heat (or broil 4 inches from heat) until a thermometer inserted into each patty reads 160ºF, three to four minutes on each side. Serve on rolls with spreadable cheese, lettuce and red onion.
Recipe Variations
- Swap the spreadable cheese for aioli: If you don’t love the idea of mixing salmon with cheese, smear the buns with homemade aioli before filling them with the salmon and lettuce.
- Add bacon: While the burgers cook, fry a few bacon slices. Cut the slices in half to fit the buns, and layer them over the salmon patties.
- Top it with coleslaw: A crunchy, chilled topping might be just what you need if you’re serving these on a hot summer day. Whip up your favorite slaw recipe, and layer about 1 tablespoon over each salmon patty.
How to Store Salmon Sliders
Storing the sandwiches assembled could result in soggy buns and wilted lettuce. Instead, store the precut lettuce, cheese, onions and salmon patties in separate containers for up to three days. This also makes reheating easier because you can just microwave the salmon and assemble as many burgers as you want to reheat.
Salmon Sliders Tips
What should I serve with salmon sliders?
Sweet potato fries, Parmesan and garlic fries or a platter of crudités all pair with salmon sliders. If you serve the fries, pair them with an aioli, and if you serve up a side of chopped vegetables, add a dish of hummus or dill dip to complement the flavors in the burgers.
Can you eat a salmon burger cold?
The USDA recommends reheating all leftovers to 165°, so you want to reheat your burgers to be safe. Here’s our guide on microwaving leftovers properly!