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About a month ago, I was finally able to finagle my engagement ring on and off my finger without it getting stuck below my knuckle. It was one of the lingering side effects of pregnancy that just wouldn’t go away. I was extremely close to making peace with the fact that I’d just have to go get it re-sized since my finger was forever swollen – and then one day, boom, it slid right on.
It’s been coming on and off every day since. Except for tonight.
Tonight when I went to go take my ring off before I washed my face and got ready for bed, it stayed firmly on my finger no matter how much I tried to wrangle it off. I immediately became frustrated, why wasn’t it coming off?? Did I put on MORE weight? Was I dehydrated? Did my ring shrink?
And then I remembered…I pretty much drank the homemade teriyaki sauce I slathered on these salmon burgers.
It was a good ol’ fashioned sodium overload.
I’d never made homemade teriyaki before – at least not with the intent of making teriyaki – and man, it’s good, really good. Instead of dipping my sushi in plain soy sauce and wasabi, I forever want to have a bottle of this stuff to cart around to dunk my spicy tuna rolls in. I want to slather it on every piece of chicken, fish, beef, and pork I can get my hands on. I want to stir-fry rice in it. And apparently, I want to drink it.
But for today, I’ll just have to settle mixing it into fresh salmon, slathering it on the cooked patties and then bathing pineapple in it. All in that order.
Aside from the sauce that’s laced throughout the salmon burgers, there’s also some sliced green onion, egg to act as a binder, panko to hold everything together, and a little bit of pineapple juice for sweetness. Most salmon burger recipes call for canned, flaked salmon, but I like to use fresh salmon, so before all the components get mixed together, I throw about a pound of fresh, raw salmon into the food processor and pulse it until the mixture is ground.
Once the patties come together they’re cooked in a little bit of coconut oil, and then brushed on both sides with more sauce. After that, the pineapple slices get thrown in to caramelize, it’s all piled high on a good-quality bun, and finished off with a little bit of sesame-infused red cabbage for crunch.
If you deem it necessary, you can drizzle a little bit of extra sauce over the pineapple and patty, or, if you’re me, a little side bowl to dunk the entire sandwich in…
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 3 Tlbs. rice vinegar
- 3 Tlbs. packed brown sugar
- ¼ tsp. grated ginger
- 1 large garlic clove, grated
- 1 lb. fresh Atlantic salmon, skin removed
- 4 green onions, sliced
- Heaping ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 8 oz. can sliced pineapple in 100% juice
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 4 egg buns, toasted
- In a small saucepan, heat soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until thickened, about 5-6 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Add salmon to a food processor. Pulse until ground. Remove blade and add in ¼ cup of teriyaki sauce, green onions, panko, and 2 tablespoons pineapple juice from can. Mix just until combined. Form into 4 patties, if you have time, chill for 10 minutes. (This step isn't necessary, it just helps the patties to stay compact.)
- Heat a large non-stick skillet to a medium-high heat. Add coconut oil. Once the oil has melted, add patties, cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Glaze with more teriyaki sauce at the last minute.
- Brush pineapple with sauce, remove patties from pan and add pineapple. Cook until caramelized on both sides, about 30 seconds per side.
- In a small bowl combine cabbage and sesame oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Place cabbage on bottom of bun, top with patty, and pineapple.
Mary @ LOVE the secret ingredient says
The teriyaki sauce sounds so good, I would be in the same position as you! I’ll have to try making it on my own, I’ve never thought about how simple it could be!
Nicole says
Thanks Mary!
Christine @ WRY TOAST says
LOVE when you make a killer sauce and all you really need is a straw, happens to the best of us 🙂 looks delicious Nicole – pinned! x
Sarah @ Snixy Kitchen says
1. I’m making these pronto. 2. OMG can I relate to the ring sizing – I just put my ring back on (finally!), though I’m not sure it’ll come off again. I actually waited too long into my pregnancy and couldn’t get my wedding band off (it was just a hair smaller than my engagement ring!). Fortunately I didn’t swell anymore and didn’t have to cut it off. Too funny about the sodium overload having an instant affect!
Michele Shoemaker says
Just made these!!! So good!! Perfectly moist and flavorful!! Whole family loved them!!!!
Jessica says
Thank you for sharing great recipe!
Jeff says
Great recipe! I noticed the egg was mentioned as a binder in the written description above, but the recipe did not list egg as an ingredient. So, no egg for these patties?