The Almond Eater

These Pan-Seared Salmon Burgers are made in the cast iron skillet, flavored with smoked paprika and topped with plenty of garlic aioli for tons of flavor. 

I was recently talking with a group of girls (ladies? women? I still refer to myself and all women under the age of 50 as “girls”) at the barre studio about mayo. Two of the girls said they couldn’t STAND mayo and then I asked them how they felt about aioli and their ears perked up. They LOVED aioli. Isn’t that funny? The word aioli just sounds fancy and automatically makes food just a little bit better.  

But make no mistake, aioli is mayo. It’s just fancy mayo. 

Oh and I swear the aioli isn’t the star of this recipe—it’s absolutely just the cherry on top! These pan-seared salmon burgers are pretty darn good by themselves, trust me. 

These days, Miguel and I probably eat salmon at least once a week. They say it’s good for you and it’s generally quick to cook, so we enjoy eating it for dinner. Though salmon burgers take a little longer to prep (simply because you have to form them into burgers….), they cook super quickly in a cast iron skillet. I think salmon burgers are a great way to switch up our salmon routine, i.e. baked salmon and/or regular pan-seared salmon. They’re also flavored with lots of smoked paprika, which is maybe the best spice….? Bold statement. 

Besides the garlic aioli, I opted to top these pan-seared salmon burgers with cucumber, arugula and micro greens, but tomato would work really well, too. Heck, so would avocado! Go as crazy as your heart desires. 

5.0 from 1 reviews

Pan-Seared Salmon Burgers with Garlic Aioli

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: The Almond Eater

Serves: 5-6 burgers

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillet, skins removed
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• For the aioli:
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup mayonnaise

Instructions

1. Place garlic in a food processor in pulse; then, add the salmon to combine and pour ground up salmon into a large bowl.
2. Add garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and cheese and stir to combine.
3. Use your hands to form mixture into burgers, placing them on a plate.
4. Then, heat a large skillet (I used my cast iron) over medium high heat with olive oil--at least 3 tbsp--and wait a minute or so before adding in the burgers. You may need to do this in two rounds depending on how many burgers fit in your skillet. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook burgers for 3-4 minutes per side.
5. For the aioli: Place mayo in a bowl and set aside; then, heat olive oil in a skillet and add the garlic. Cook garlic until it turns slightly golden, then pour garlic and olive oil into the bowl with the mayo; stir to combine.
6. Assemble burgers the way you would a normal burger with plenty of garlic aioli.
7. Enjoy!

3.5.3229