Salmon burgers with dill quark and pressed cucumber
30 min · 37 g protein · 396 cals / serving
Chunky salmon burgers with dill, lemon zest and spring onion, seared until the outside is crisp and caramelized and the middle stays juicy, in a soft bun with crunchy pressgurka, tomato, lettuce and a thick dill and caper sauce made with kvarg. A Swedish summer favorite that takes 25 minutes on a weeknight.
Ingredients
Pressgurka
- 1/2 large cucumber, very thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
Burgers
- 9 oz raw pink salmon, skinless pink salmon (pinklax), well chilled
- 9 oz salmon, skinless farmed salmon (fjordlax), well chilled; it keeps the patty juicy
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, panko
- 3 green onions, finely sliced
- 1/2 small bunch fresh dill, chopped, divided
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp French mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp canola oil
Dill kvarg
- 2/3 cup quark
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp capers, chopped
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
To serve
- 4 light burger bun, toasted
- 4 leaves romaine lettuce
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
Steps
- Toss the cucumber with the vinegar, sugar, 2 tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt in a bowl, press it down with a plate and leave while you make the burgers.
- Cut a quarter of the salmon (from both kinds) into small, 5 mm dice. Pulse the rest in a food processor in short bursts into a coarse paste (or chop finely with a sharp knife). Mix both with the egg white, panko, spring onion, half the dill, the lemon zest, mustard, salt and pepper. Shape into 4 patties about 2 cm thick and chill 10 minutes if you have time; they hold together better.
- Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the burgers 3–4 minutes per side, until a golden crust forms and the center reaches 145°F.
- Stir the kvarg with the lemon juice, capers, garlic, the rest of the dill and a pinch of salt.
- Toast the buns cut-side down in the hot pan. Build each burger with lettuce, a salmon patty, a big spoon of dill kvarg, tomato, red onion and drained pressgurka.
Good to know
Why chop some of the salmon by hand?
A burger made only from processed salmon turns dense and springy. A quarter cut into small dice gives the patty a flaky, chunky bite, the way a good fish burger should feel.
Without the bun?
Laxburgare are just as Swedish with boiled new potatoes and a green salad. Serve the sauce and pressgurka the same way.
Can I make the patties ahead?
Shape them up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge, or freeze them on a tray and fry from thawed.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 119
- Protein
- (37%)
- 11 g
- Fat
- (31%)
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- (32%)
- 10 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 199 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1583 kcal goes into the pot and 1463 g of ingredients comes out as about 1335 g of food: 119 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.