The Kvichak Fish Company is a family business, Montana people who head up to Alaska for the summer to catch, cut, and package the wild fish we can buy at farmers’ markets, the Good Food Store in Missoula, and from their website. I’m so glad they demo’ed their salmon sliders at the Bozeman Winter Farmers’ Market last March, because before that crispy, succulent nugget I probably wouldn’t have purchased ground salmon, but now I’m hooked!
I’ve adapted this recipe from Kvichak’s salmon slider recipe and my Mom’s salmon loaf, one of the dinners I made for the family as a kid back in the 1970’s. Patties take a little more effort than a loaf, but the crispiness is worth it. And with beautiful salmon like Kvichak’s, the quicker you cook it the better.
Salmon Sliders
adapted from Kvichak Fish Company; makes 8 3-inch patties but make whatever size you like
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground wild salmon, fresh not canned Kvichak Fish Company
- ½ cup fresh bread crumbs or Panko unseasoned
- ½ cup mayonnaise Best Foods
- 1 egg
- 1 green onion or 2 garlic scapes, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (parsley, tarragon, oregano, cilantro or a mix), finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon dried unsweetened coconut flakes, crumbled optional
- up to ½ teaspoon dried red chile flake or 1 teaspoon sriracha
- salt (a couple pinches) and several grinds of fresh black pepper
For cooking
- 2 tbsp high heat cooking oil (coconut or grapeseed)
For serving: lemon wedges, salad greens, Maldon salt, fresh pineapple or mango
Instructions
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Drain and discard the liquid from the package of salmon. Put salmon in a bowl and crumble with your fingers. Add breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, egg, green onion or garlic scapes, fresh herbs, lime/lemon juice, coconut, chile flake or sriracha, salt, and pepper. Mix very gently with two spoons until mixture just comes together, do not over mix.
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Using a ⅓ cup measuring cup, scoop out 8–10 patties onto a sheet of wax paper, plate, or cutting board. Gently press each mound to about 1-inch thickness.
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Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Transfer the sliders to the hot oil using your hands, pressing together if necessary (the raw mixture is quite wet but it will hold together once it gets cooking). Cook 4 patties at a time, browning on the first side then flipping to cook the other—about 5 minutes total until internal temperature reaches 145°F.
Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining patties.
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Serve with a side of greens, lime or lemon wedge, and fresh pineapple or mango.
