These barbecue salmon burgers deliciously and surprisingly simply combine homemade brioche, salmon patties, lettuce, and a runny egg. You can easily swap out store-bought burger buns or patties in a pinch. Either way, salmon burgers are a great way to elevate a barbecue or potluck. I oftentimes just make these for myself. But I enjoy the feeling of making something that could work with a big group of people if I were more social than I am. Although I have made these types of burgers for parties and they're a big hit. You can easily mix and match the flavor profile. Although I'm particularly fond of a nice runny egg for brunch. It works with both a beer or a mimosa, depending on the vibe that you're going for.
This recipe utilizes a lot of things that you can make yourself or buy in a pinch. If you want to make everything from scratch, you will need to start a few hours ahead of time!For a quicker recipe, you can always substitute store-bought burger buns or salmon patties.
Brioche Rolls are the first thing that you will need to begin to prepare because it will take about 4 1/2 hours to rise and get ready to bake. It will also make 8 rolls, while the salmon patties here are going to make 4 servings. You can easily double the ingredients in the salmon patties to fulfill all 8 burger buns.
Tartar Sauce
Mince all of the produce and mix all of the ingredients together.
I would highly recommend letting this refrigerate for a couple of hours or the day beforehand in order to let all of the flavors permeate.
Make Salmon Patties
Preheat the barbecue on medium heat.
Place salmon skin-side down on griddle or a baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil and add a dash of salt and pepper. Slice a lemon and place evenly on top of the salmon.
Bake the salmon for 12-17 minutes, or until it begins to flake. Salmon tends to be cooked when it loses the bright color and you can take a fork and it easily separates. Remove from the oven and let cool.
When the salmon has reached a manageable temperature, flake into a bowl with eggs, bread crumbs, and a splash of olive oil. Mix until combined.
Separate into 4 equal-sized portions and form into round patties, about 1/2 inch thick.
Place salmon patties back onto the griddle or directly on to the barbecue and fry until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Carefully flip and repeat on the other side. Add more oil as necessary to keep the pan lightly coated with oil.
Fry Runny Egg
Meanwhile, heat another skillet on the stove or barbecue.I use a pretty well seasoned cast iron pan to cook eggs, so I don't add any more than a spritz of oil. You may need upwards of a teaspoon for other types of pans, though. Use just enough so that your eggs don't stick!
Crack egg into the pan.It should be hot enough that the egg sizzles, but doesn't deep fry or brown immediately.
Let cook until golden brown on the bottom and you can flip the egg with ease. The whites should be fairly set on both sides, but not completely cooked.You want to cook this relatively quickly so that the egg yolk doesn't set, though. It should take about a minute or two. Turn the heat up if the egg whites don't cook quickly enough or down if the egg yolk starts to cook. Also immediately flip if this happens!
Remove from heat and immediately assemble the burger.
Assemble Burgers
Slice the roll in half. Place griddle or directly on the barbecue and toast until golden brown.
Place the roll on a plate. Top with with tartar sauce.
Add lettuce to the top half of the roll.
Add salmon patty and runny egg to the bottom of the roll.
Serve immediately.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
I have a more in-depth article on Mayonnaise-free Tartar Sauce w/ Greek Yogurt. It is just that simple as mixing everything together in a bowl! But there are some additional photos of what it should look like there.
For more information on baking salmon, check out my articles on The Fundamentals of Oven Baked Salmon and Barbecue Salmon. I'm particularly fond of cooking on a well-seasoned cast iron griddle because you don't need additional oil or foil to to keep it from sticking. But there are certainly ways around this if you don't want to dedicate an entire cast iron pan to fish! Cooking salmon is also more of an art than a science. No two filets are going to cook in the exact same amount of time and there are definitely some tips and tricks to nailing the cook on fish.