Lenten Friday Salmon Burgers

I love Bitten, Mark Bittman's wonderful blog.  I have great luck with his recipes and I really enjoy reading his posts.  I saw this recipe a long while back and have had it saved to my favorites folder.  I decided that today would be the perfect day to give this recipe a try since I had a nice portion of salmon fillet and I do not eat meat on Fridays during Lent.   I deviated slightly from his recipe by sauteeing the shallots in a little olive oil and I also coated them in panko for a crisp crust.  I served the burgers over a bed of greens tossed with dijon vinaigrette.  They were very tasty!  I love that they were nice and light - no mayonnaise.  They held together nicely because of Mark's method of pulsing 1/4 of the salmon until pasty and then pulsing in the additional salmon.  This recipe could easily be changed up according to your taste and/or what you have on hand.  I am happy that I have leftovers!  My lunch tomorrow will be one of theses burgers on a roll with remoulade.

Mark Bittman's Salmon Burgers

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless salmon
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 shallots, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup coarse bread crumbs
1 tablespoon capers, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Lemon wedges
Tabasco sauce

Method

1. Cut the salmon into large chunks, and put about a quarter of it into the container of a food processor, along with the mustard. Turn the machine on, and let it run -- stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary -- until the mixture becomes pasty.

2. Add the shallots and the remaining salmon, and pulse the machine on and off until the fish is chopped and well combined with the puree. No piece should be larger than a quarter inch or so; be careful not make the mixture too fine. (I added my sauteed shallots in step 3).

3. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, and by hand, stir in the bread crumbs, capers and some salt and pepper. Shape into four burgers. (You can cover and refrigerate the burgers for a few hours at this point.) Toss lightly with flour, next in egg wash, and lastly in panko crumbs (not in original recipe).

4. Place the butter or oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, and turn the heat to medium-high. When the butter foam subsides or the oil is hot, cook the burgers for 2 to 3 minutes a side, turning once. Alternatively, you can grill them: let them firm up on the first side, grilling about 4 minutes, before turning over and finishing for just another minute or two. To check for doneness, make a small cut and peek inside. Be careful not to overcook. Serve on a bed of greens or on buns or by themselves, with lemon wedges and Tabasco or any dressing you like.