Harissa Salmon Burgers made fresh salmon, almond flour, egg, and harissa and topped with harissa aioli for an easy and delicious healthy salmon recipe!
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A new burger recipe means summer is here! And today we are stepping up our burger game with these insanely easy and delicious harissa salmon burgers!
I don’t know about you, but summer foods are some of my favorite! Lots of fresh produce, bold flavors, and light and easy meals. And this healthy salmon recipe is just that.
I’ll admit that I’ve never really had a salmon burger until recently. It’s not something that catches my eye at restaurants and while we eat a decent amount of seafood at home, we usually just pan fry, bake, or grill it. But I thought it was time to get experimenting and come up with a salmon burger recipe for myself!
Little did I know, it’s actually quite easy to make a super simple yet flavorful salmon burger at home. You only need a handful of ingredients and minimal time. I amped up the flavor by adding a little harissa which gives them a little smokiness and a spicy kick. They are topped with a harissa aioli to add some creaminess.
Serve them up however you want, but we did them on lettuce wraps with roasted sweet potato fries on the side.
Harissa Salmon Burgers
They beauty of this salmon burger recipe is it only calls for 6 ingredients, plus some oil and salt and pepper. They come together in 15 minutes and make an easy and healthy weeknight meal.
- deboned and skin removed fresh salmon
- almond flour
- egg
- garlic
- harissa
- salt and pepper
- oil, for frying
First start by removing the skin and the bones from the salmon. You can ask your butcher to do this if you don’t want to. Roughly cut up the salmon into larger pieces and add half of it to a food processor. Pulse until broken down, but still a little chunky and has some texture (you don’t want mush!). I did this in two batches to ensure it wouldn’t.
Next, add the salmon to a medium bowl and mix with almond flour, whisked egg, minced garlic, harissa, and salt and pepper. Form into 4 equal patties. The mixture will be fairly wet at this time. Coat each patty with a little more almond flour on each side. If needed, you can place them in the fridge or freezer for some time to firm up, but I didn’t find it necessary.
Finally add some oil to a large sauté pan and pan fry for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and cooked through. You can tell when they are done when the outside is golden brown and slightly crispy and the inside is tender and still moist.
While the salmon cooks, make a quick aioli by mixing together the mayo, more harissa, and lemon juice. Top them with the sauce and serve them however you like!
What is Harissa
If you haven’t tried harissa, you are in for a good treat! Harissa is a North African hot chili pepper paste made from a variety of roasted peppers, garlic, oil, and spices like coriander, cumin, and paprika. It has a delicious smokey and spicy flavor that goes well with meats, seafoods, veggies, and even eggs.
Once you try it, you’ll want to put it on everything! I got mine from Trader Joe’s but also have seen it at Central Market and Whole Foods. You can also get it on amazon!
Salmon Burger Sauce
What is a burger without a sauce? Not much if you ask me. You should know by now I’m obsessed with sauces and all my foods need to be topped with them. For our salmon burger, we are making a harissa aioli!
All you have to do is mix mayo with harissa and some lemon juice for an easy sauce to top your salmon burgers. Make extra to dip French fries or veggies in, or to have on hand to spice up a meal later in the week.
Using fresh vs canned salmon
While canned salmon is cheaper than fresh, I love using fresh in this recipe. I enjoy canned salmon from time to time for a quick and easy meal, but sometimes the flavor can be overpowering. If you want to use canned, the harissa will help balance it out.
I haven’t tried it, but if you want to use canned, I would use 12-14 ounces drained canned salmon. You might not need as much almond flour since it will be a little drier than fresh salmon, so I would start with 3-4 tablespoons and adjust from there.
Salmon Burgers on the grill or in the oven
This recipe calls for an easy pan fry, but seeing it be almost Memorial Day weekend and summer, I know grilling is on everyones minds. You can totally make these on the grill, it just takes an extra step.
After you form the burgers into patties, place them in the freezer on plate lined with parchment paper for 5-10 minutes to make sure they firm up. After they are firm (you don’t want them to freeze all the way through though), grill them over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, carefully flipping halfway through.
You could also cook the burgers in the oven. Simply preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Once the burgers are assembled, place on the baking sheet and bake for 10-13 minutes until cooked through, but still moist.
Both of these ways make them a little bit healthier as you aren’t using any oil to fry them, so you will cut down on the fat some.
What to serve with Salmon Burgers
Here are some delicious sides dish that are easy to whip up and would go great with these salmon burgers:
Crispy Garlic Rosemary Potatoes – can leave off the rosemary if you like
More Healthy Salmon Recipes
Meal Prep Smoked Salmon Breakfast Bowls
Cranberry Balsamic Roasted Salmon
Meal Prep Salmon and Veggies Bowl
Harissa Salmon Burgers
ingredients
Harissa Salmon Burgers
- 1 pound raw salmon (deboned and skin removed)
- 6 tablespoons almond flour + more for coating
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons harissa
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
instructions
- Roughly cut salmon and add half to a food processor. Pulse 3-4 times until broken down, but still a little chucky and some texture remains. I did this in two batches to make sure it didn't get too mushy.
- Add salmon to a bowl with the almond flour, egg, garlic, harissa, and salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Form into 4 equal sized patties. The mixture will be fairly wet. Coat each patty with a little more almond flour on each side.
- Add oil to a large saute pan and add burgers, speading them out evenly. Cook for 3-4 mintues per side until golden brown and cooked through.
- While the burgers cook, make the aioli by adding the ingredients into a small bowl and whisking to combine. Top burgers with aioli and serve with whatever you like!
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Super simple and easy to make. I used canned salmon for a quick lunch.
Oh love that idea! Glad you enjoyed Francesca!
Just got some salmon so can’t wait to try it
You guys will love them!