Turn Your Canned Fish Into A Delectable Fish Burger

Fish burgers are the perfect way to include pescatarians in your family barbecue, but they can be a little on the expensive side. It's basically never worth it to make your own salmon burgers, since store-bought, typically frozen patties are usually cheaper than buying fresh salmon and making burgers yourself. And salmon isn't even the most expensive fish out there — ahi tuna can run for $16.99 a pound at grocery stores, and even higher at specialty fish markets.

But a can of tuna? At Trader Joe's, you can find these for as low as $1.99 per 5-ounce can, while tinned salmon is also typically sold for low prices. In general, canned fish is known for being a cheap way to get a boost of protein. There are endless ways to use it that go far beyond making salad or sandwich: You can use the oil to make an umami-packed red sauce, incorporate it into a pasta dish, and add it to your sweet potato dishes. But if you're looking for a quick, cheap way to make fish burgers at home, there's no need to run to the grocery store and purchase fresh filets. As long as you have tinned fish at home, you should be good to go.

Take it from our Dill Tuna Patties and Cucumber Cream Sauce recipe: You don't need fresh fish to make a delicious burger. These patties, which use two cans of drained tuna, incorporate pantry staples like mustard, mayo, breadcrumbs, and plenty of dill to create a succulent, flavorful dish. 

As with any fish burger, you'll start by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl, and then form that into patties. Canned tuna may be even easier to use than fresh in this regard, as the tinned stuff is much easier to flake. And when cooking, you don't have to worry about getting your fish to a safe-to-eat temperature — the only thing that needs to be fully cooked are the eggs, so the patties should only take a few minutes on each side.

But you don't have to stop at tuna: You can use canned salmon or even canned chicken to make deliciously juicy, beef-free burgers. Try serving them on a bun with a creamy sauce, like we did with our tuna patties, or with slaw, lettuce, or tomato. Enjoying freshly made burgers has never been yummier — or cheaper.