Stop Crumbly Salmon Burgers For Good With One Extra Step

Whether you like your salmon burgers made with fresh fish for a more gourmet experience or made with tinned salmon for an easy and affordable weeknight dinner, the key to success lies in your patties staying in one piece. The disappointment when your salmon burgers fall apart in the pan can be enough to make you remove the dish from your menu rotation. But before you relegate salmon burgers to the too-hard basket, try this simple tip for keeping things together.

Before you do anything, you'll need to leave your salmon patties in the refrigerator to chill for 20 to 30 minutes before you attempt to fry them. This cold temperature will firm up the texture, and the resting time will allow the wet and dry ingredients to incorporate more thoroughly, resulting in a more cohesive burger. Then the important step is dredging your burgers in panko breadcrumbs just before frying. Although most recipes will also include regular breadcrumbs as part of the mix, the panko will help soak up any extra moisture that's released during the cooking process while remaining crunchy.

There are a few reasons why your salmon burgers may not stick together. The first is that your mixture is too wet, which is more of an issue when using canned fish. Be sure to drain the salmon well before adding it to the mix and use a recipe designed for tinned fish — it will include the right amount of binding ingredients to balance any excess moisture.

Salmon burgers can also become crumbly when the mix is too dry. This would be a result of adding too many breadcrumbs or not enough egg. Egg is the most common binding agent called for in salmon burgers, but if you prefer not to use it, look for a recipe that includes an alternative, rather than just skipping the egg. Some common substitutions include mayonnaise, flax egg, or even mustard. Finally, your salmon burgers might be falling apart because the chunks of salmon are too big. While you still want a bit of texture, smaller flakes of salmon are easier to bind together for the perfect patty.