Fish Burgers

We've all had the standard breaded fish sandwiches from either fast-food restaurants or from the freezer section at home. 

This burger is a nice alternative in that you still get a pescetarian meal but it's much better tasting and better for you than the supermarket or fast-food version.

Fish Burgers

(from here)

Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (loosely packed)
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves (loosely packed)
1/4 cup green onion, roughly chopped
1 clove crushed garlic
Salt

Burgers
1 lb white fish, chopped in chunks (I used Swai, but you can use tilapia, catfish, cod, etc.)
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 lime, zest of
3 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
Salt
2 tablespoons chopped green onions or 2 tablespoons chives
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup grated carrot
vegetable oil or butter (for frying)

Lettuce, tomato, etc. to finish the burgers

==

Start by making your sauce.

You can do this in a blender or food processor, but I used my stick blender.

Combine:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup green onion, roughly chopped
1 clove crushed garlic
Salt (I started with 1/4 teaspoon, Kosher)

Buzz well and taste for salt.

Stash in the fridge.

==

Next, we'll make the burger patties.

I used the food processor for them.

I began by getting all of the binder/seasoning ingredients together first.

To a food processor, add:
1 egg
3 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
salt (again, I started with 1/4 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons chopped green onions or 2 tablespoons chives
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Pulse until uniform, scraping as you go.

Add 1/2 cup breadcrumbs.

Pulse until combined.

Now, add the fish.

I cut mine into large cubes, while slightly frozen.

Add to the food processor.

Pulse and scrape until pretty uniform, but not a paste. There were some chunks in mine.

Remove the mix from the food processor and put into a bowl.

Add 1 cup grated carrot.

Add the lime zest.

Mix well to combine everything.

==

I made my patties by using an old can that I keep for a ring mold.

Measure out 6 oz patties (yes, I weigh them) and stash in the fridge until service.

You could conceivably do larger patties if you wanted but I wouldn't go past 9 oz.

==

Cook as you would any burger, either on the grill or in a skillet with some oil.

Cook until you get some color on one side, then flip until cooked through.

You can add a slice of cheese or whatever to suit your taste.

Dress your burger with the sauce and whatever accoutrements you see fit.

I served mine with sweet potato fries because we love them around here.

==

Overall the burger was very good. The flavor was surprisingly satisfying. The bits of carrot added bursts of sweetness and the sauce tied everything together and was a very good aspect of the burger.

They were fairly dense, but still tender, since the fish wasn't completely uniform if that makes any sense. If you want a more "lump-like" consistency (like say, crab cakes) I think you could just roughly chop the fish instead of processing it - maybe forgo the food processor all together, come to think of it. I think I'll give that a try next time.

Anyway, give these a whirl if you have extra frozen fish on hand and want to do something different tonight!

Enjoy!