Recipe Wednesday - Salmon Burgers

Since Father's Day is this Sunday, I thought today's recipe should be a good one for dads. This recipe for salmon burgers, from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook, is a great, healthy alternative to the standard beef burger. Salmon is high in Omega-3, an essential fatty acid, believed to aid in everything from cardiovascular health to the immune system. One important thing to know when purchasing salmon in that wild salmon is much healthier than farm-raised salmon. Not only are farm-raised salmon higher in fat content than wild, but the food given to farm-raised salmon is full of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), a compound made up of up to 209 different chemicals. Studies have shown that farm-raised salmon contain anywhere from 10-16x the amount of PCBs as wild salmon.

SALMON BURGERS

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless salmon filets

1/4 cup minced sweet onion

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

4 tsp prepared horseradish

1/2 tsp Old Bay 30% Less Sodium seasoning

4 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise

4 whole grain or whole wheat hamburger buns

4 small green leaf lettuce leaves

4 large slices of tomato

Cut salmon into cubes and place in a food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Pulse until the salmon is about the consistency of ground beef. Transfer into a mixing bowl and stir in the onion, parsley, 2 tsp of horseradish and the Old Bay.

Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and shape into patties, about 4" in diameter.

Place a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, spray with a non-stick spray, add patties and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly brown and patties are cooked through. They should be pale pink all the way through.

Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise with remaining 2 tsp horseradish until well combined. Place each bun bottom on a plate and layer with patty, a lettuce leaf and a slice of tomato. Spread 1 tbsp of the mayo mixture on the bun top and serve. Makes 4 servings.