Classic Salmon Burgers “Pozharskie”
These classic Russian burgers are made with a piece of butter inside. When cut in half, the burger releases melted butter which makes a delicious sauce.
Serves 4
1.5lbs salmon fillet
1 onion
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2.5oz butter
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
Half teaspoon salt
These classic Russian burgers are made with a piece of butter inside. When cut in half, the burger releases melted butter which makes a delicious sauce.
Prepare the onion and salmon. Place the butter into the freezer.
Chop the onion into pieces and transfer into a blender or a food processor.
Chop finely.
You can also use a meat grinder for this.
Transfer the onion into a medium skillet, add one tablespoon of the oil.
Sauté the onion over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring periodically.
As the onion cooks it becomes soft and loses bitterness; however do not overcook it. Raw or overcooked onion dominates the salmon flavor while the slightly sautéed onion complements it.
Rinse the blender/food processor/meat grinder after chopping the onion.
Cut the salmon into pieces and place into the blender (food processor or meat grinder).
Add the egg.
Add the sautéed onion.
Sprinkle with the salt.
Process the fish so that it is finely chopped and all ingredients are combined.
Moisten your hands and divide the salmon mixture into four equal parts.
Slice the frozen butter into four equal sticks, about 0.5oz each.
Pour the breadcrumbs onto the working surface.
Moisten your hands. Place one part of the salmon mixture onto one hand and flatten with the other, shaping it into a flat patty.
Put one piece of the butter in the middle of the patty.
Roll the burger in your hands making sure that the butter is sealed so that it doesn’t leak out during cooking.
Place the burger into the breadcrumbs and turn it over using a flat knife.
This way the breadcrumbs cover the burger all over and it won’t stick to the knife or the working surface.
Carefully patting the burger with the flat side of the knife, give it an oval shape.
The top and bottom sides of the burger need to be equally flat to ensure full contact with the cooking surface.
Grease a baking sheet with the remaining one tablespoon of the oil and place the burgers onto it.
Bake the burgers in a preheated 430F oven for 7 minutes.
Take the baking sheet out of the oven and carefully flip the burgers over using a wide spatula.
Return to the oven for another 5 minutes.
The fish takes little time to cook, and ground fish takes even less. Be careful not to overcook the burgers.
Serve the burgers with rice or mashed potatoes.
The sauce is inside of the burgers, as mentioned above.
Enjoy!
You can use just about any type of the fish for these burgers.
