Burgers are back and showing up in new and unusual ways on restaurant menus all around the country. These Thai Salmon Burgers follow the trend, and are a delicious alternative to standard ground beef burgers.

The flavors of cilantro, ginger, lime and chile give these burgers loads of flavor, while egg and panko help the salmon hold together. These burgers are a bit more fragile than most, so I usually fry them up in a nonstick pan rather than tossing them on the grill. Making the burger mixture and storing it in the refrigerator earlier in the day and then forming into patties and refrigerating them for 30 minutes prior to pan-frying helps the burgers hold their shape.

Make these into mini burgers and serve on dinner rolls to follow the recent “slider” trend to serve at your next cocktail party. And, be sure to prepare a batch of the Thai Slaw on this site to use as a garnish for the burgers.

Thai Salmon Burgers

• 2 green onions cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 1 large clove
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Asian hot chili sauce, such as Sriracha
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 pound skinless fresh salmon fillet
• 1/3 cup panko (Japanese-style) bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• Hamburger rolls, for serving

Place the green onions, cilantro, ginger, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, chili sauce and salt into the bowl of the food processor fitted with the sharp metal blade. Pulse to make a coarse paste, stopping to scrape down the bowl a few times. Add the egg and pulse until blended.

Check the salmon pieces for any bones and remove them. Cut the fillets into 1-inch pieces and add the salmon and the bread crumbs to the food processor. Pulse a few times, scrape down the bowl, and pulse once or twice more. Scrape the mixture out of the food processor and form into 4 patties. Place the patties on a plate, cover and chill 30 minutes. (The mixture may be made a few hours in advance and refrigerated in a bowl, covered, to make forming into patties easier.)

Heat the peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the burgers and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until burgers feel firm in the center.

Makes 4 burgers.