Southwest Hatch Chile Salmon Burgers

So last month was National Hamburger Month.

Who knew there was such a thing? To celebrate, the good people of TOURISM Sante Fe sent me some Hatch green chile goodies and asked me to feature them in a hamburger recipe.

Grilled Southwest Hatch Chile Burger with Salmon

You may remember my post titled “How to Roast Hatch Green Chiles” from last August. August is the time when these bright green chiles start showing up in our grocery stores and there is quite the craze for them.

So follow my lead and roast some yourselves or buy a bag of them already done for you like the picture I shared above. They impart major deliciousness in any recipe you put them in. If you can’t find them, try substituting Anaheim peppers for them instead. My friend Kelly (from Red Dirt Chronicles and Every Point on the Map) pointed out the similarities to me last year and I have to say, I agree!

Last night we used them to make salmon burgers.

And oh were they good!

To begin, get some really good salmon. I usually get Coho or Sockeye salmon and look for sales at Whole Foods and stock up.

Have your fish monger remove the skin from the salmon, or gently pull or slice it off with a filet knife.

Then cut half of the salmon into chunks and put it into your food processor fitted with the attachment blade.

Pulse it several times so that the consistency is pretty fine. This will help hold your burgers together.

Next take the remaining salmon and chop it up into small chunks.

Scrape the pulverized mixture from the food processor into a bowl along with the half you chopped.

Take 3-4 of your chiles and cut off the ends, slice them in half and either scrape out the seeds, or just rinse them off under running water. Cut each half of chile into thin slices then rotate your knife and cut them into little pieces.

Add them into the bowl with the salmon, along with some other ingredients.

Add in one pressed or chopped garlic clove.

Add in a beaten egg.

Also add in ⅔ cup of Panko bread crumbs (or almond meal if lo-carbing), Squeeze in the juice of ½ of a medium-sized lime and also its zest.Add in about 2-3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Take a spoon or spatula and gently mix this up well taking care not to smash it too hard.

Take your spatula and lightly press down to make the top of the mixture level in your bowl.

Then draw two lines in the shape of a plus sign which will allow you to make even-sized patties.

Take one pie section out of the bowl and roll it into a ball in your hands.

Then flatten it on a platter or cutting board into a patty.

Now this is important. Make sure you put your patties into the refrigerator for at least an hour or more so they can set up and solidify from the cold again. This helps keep them together when grilling.

At this point you can grill your salmon burgers in a skillet with a tiny bit of oil coating the bottom, toss them onto a grill pan, or my personal favorite – putting them in a burger basket and flipping them onto the grill outside.

Top them with some light mayo mixed with tabasco and layer on some lettuce, tomato and avocado slices for a truly different southwest-style burger!