Wild Salmon Burgers w. Tahini Srirachi Sauce
Sustainably sourced wild salmon is a great food to add to your weekly rotation. Not only is it filled with healthy fats, but it is delicious and filling. These are great to make with cooked leftover salmon or as a meal with fresh wild-caught salmon. They really are easy to whip up and have tons of flavor. You can get creative with the serving of these burgers. Try "California" style with avocado and some zesty sprouts, or go hickory with some roasted onions and mushrooms. Either way this recipe is honestly so good, even the non-fish lovers may even like it (AKA...my dad is a fan!)
So I hear you hearing me with the WILD salmon……
YES, it matters!!!
I know I know, the regular salmon is cheaper and fattier and juicer…….
Well, the wild salmon is way better for you and way better for the planet! Here is why:
For starters, farmed salmon are fed processed fish feed, whereas wild salmon eat various invertebrates. So that means inevitable, you are consuming processed fish feed (EW!) You know that saying….”You are what you eat”, well, as it turns out,
“ You are what your food eats too”
So while wild salmon are feeding on other fish in the sea, your farmed salmon are eating processed human food to make them fattier and bigger for obvious reasons. The result is a mineral-depleted, poorly treated, extra fatty piece of dare I say “processed” salmon. So the deep pink color of wild salmon is naturally pink due to their diet which includes astaxanthin, a reddish-orange compound found in krill and shrimp. Where your farm-raised salmon are grazing on corn gluten, ground-up feathers, soybeans, chicken fat, genetically engineered yeast…..and pigment supplements to give it its light pink color…. Get this, “pigmenting supplements are the most expensive component of the farmed salmon diet, constituting up to 20% of feed costs” according to Quartz.com
Nasty, So I stick with my prior statement….Farmed salmon is more often than not, processed Salmon!
Wild salmon is also superior is its mineral and fat content. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “A 3-ounce fillet of wild salmon has fewer calories and half the fat content of the same amount of farmed salmon. And although farmed salmon may have more omega-3 fatty acids, it also has more than double the saturated fat content — and that's not fat you want”
HOW FARMED SALMON LIVE
Farmed Salmon live inside enclosed pens submerged in lakes, ponds, or the ocean, and sometimes in large tanks on land. These fish pens can be small and crowded which can leave the fish with a higher prevalence of disease, which is rarely found in wild stocks. Additionally, these small pens do not leave space for the fish to swim, concluding in fish that are less lean and healthy and increasing their omega-6 content.
Unsafe contaminants found in Farmed Salmon
Studies have found the contaminant dioxin in farmed and wild salmon. The rates of contaminants in farmed salmon is much greater than that of wild salmon and should be avoided altogether. That being said wild salmon can be consumed at a much higher rate of up to 4 meals per week. This study also found that salmon from European farms contain greater levels of dioxin than salmon from North and South American farms.
Contaminants sit below approved U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tolerance levels but exceed what’s considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “for frequent consumption.”
For either wild or farmed salmon, it is a good idea to remove the skin to decrease exposure to contaminants and pollutants.
Other good sources include flaxseed, chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts.
Take away : Both wild and farmed salmon come with risk if eaten in large quantities. But consumed in moderation, most studies conclude wild salmon is safer.
Hope I didn’t lose your appetite there! The best place to start is education! Knowing and understanding the food that is on your plate, choosing wisely, and proceeding with caution, and don’t forget to enjoy & be greatfull for each and every bite. Now let’s get cooking some wild salmon burgers why don’t we!
Forming your salmon Patties :
Forming your patties with raw salmon is fairly easy. You can adjust your mixture to your liking by adding more nutritional yeast if the mixture is too wet to form patties. The salmon has a fairly sticky consistency as it is so I had no problem forming my patties and keeping them together!
Tahini Sriracha Mayo :
Did you know, most store-bought mayo contains inflammatory and carcinogenic
oils like canola oil, sunflower oil, and palm oil? These cheap oils are toxic to our health. So, why not swap for tahini, you still get the creamy fatty flavor from the tahini plus some added nutritional benefits!
When you mix tahini with other ingredients it tends to thicken, so added hot or boiling water can help thin out your sauce until you get the perfect texture and consistency of your choosing!
Wild Salmon Burgers w. Tahini Sriracha "mayo"
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine all of the salmon burger ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. If the mixture is pretty wet, add additional nutritional yeast 1 Tbsp. at a time.
- Form into 6-8 patties. I used my hands for this, it does get a bit messy but it is my preferred method of forming patties.
- Heat coconut oil or avocado oil on a griddle or pan to medium-high heat.
- Once hot (oil must be hot), carefully add burgers to pan and cook for 4-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Patties should sizzle when added to pan.
- To serve, top with 1-2 Tbsp. tahini sauce and toppings of choice ( I added mushrooms, broccoli microgreens, and pickles) and tuck into a lettuce wrap!
- Add all tahini, sriracha, and salt to a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Add hot water, 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Taste for spice preference and add more sriracha if desired.
