salmon burgers with japanese coleslaw

Salmon burgers with Japanese coleslaw

I know what you're thinking.  Another Asian recipe?  I'm sorry, but I never get tired of Asian food.  When in doubt, wok it out.  (Rita, that was for you.)

I like salmon, but I don't buy it very often because the good stuff is expensive and I'm just a lowly peon trying to get by in this overpriced city.  The last time I was in Norfolk, my mom's friend Kelly was raving about Costco's salmon burgers, and I knew I had to give them a try!   On my next trip to the mega-warehouse, I beelined to the frozen foods section (because really, who has time to waste at Costco?) and picked some up.  At $15.99 for a twelve-pack, I was pleasantly surprised at how affordable they were.  At last, high-brow cuisine comes to the hoi polloi, via the most popular American dish ever created - the burger!  These babies have no breadcrumbs or other filler in them - I hate it when crabcakes and salmon burgers are loaded down with flavor-killers!  The only ingredients in this burger were salmon, water, canola oil, egg, and spices.

Best of all, these salmon burgers are good for our planet and good for our bodies; they're made from wild-caught Alaskan salmon, not the flavorless, nutritionally inferior, farm-raised Atlantic stuff that's injected with pink food coloring. Some of you may be surprised to see that comment coming out of my mouth.  I am skeptical of the words "organic", "cage-free", "range-free", "grass-fed", blah blah blah, and I do not consider myself a staunch proponent of those products.  Sure, I often buy cage-free eggs or an organic something or other because it may taste better or the price differential may be worth it to me, but a conventionally-grown vegetable is not a dealbreaker in my book.  One area where I always strive to go "natural" is salmon.  Salmon is already expensive to begin with, farmed or wild, so it's worth it (to me) to spend a few extra bucks for bigger flavor and more nutrients.

I quickly pan-seared the burgers for 4-5 minutes per side in just a hint of oil.  Then I splashed some soy sauce on top and put it on a "bun" - i.e. a whole wheat deli flat.  I don't buy hamburger buns if I'm just cooking for one or two because I don't go through them quickly enough, and moreover, I just don't love the taste of them.  I slathered some Duke's mayonnaise on both sides of the bread - I love mayonnaise!  I understand there are a lot of mayo-haters out there, but mayonnaise is my favorite condiment and I will never give it up.  If you don't like mayo, just leave it off.  This burger would be delicious with wasabi mayonnaise, but alas I didn't happen to have any wasabi casually laying around in my refrigerator. 

Finally, I topped each patty with a generous serving of Japanese coleslaw.  This is not a creamy coleslaw, but rather a vinegary, crunchy cabbage salad.  Simply delicious!

Japanese Coleslaw
Serves 4-6

For the slaw:
1 head cabbage, cored and shredded
1/4 cup sliced almonds
6 carrots, peeled and coarsely shredded
4 green onions, chopped (both white and green parts)
1 packet ramen noodles, uncooked and crumbled into small pieces

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons sugar (Splenda works too)
1/4 cup of canola oil or other flavorless vegetable oil
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
Spice packet from Ramen noodles (I used the "oriental" flavor)

1.  Mix together ingredients for the slaw
2.  Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing in a cup or small bowl.  Put in refrigerator to chill.
3.  When ready to serve, pour dressing over slaw and toss.

Oh, and before I leave, I'd like to wish a very  

Happy Birthday 

to my friend Lindsey!  

Linds, maybe 24 will be the year your head actually grows to a full-sized adult.  

Thank you for being such an amazing friend over the past 12+ years.

isn't her head so cute and tiny?

By this point, it's pretty apparent that Asian food is my Achilles heel.  What is your favorite cuisine?