So far in the category of things I wasn’t expecting from 2018, I’ve been having a major love affair with both salmon and kale salads. I legitimately crave both almost every day, and both have been making it onto my menu plan weekly. While most weeknights I prefer keeping the salmon in fillet form for the sake of speed and simplicity, these salmon burgers have been a favorite dish of mine for a while now and it is high time I shared them with you.

You know the recipe is good if it means I am willing to turn a gorgeous salmon fillet into patties. The particular genius of this recipe is in making a portion of the salmon into a paste which then becomes the binder for the patties. This avoids additional binders such as bread crumbs, egg, etc. Having tried them both ways, I must say that I prefer them as pictured here: over the bed of tender herbs topped with pickles and with mayo on the side, no bun necessary. (This is coming from a carb and gluten lover, so just trust me on this one.) All of the components here – the patties themselves, the tender herb salad, the quick pickled cucumbers, and the sesame mayo – combine to create a beautifully balanced dish that is light and incredibly satisfying. The flavor balance is on point.

If you are looking to make these even healthier, I would recommend skipping the mayo in favor of a greek yogurt-based sauce. Whenever I’m trying to trick my appetite into considering it remotely okay that I have run out of sour cream, I microplane a clove of garlic into some greek yogurt, season well with salt and pepper, and add a squeeze of lime juice. I think a similar effect could probably be achieved here with garlic, ginger, and sesame, though I haven’t tried it yet myself. Let me know how it turns out if you do!

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