Fresh Salmon Burgers With Wasabi Sauce and Pickled Ginger
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Wasabi, that greenish Japanese horseradish familiar from sushi bars, has many more uses than just accompanying raw fish. It adds a spicy edge to all sorts of foods without the heaviness of bottled horseradish.
You can find it in specialty and Asian markets in two forms: ready-to-use paste in a tube or powder in small tins. To use the powder, you make it into a smooth paste with water, as you’d do with dry mustard. The ready-to-use paste has a slightly sharper flavor and a deeper green color, and it’s my preference in these recipes.
As with all sharp seasonings, it’s best to start with a small quantity of wasabi and add more after tasting.
Wasabi sauce
Combine the mayonnaise, wasabi paste and honey in a small bowl. Taste; adjust the wasabi. (This can be made a few days ahead and refrigerated.) Makes a little more than 1/2 cup.
Burgers
Finely mince together the garlic, onion, pickled ginger, wasabi paste, sesame oil, sugar, oyster sauce, salt and pepper in a mini-processor. Add the egg white. Pulse just until the egg white is mixed in.
Combine the salmon and the garlic mixture and mix them together with a fork until they’re well combined. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, then shape each into a patty, about 1/3-inch thick. Wrap each separately in plastic. Chill the patties at least 2 hours.
Just before serving, heat the butter or oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, cook the patties until they’re lightly browned on each side, about 4 to 5 minutes total. They should be slightly pink in the center.
Meanwhile, lightly spray the cut sides of the buns with the nonstick spray. Place the buns, cut side down, on a hot griddle to toast, about 1 minute.
To serve, spread about 1/2 tablespoon of the Wasabi Sauce on each toasted bun. Place the patties on 4 halves. Top them with some pickled ginger and close the bun. Serve the burgers immediately, passing extra sauce and ginger.
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