One of the things I perfected a long time ago were sauces, long before they were a must for Culinary School, I taught myself how to make some pretty traditional ones, reading old cookbooks and good old trial and error, dating my old ass, long before there was internet, and you could Google and YouTube shit with ease.
I think that anyone who cooks should have a few good ones in their arsenal. This is a classic French sauce, that is really an emulsion type cooked sauce with very little ingredients, but timing is key, and cold butter in cubes is the only way you will get this sauce to the perfect consistency. It pairs so well with fish, because of the white wine and butter, the kiss of vinegar cuts the richness of the butter, and pairs so perfectly. I like to add some lemon, which is not traditional, but I love lemon in this and fish and lemon just have an infinity for each other. This works just as beautiful as a sauce for chicken, even roast vegetables, but I do love it for fish.
I hope you give this a try. This recipe is a cross between a salmon burger and a crab cake but salmon in this with the kiss from the Beurre Blanc sauce is just so right.
This is definitely a step up from the ordinary!
Sinfully,
Susan xoxo
Salmon Burgers with Beurre Blanc Sauce
A classic, French sauce paired with a wonderful flavorful salmon burger that's quick, easy, and so flavorful you may not miss the beef!
Credit: CrazySexySavor.com/Susan Mangieri-Maurath
Ingredients
For the Salmon Burgers
- 1 1/2 lb. of Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
- 2 tbsp. of Hellman’s Mayonnaise
- 1 1/4 tsp. of Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 1/2 tsp. dill dried or 1 tbsp. fresh finely chopped
- 2 scallions finely chopped whites
- 1 clove of garlic finely minced
- 1/4 cup of Panko bread crumbs white or wheat, (I used wheat)
- 1 tsp. of Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg white
- zest of one lemon
- 1 small splash of hot sauce
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- Mixed baby greens or Brioche buns if desired
For the Beurre Blanc Sauce
- 2 sticks of cold unsalted butter cut into cubes kept refrigerated
- 1 cup of dry white wine (I sacrifice my Pinot Grigio) drinking wine here
- 1 large shallot minced
- 1/2 cup of champagne vinegar
- juice of half a lemon
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper or white pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley or tarragon
Directions
For the Salmon Burgers
- Making sure to remove pin bones thoroughly, begin to remove skin from salmon and cut into chunks. Place in a food processor or Ninja blender, pulse a few times keeping mildly coursed. Place in large bowl, add all ingredients. Mix well.
- Heat oven to 225°. Let come to temperature and turn off. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Form into burger shaped patties. I was able to make four.
- Over medium high heat, heat a grill pan or cast iron skillet with a little bit of canola oil. Cook salmon burgers about four minutes per side.
- Remove salmon burgers to foil lined baking sheet cover lightly with another piece of foil, place in oven to keep warm while you make the Beurre Blanc.
For the Beurre Blanc
- In a large sauce pan heat wine, and vinegar to a full rolling boil, add in shallots, and salt and pepper. Reduce by about 1 3/4 tbsp. The concentration is key here for getting the most flavorful sauce almost as important as the butter. IT MUST BE COLD AND ADDED SLOWLY AS YOU WHISK.
- When you have the liquid reduced, grab butter and take mixture off burner for a minute, add a tablespoon of butter, whisk until blended, place back on low heat of burner, begin to add butter slowly whisking to make the proper emulsification. Allow butter to be fully incorporated and melted into sauce before adding more butter, until the butter is finished and sauce is thick and lovely.
- Remove from heat, and add in lemon juice, whisk to blend. Taste and season accordingly. Mix in fresh herbs if using.
- Remove salmon burgers from oven, place on brioche or bun of your choice, I prefer to go “bunless” and place mine on lettuce. Top generously with Beurre Blanc Sauce. I like to finish mine with lots of lemon which usually breaks down the sauce, if you prefer a thicker emulsion, refrain from adding the lemon juice. Bon Appetite!
CRAZYSEXYSAVOR 