How to cook salmon burgers on the grill

These Grilled Salmon Burgers with Caper Mayonnaise are so tasty, and they’re easy to make on the grill or on a stove-top grill pan. I switched the breadcrumbs for almond flour and hemp hearts to make this low in carbs and gluten-free.

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At my house the grill is under a covered deck, so I’m always ready to grill. I don’t venture out there much in the dead of winter, but from early spring to late fall you’ll find me out there cooking all kinds of meat, fish, and vegetables on the grill. But tasty recipes like these Grilled Salmon Burgers with Caper Mayonnaise are also easy to make on a stovetop grill pan if you don’t have an outdoor grill!

This salmon recipe is one I tried with my nephew Jake, and we gobbled ours up without a bun when we tested the recipe. Of course, they’d also be delicious served on a bun or inside low-carb pita bread with lettuce, tomato, and the caper mayonnaise spread.

But please don’t skip the delicious caper mayo that really puts the salmon burgers over the top! The mayo that’s flavored with capers, lemon, pickle relish, salt and pepper literally takes minutes to make and adds so much good flavor to the salmon

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What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• Capers (affiliate link)
• mayonnaise
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• dill pickle relish (affiliate link)
• salt and pepper to taste
• celery
• onion
• chives or green onion
• Hemp Hearts (affiliate link)
• Almond Flour (affiliate link)
• egg
• Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link) (or other hot sauce of your choice)
• skinless salmon, diced into pieces
• olive oil, for brushing burgers so they won’t stick on the grill

What makes this recipe low in carbs and gluten-free?

This recipe originally called for a cup of Panko breadcrumbs which I replaced with half Hemp Hearts (affiliate link) and half Almond Flour. That makes this recipe suitable for Keto or low-carb diets and would also make them gluten-free.

How can you tell when salmon burgers are done?

Use an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) to cook salmon burgers until they reach 145F/62C. Or if you don’t have a meat thermometer, cook the salmon burgers until they are lightly crisp on the outside and the salmon is pink and flaky inside.

What if you don’t have an outdoor grill?

If you don’t have an outdoor grill you could easily cook these on a Stove-Top Grill Pan (affiliate link) or even a George Foreman Grill (affiliate link) with equally good results! Remember the George Foreman Grill cooks both sides at once, so total cooking time will be much shorter.

How to make Grilled Salmon Burgers with Caper Mayo:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

1. Chop the onion, celery, and chives (or green onion) to go in the salmon. 
2. Dice the salmon into small pieces so it will chop up quickly in the food processor. 
3. Then pulse the Hemp Hearts (affiliate link), almond meal, onion, celery, green onion or chives, egg, hot sauce, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in the food processor until it’s well blended.
4. Add diced salmon to the food processor and pulse just a few times, until salmon is barely chopped and combined with the other ingredients.
5. Form the salmon mixture into six medium patties (or make four large patties if you prefer). 
6. Chill them about 20 minutes in the freezer; this helps the patties stay together better on the grill.
7. Chop up the Capers (affiliate link); then mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped capers, pickle relish, and salt and pepper to make the caper mayonnaise. 
8. Spray the grill well with non-stick spray and preheat to medium high.
9. Just before you put the salmon on the grill, brush the surface of each burger with olive oil (or another oil of your choice).
10. Rotating the salmon burgers on the first side will give those criss-cross grill marks I like so well.
11. Serve salmon burgers hot with caper mayonnaise.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

The Salmon Burgers with Caper Mayo would be delicious as a low-carb meal served with Garlic-Lover’s Vegetable Stir Fry, Easy Grilled Vegetables, Fattoush Lebanese Salad, Al’s Famous Hungarian Cucumber Salad, or Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw.

More Ideas with Salmon:

Maple Glazed Salmon (Three Ways)

Air Fryer Salmon with Mustard Herb Sauce

Salmon Foil Packets with Tomatoes and Olives

Greek Salmon with Tzatziki Sauce

Slow Cooked Salmon with Butter, Capers, Garlic, and Lemon

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Yield: 6 servings

Grilled Salmon Burgers with Caper Mayonnaise

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 52 minutes

These Grilled Salmon Burgers with Caper Mayonnaise are so fantastic, and we replaced the breadcrumbs with almond flour and hemp hearts to make the recipe low in carbs and gluten-free!

Ingredients

Caper Mayonnaise Ingredients

• 2 T capers, drained and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 T dill pickle relish
• salt and pepper to taste

Salmon Burger Ingredients

• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chives or green onion, sliced (see notes)
• 1/2 cup Hemp Hearts
• 1/2 cup almond flour 
• 1 egg
• 1 T Sriracha sauce (or other hot sauce of your choice)
• 1 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb. skinless salmon, diced into pieces about 1/2 inch square
• olive oil, for brushing burgers so they won’t stick on the grill

Instructions

1. Drain the capers and finely chop.
2. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the chopped capers, mayo, light mayo, lemon juice, and dill pickle relish.
3. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Let the caper mayonnaise chill in the fridge while you make the burgers.
5. Coarsely chop the celery, onion, and fresh chives or green onion.
6. Then add those to food processor with the hemp hearts, Almond Flour, egg, Sriracha Sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
7. Pulse just until the veggies are chopped and the mixture is combined.
8. Add the diced salmon cubes and pulse a few more times until the salmon is barely chopped and mixed with the other ingredients.
9. Wash your hands, and with wet hands form the salmon into 6 medium burgers.
10. Place them on a cookie sheet as you make each one.  (We chilled them for about 20 minutes in the freezer to help the patties stay together.)
11. Spray the grill grates well with non-stick spray for the grill; then preheat grill to medium-high.  (You can only hold your hand there for 2-3 minutes at that temperature.)
12. When you’re ready to grill, use a basting brush to brush both sides of the burgers with olive or grapeseed oil.
13. Lay burgers carefully on the grill and let them cook without moving for about 4 minutes; then lift one side to see if you have good grill marks starting to show.
14. If you want criss-cross grill marks, rotate the burgers and cook 2-3 minutes more on the same side.
15. Then turn burgers carefully with a large turner and cook 2-4 minutes on the second side, or until they feel firm to the touch and are nicely browned. (For best results, use an instant-read meat thermometer and cook until burgers reach 145F/62C.)
16. Serve burgers hot with caper mayonnaise or other sauce of your choice.
17. You can serve just the salmon burger patty on a plate or on a bun with lettuce and tomato.
18. These were so good that I was excited to eat the leftover salmon burgers;  I reheated them in a dry frying pan and they were just as delicious the second day.

Notes

Use 1/2 cup green onion and skip the chives and onion if you prefer.

We replaced the whole wheat breadcrumbs with Hemp Hearts and Almond Flour to make the recipe low in carbs. Use breadcrumbs instead if you prefer and don't care about the carbs.

This recipe adapted from Cuisine at Home Weeknight Grilling 2007.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 433Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 5.2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 438mgCarbohydrates: 6.2gFiber: 2.3gSugar: 2.1gProtein: 25g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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How do you tell if salmon burgers are done?

Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of your burger. When the salmon burger reaches 145 degrees F, it is done. If you don't have a thermometer, check that your burger is lightly crisp on the outside and that the meat inside is pink and flaky. It should not still look raw.

How do you keep salmon burgers from sticking to the grill?

Be sure the grates are clean and the burger (or the grates) has been oiled. This will help the salmon from sticking to the grill grates. Grill each side of the burger over direct heat to get a nice crust.

How long do you cook salmon burgers?

Place burgers on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake burgers for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway. Grill/BBQ: Preheat grill with burners set to medium heat. Cook burgers for 9-10 minutes, flipping halfway.

Can I grill salmon directly on grill?

Generously season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Once your grill has fully preheated, place salmon fillets directly on the grill, skin side down, and close the grill. Grill skin-side down for 6 minutes. Then, flip the fillets and grill for an additional 2 minutes skin-side up.