Fresh Salmon Burgers with Lemon Cilantro Mayonnaise

Note from Cheri: This recipe, text and photo below are reprinted from Build a Better Burger - Celebrating Sutter Home's Annual Search for America's Best Burgers (2005, Ten Speed Press), by James McNair. The quintessential American dish, the hamburger, has come a long way since the norm was a thin patty of beef sandwiches between a white bread bun with a splash of ketchup. This book represents the best of the best of nouvelle burgers in all their glorious forms, made from all kinds of ground meats and even seafood! Each year thousands of cooks, both amateur and professional, compete in the Build a Better Burger Recipe Contest. The Sutter Home Family Vineyards in gorgeous Napa Valley, California host the annual regional winner-takes-all cook-off. This book celebrates the contest's 15'th anniversary, with 44 prize winning recipes representing the cream of the crop from the more than 50,000 contest entries since the contest's beginning in 1990. Click here to learn more about this great book, along with discount ordering links and another delicious free burger recipe.

Grand Prize Winner 1996 -- Lloyd Roczniak, Rochester, Minnesota
Chef Star's Wine Pairing - Sauvignon Blanc

Lemon Cilantro Mayonnaise: 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Patties: 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless salmon filet 1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs 2 anchovy filets mashed with 2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon minced shallot 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 small red onion, sliced 1 1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar vegetable oil for brushing on the grill rack 4 sesame seed buns, split 8 spinach leaves

Makes 4 Burgers To make the mayonnaise, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to blend well. Cover and refrigerate until serving. To make the patties, with a large chef's knife, cut the salmon into strips. Cut the strips crosswise, then chop until the salmon is the texture of raw hamburger meat. Transfer the salmon to a large bowl and add the bread crumbs, anchovy-water mixture, shallot, lemon juice, mustard, and pepper. Handling the salmon as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the buns. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile combine the onion and vinegar in a bowl and toss well. Set aside for about 30 minutes, stirring often. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the chilled patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, until just opaque throughout, about 2 minutes on each side. During the last few minutes of cooking, place the buns, cut side down, on the outer edge of the rack to toast lightly. To assemble the burgers, spread the mayonnaise over the cut sides of the buns. On each bun bottom, place a few spinach leaves, a patty, and an equal portion of the onions. Add the bun tops and serve.