Mediterranean Salmon Burgers

You know when you reach a certain age, and you start hearing all about the many different changes you should make to your diet? What to avoid, what you should aim to eat more of, etc?

It can be overwhelming... but hey, in the case of adding more salmon, we’re more than happy to!

Before we started camping, we’d try to get some salmon in weekly. Some of our favourite recipes are mySpicy Salmon Poke Bowl, Thai Pesto Salmon Salad, and Salmon Crudo.

Well, and sushi, obviously. Salmon avocado sushi... yum!

Anyway, two of our big go-to salmon recipes for camping have been our Fresh Salmon Burgers, and my easy Salmon Foil Packets.

The latter is a super easy, lazy meal... and the former - while also easy - was the base recipe that inspired this Mediterranean Salmon Burgers recipe.

Lemon and dill are kind of our go-to additions when cooking salmon on the road... and the addition of feta cheese really kicks the whole thing up a notch!

This past fall, we finally got around to photographing a batch of these burgers, when staying at Rainbow Falls Provincial Park.

Given that there was a salmon run - on the shore of Lake Superior - right behind our campsite, it just seemed appropriate. Sure, you can’t see the salmon in the photos.. But they were there!

I digress... Let’s take a look at the ingredients you’ll need for a batch of these Mediterranean inspired salmon burgers!

Ingredients

For the most part, this recipe uses pretty simple ingredients. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding everything you need in any large grocery store.

As always, I have a few ingredient notes for you:

Fresh Salmon

Try to use the best salmon you can get your hands on, to ensure the best flavor in the final salmon patties.

We usually end up buying fresh Atlantic salmon, as pre-portioned skinless salmon fillets. We like the delicate texture of this pink salmon.

Sometimes we’ll use frozen sockeye salmon, if they don’t have the fresh salmon portions available . This makes for a salmon burger that’s a LOT more red, a bit more firm when cooked, and has a slightly more robust flavour.

Sometimes we’ll get our hands on some wild salmon - usually frozen - which is fine. Either way - whenever using frozen salmon for this recipe - thaw it first, drain, then blot the excess liquid before using.

If your salmon has skin on it, use a very sharp knife to carefully cut it off, before chopping the salmon up.

The key thing to keep in mind is that this recipe was designed for raw salmon. Canned salmon will NOT work.

Feta

I use feta both in the flavoured mayonnaise and in the salmon patties themselves.

I’ve made this both with freshly crumbled feta, and pre-shredded feta. If you’re using the shredded, you might want to use a little extra salt.

I find the feta in brine to be a little saltier / more tangy than shredded feta, but that could vary by brand!

Bread Crumbs

Any kind of bread crumbs will work, you can use regular or panko bread crumbs.

Personally, I use gluten free Carbonaut bread, let it dry out a bit, then run it through a mini food processor.

Fresh Produce

I use a few different types of produce in these burgers, whether in the mayonnaise, in the salmon patty, or when assembling the burgers.

First up, fresh dill - I DEFINITELY prefer fresh to dried, when it comes to this recipe. If you do need to use dry, use ⅓ as much.

You’ll use one lemon’s worth of zest, divided between the mayo and the salmon burger patty.

Finally, when it comes to assembly, you’ll need a red onion and some zucchini. The zucchini is optional - I know that not everyone is a fan, but it does work well with the Mediterranean theme here.

Feel free to skip it, if it’s not your thing. Some shredded green cabbage may be nice in its place?

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Burger Buns
Mayonnaise
Olive Oil or Pan Spray
Ground Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Salt

... I just don’t really have anything else to add, as far as these last few ingredients go.

How to Make Mediterranean Salmon Burgers

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:

Lemon Dill Feta Mayonnaise

In the bowl of a mini food processor, blitz the mayonnaise and feta until smooth. Add the dill, and half of the lemon zest, blitz just enough to combine.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, then cover and chill until use.

Salmon Burger Patties

Use a sharp knife to cut salmon into chunks – about 1″ or so – and blitz the chopped salmon a couple times in the bowl of a food processor. You want there to be some small chunks, not just a super smooth mush.

Transfer salmon to a medium bowl, along with the remaining lemon zest. feta, bread crumbs, dill, garlic powder, ground pepper, and salt.

Mix gently until thoroughly combined.

Divide salmon mixture into 2 equal parts, shape into equal-sized patties. I like to do this on parchment paper, for easy clean up.

If they’ll be cooked on an outdoor grill, that parchment paper is on a baking sheet, for easy transportation outside.

Cook salmon patties over a hot grill for a few minutes, until they look to be cooked halfway up.

Gently flip each salmon patty – I like to use 2 large spatulas – and cook for a few more minutes, until cooked all the way through and lightly browned.

Salmon burgers are done when they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. For best results, don’t overcook them!

Spread the buns with the lemon-dill mayonnaise, arrange zucchini ribbons and onion slices as desired.

Place hot salmon patties onto the prepared buns and serve immediately.

Frying Pan Directions

Heat a large nonstick skillet, spray or coat with a small amount of olive oil. Cook salmon patties over medium heat for a few minutes, until they look to be cooked halfway up.

Gently flip each salmon patty and cook for a few more minutes, until cooked all the way through and lightly browned.

Leftovers

I don’t recommend reheating cooked salmon burgers.

If you want to prepare them ahead of time, you can freeze the burgers after forming them. Once frozen, tightly wrap in plastic wrap, and store in an airtight container in your freezer - we’ll usually use a freezer baggie.

You can thaw in the fridge - NOT at room temperature - before cooking, or cook from frozen.

More Grilling Recipes for Camping

Looking for some great meals to cook on a campfire or grill? Here's a few of my favourites!

Bacon Venison Burgers with Whiskey Onions
Bannock Burgers
Bison Burgers with Bacon and Caramelized Onions
Campfire Calzones
Campfire Pizza
Elk Burgers with Bacon & Sauteed Mushrooms
Fajita Chicken Kebabs
French Onion Soup Burgers
Greek Chicken Souvlaki
Grilled Chicken Fajitas
Lemon-Dill Fresh Salmon Burgers
Easy Grilled Shrimp Tacos
Grilled Tuna Tacos
Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs
Pesto Chicken Skewers
Thanksgiving Turkey Burgers

Be sure to check out our other Camping Recipes, including Camping Desserts, Camping Snacks, Make-Ahead Camping Mix Recipes, and a ton of delicious Camping Main Dish Recipes.

Also, we had SO much fun designing gourmet jerky recipes for our camping trips, we started a whole new blog for them! Check out Dried & Tasty for all kinds of fun recipes to make in your food dehydrator!