Salmon Sliders With Wasabi Mayo & Pickled Cucumber

Take a break from the grill and enjoy these quick and delicious sliders!

I recently got married and moved to an apartment in Summit, NJ. While this is my first summer as a married man, it is also my first summer without a grill. Not having a grill has been tough, especially when it's 90 degrees and I'm craving a burger!



Cook each side of the sliders for two
minutes. Then, turn the heat down to
medium, cover the pan and cook for
another five minutes.

As a remedy for my burger cravings, I recently turned to my mother's recipe for salmon sliders with wasabi mayo and pickled cucumber. We've made these sliders at our bakery before and they're always a big hit.

After making these sliders two nights in a row this past week, I have quickly forgotten about not having a grill. While the salmon patties and the pickled cucumber are both delicious, the wasabi mayo is the highlight of this dish. The wasabi adds a light kick to the mayonnaise and the lemon and cilantro gives it a freshness that complements the salmon. The wasabi mayo also makes for a great vegetable dip if you have any left over from the sliders.

This recipe is easy enough to make on a week night, but is also perfect for impressing guests at a weekend dinner party. Though any quality of salmon can be used in this recipe, we recommend Atlantic farm-raised salmon that can be found at most grocery stores. Atlantic farm-raised salmon has great flavor for making sliders and will be more affordable than Sockeye or King Salmon.

 -Calvin Virgilio

Salmon Sliders With Wasabi Mayo & Pickled Cucumber

Recipe Makes 7 sliders

Ingredients:

• 1 large seedless cucumber (about one pound)
• 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. dried hot pepper flakes
• 1 large egg white
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2-3 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger root.
• 1 lb. piece of salmon fillet, skin discarded and fish cut into quarter-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• Mixed organic greens
• Slider Buns
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• Juice of 1-2 lemons
• Wasabi paste to taste (Find at Asian grocery stores or your local Wegmans or Whole Foods)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Procedure:

Making the Pickled Cucumber

Slice cucumber lengthwise into to pieces. Then cut into thin slices.  Toss cucumber in a bowl with vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Set aside while you make the wasabi mayo and salmon patties.

Making the Wasabi Mayo

In a small mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise with lemon juice and chopped cilantro or parsley and mix well. Mix in the wasabi paste to taste. I used about 2 1/2 tablespoons when I made this recipe.

Making the Salmon Patties

In another bowl, whisk together egg white, soy sauce and ginger until combined well. Stir in chopped salmon, bread crumbs, scallions, mustard seeds and salt to taste. In a food processor, puree 1 cup  of salmon mixture and return to salmon mixture remaining in bowl. Stir salmon mixture once more and then begin forming into small slider patties, about 3 inches in diameter. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, drain cucumbers and set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and cook patties until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Cook patties, covered, over moderate heat until just cooked through, about 5 more minutes.

Assembling Sliders

As salmon patties are cooking, lightly brush slider buns with melted butter, and toast in oven. Once buns are toasted, arrange mixed greens on the buns and top with the salmon, wasabi mayo and cucumber.

The salmon sliders are now ready for serving!