Legume Free Cilantro Lime Salmon Burgers
Fresh salmon, bright lime, and a handful of aromatics come together in a burger that feels like a restaurant-worthy meal you somehow pulled off on a Tuesday night. The patties get their satisfying texture from a clever two-step chopping method — part food processor, part hand-cut — so every bite has a little chew and a little flake rather than a dense, uniform mush. Ginger, green onion tops, cilantro, and lime zest do a lot of heavy lifting here, giving the salmon a punchy, citrusy flavor that tastes anything but plain. The creamy avocado sauce drizzled on top is just mashed avocado, lime juice, and cilantro, which means it comes together in about two minutes and somehow tastes like it took much longer. Butter lettuce wraps keep things light and fresh while giving you something sturdy enough to actually hold in your hands without falling apart. For anyone navigating a legume-free approach, this one is genuinely easy — no bean-based binders, no soy, no chickpea flour standing in for anything — just clean, whole ingredients doing exactly what they're supposed to do. It's the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in the weeknight rotation.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the patties
- 1 ½ lb fresh salmon fillet, skin removed, cut into 1-inch chunks
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 green onions (green tops only), thinly sliced
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or avocado oil
For the avocado sauce
- 1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2–3 tbsp water, to thin
For serving
- 8 large butter lettuce leaves, for wrapping
- lime wedges, for serving (optional)
- fresh cilantro sprigs, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Make the avocado sauce: combine the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, sea salt, and water in a small bowl and mash with a fork until smooth and spoonable, adding water 1 tbsp at a time until the sauce is thin enough to drizzle. Set aside.
- 2
Place about two-thirds of the salmon chunks in a food processor and pulse 6–8 times until coarsely chopped — the mixture should hold together when pressed but still have visible texture, not a smooth paste. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
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