I make these economical Ramps, Bacon, and Salmon Burgers with leftover bits and pieces: ground salmon, bacon ends, and Ramp roots (after the desirable greens are used otherwise). The ramps are sautéd with spring onions and bacon bits. But if you only have salmon filets, bacon slices, and ramps with greens, so much the better — use those.
The sauté includes the ramps and the bacon bits along with green onions sliced into long strips. These flavors meld well together and are great on top of the salmon burgers.
Notes on Ingredients
Ramps
Ramps are wildly harvested and the greens or prized for restaurants. Therefore, sometimes you may only have the roots as I do here. Of course, if you have the greens you may use them in this dish or preserve them for another use.
If you desire a more elegant preparation of ramps consider my Ramps and Halibut en Papillotes recipe.
Spring Onions
Tender spring onions work best for this recipe. But, of course, ramps are only available in the spring, so this is perfect.
Ground Salmon
I like salmon burgers grilled using more economical ground salmon. Of course, if you cannot get ground salmon, a filet will do fine. If that is the case I recommend searing the salmon on the stovetop. Sear in butter in an oven-proof skillet. After searing on both sides for a few minutes, finish in the oven using a low broil.
Tortilla Chips
The use of tortilla chips in the salmon burgers was spawned by an overnight trip to the mountains. Realizing I did not have bread crumbs for the burgers (to help hold the burgers together), I crumbled some chips. I found that I like the taste of the corn in the salmon burgers better. Please use high-quality simple restaurant-style chips — made with corn, salt, and oil only.
Notes on Technique
The Sauté
The stir fry is straightforward. Your only concern is to not char the bacon, ramps, or onions. The instructions have you start by first releasing the fats from the bacon, add the ramps and onion whites immediately (before the fats get too hot), and then finish with a 5-10 minute very low simmer of the mixture including the onion greens. This allows the vegetables to get very tender.
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Ramps, Bacon, Spring Onions and Salmon Burgers
Simple Ramp sauté to be served over Salmon Burgers or Salmon Filets
Ingredients
Ramp Sauté
- 3 to 4 Ramp roots, diced
- 1 Spring Onion, slice greens, and onion whites into long thin slices
- 1-ounce bacon ends (or sliced bacon), diced into small cubes (Note 1)
Salmon Burgers (Note 2)
- 1 pound ground Salmon
- ¼ cup (approximate) mayonnaise
- ¼ cup plain tortilla chips, crumbled (Note 2)
- Salt and Pepper
To Serve
- Dollop of mayonnaise
- Lemon Slices
Instructions
- Form the salmon burgers by mixing the salmon, crumbed tortillas, and mayonnaise. Salt and pepper to taste. Shape into patties. This should make 4 burgers.
- Grill the burgers on a charcoal grill or in the oven at 400°F until done.
- While the salmon is cooking prepare the ramp sauté. Start by browning the bacon bits in a saucepan over a medium-low flame.
- As soon as the fat begins to be rendered from the bacon, add the ramps and the onion whites. Cook till vegetables are lightly browned, stirring often.
- Add the onion greens and continue to cook the mixture for a few minutes until the greens have browned a bit.
- Lower the heat to a bare minimum and allow the mixture to continue to cook. This will soften the onions. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
- Serve with bacon, ramp, and onion mixture over the salmon burgers accompanied by mayonnaise and lemon.
Notes
Note 1: Many butchers sell bacon ends that are easy to cube and less expensive. If you wish to avoid bacon, saute the vegetables in olive oil.
Note 2: The salmon burgers can be replaced by a fillet seared on the stovetop or in the oven.
Note 3: The ingredients of the tortilla chips should be corn, salt, and oil.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 401Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 397mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 31g
Calculated Nutrition is estimated.
