If you want some variety in your food options for Fourth of July, these salmon sliders will be a great addition to your menu! They’re sweet, they’re savory, and they are small enough that you can accidentally keep eating and maybe not feel guilty about it.
I love the balance of flavors in these sliders. With one bite, you get the sweetness of the rolls, then the pepperiness of the arugula. After that, you get the creaminess of the avocado, the sweet and salty salmon patty. Finally, you get more creaminess, but this time from the cream cheese. If you opt for the herbed cream cheese (which I highly recommend!), you get even more depth of flavor.
Ingredients
Salmon patties
- 2 lbs salmon (skinless)
- 60 g Panko breadcrumbs
- 20 g grated parmesan
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Seasoning mix
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Others
- cream cheese (or if you want to be extra, you can use herbed cream cheese by combining 8 oz cream cheese with 1 tbsp chopped dill + 1 tbsp chopped parsley + 1 tbsp chopped chives)
- arugula (or your choice of greens)
- slices of avocado
- 15-17 King's Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
Instructions
- Ground the salmon using either a food processor or a blender until you end up with finely chopped bits. Combine the ground salmon with the rest of the patty ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Form the patties about 1/2-inch thick and 2.5-inch diameter. I used a cookie cutter to make them all even. Be careful though as these patties are a bit fragile. Set aside.
- Thoroughly combine all the ingredients of the seasoning mix in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mix on the patties, about 1 tsp on each side.
- Heat up about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Cook the seasoned salmon patties on the pan until you get a really nice caramelized crust on each side (about 3 minutes each). Definitely do this part in batches; you don't want to overcrowd your pan.
- While your patties are cooking, toast your rolls! Cut each roll in half. You can either quickly toast them on another pan, or if they fit in your toaster, that will work just fine.
- Let the rolls and salmon patties cool just a bit before assembling your sliders.
- For assembly: Spread your cream cheese (plain or herbed) on the rolls. Then add your salmon patty. Then top it off with sliced avocados and arugula (or your choice of greens).
Notes
The lemon juice will make your salmon patties a little fragile, but it's essential to reduce the fishiness of the salmon, and to also add a bit of freshness. As for my choice of King's Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, I really like the sweet rolls to balance out the savory salmon. I love love love sweet and salty together. For the greens, I chose arugula because it's peppery in flavor, and again, adds balance to the whole thing, but you can really use any greens you want.
Pro-tip: Pair these salmon sliders with my Matcha Avocado Smoothies and you got yourself a perfect summer meal!
// ON THE SCENE
- Back backdrop: Replica Surfaces — Cement
- Bottom backdrop: Replica Surfaces — Biscotti Linen
- Props: wooden round, parchment paper, herbed cream cheese