Salmon Burgers and Bay Scallop Chowder
In a shocking display of ambition, this week I decided to make not one, but TWO recipes from the collection: Cajon Salmon Burgers and Bay Scallop Chowder. Cooking seafood definitely takes me outside of my comfort zone, especially since WiLd & CrAzY dishes like these weren’t exactly part of the regular rotation at home. But I think I definitely nailed it on (three of) the Salmon Burgers, and I came pretty close with the chowder.
Before we get to the nitty gritty, can we first appreciate how colorful and beautiful the ingredients were this week?
Also can we talk about how crazy it is when recipes ask for “One Onion” - What does that even mean?! At the store, you can find onions spanning from the size of a marble to the size of my whole head.
For the chowder, I just decided to use as much onion as proportional to the other ingredients. As a side note here, I was wayyyy too overzealous with the chopping - The finely diced veggies didn’t really match the consistency of the soup so a course chop would have been better here.
Also, I recommend going by instincts when you’re cooking the veggies rather than sticking to the recipe. How tender do you think they should be? How much of each do you think there should be? Go with that!)
My friend Pete (Assistant to the Head Beverage Consultant and Guest Test-Taster) and I came to the conclusion that a longer, medium-low heat sautéing would have been the move.
For the Salmon Burgers you really can just use breadcrumbs if you’re too lazy to make your own with a bun (no judgement here). It’s not that big of a deal.
I used pre-made cajun seasoning, but if you’re feeling EXTRA extra, you can find a recipe to make your own online.
Also, I think this recipe would be equally as good with ground turkey instead of salmon if seafood isn’t your thing.
#NOFILTER
The most tricky part of making this meal is flipping the burgers. I learned that IF you happen to split one of the burgers, you CANNOT successfully use some crumbled up bread as a re-binding agent (see below). I recommend just quitting on that one and handing the broken pieces out as an appetizer if you’re able.
Voilà! A baller little duo for a nice summer night. These salmon burgers were so freaking amazing that I have been dreaming of them ever since - it won’t be long until I pop this recipe out again.
This dinner was actually a little celebration of the fact that our friend Pete moved nearby. We loved having him here to share the meal with, and we’d love to share many more with all of you!!!
My goal is to make this blog an interactive experience. I know its rough with Covid-19 right now, but if you want to cook or eat with us, let me know!!
“I have a confession to make, and that is that I’ve never attempted to pair any sort of chowder with wine before. It seemed unthinkable to not be sloshing down pints of Porter and singing a sea shanty - but this was a classy dinner party and I had to come prepared.
My thoughts went to something dry but robust to stand up to the cream, and noticed something from Muscadet (in the Loire Valley) in the chilled section of the wine shop. I associate any Loire Valley white with crispness (think Sauvignon Blanc) and that’s what we got - just the right level of acidity, slight citrusy and definitely bone dry.
For the salmon burgers, my plan was to brighten up the palate post-chowder with another cooler climate white - a Grüner Veltliner from Austria (which is one of my favorites), which has a little zing and tartness but is still very drinkable.
Even for an old salt like me, it was sure easy to forget the Porter and embrace this fresh taste of late Summer at a cozy seaside retreat. ”
