Salmon: A Canny Choice

by Dana Jacobi for The American Institute for Cancer Research

Fresh salmon is best when it is just that - impeccably fresh, which means buying it carefully and serving it promptly. Canned salmon, on the other hand, is more convenient and costs even less: if you wait to buy it when it’s on sale, you can sometimes get hold of a 14.5-ounce can for about a dollar. But while canned tuna can be found in most everyone’s pantry, and recipes for novel things to do with canned salmon abound, fresh salmon has become so commonly available that many people now unfairly shun its canned form.

This is a significant change from fifty years ago, when people often reached for canned salmon to make a quick casserole, salmon loaf, or salmon cakes to serve with baked spaghetti -- a dish I remember fondly. Why this shift in attitudes? Well, some people think a newly opened can of salmon, complete with skin and bones, is a less than appetizing sight. They probably never watched their mothers quickly and efficiently discard the skin and remove the bones - although the bones are a good source of calcium - and don’t realize how easy it is.

Sodium is the other issue when serving canned salmon. The fish alone may taste salty, but in the finished dish, I find it to be just right. Used in a recipe like these salmon burgers, the final sodium content per serving is reasonable.

If you enjoy old-fashioned fish cakes, I promise you will love these burgers.

Salmon and Brown Rice Burgers - Makes 4 servings.

1 can (14.5 oz.) pink salmon
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tsp. dry basil
1 large egg
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. canola oil
Clean salmon, discarding the skin and bones. There will be about 1 1/4 cups fish. Place fish in mixing bowl.

Coat small skillet generously with cooking spray. Sauté onion until soft, 4 minutes. Add to salmon. Add rice, bread crumbs, basil, egg, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Using fork, mix until ingredients are well combined. Divide salmon mixture into four parts, forming each into 3-inch by 3/4-inch burger. Salmon Burgers can be made ahead up to this point and refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap on plate, for up to 4 hours.
Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in medium, non-stick skillet. Cook burgers until well-browned, about 4 minutes. Turn and add remaining oil, lifting burgers gently so it can coat pan. Cook until burgers are well-browned, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 279 calories, 12 g. total fat (2 g. saturated fat), 17 g. carbohydrate, 24 g. protein, 1 g. dietary fiber, 646 mg. sodium.