Salmon Burgers.

We make a point to watch "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives" on the Food Channel network. The host, Guy Fieri, makes a good show great, and he has been to countless restaurants in Texas, and we've found about half a dozen of them and weren't disappointed.

I don't remember where he was last week, but one of the restaurant's specialities was a Salmon Burger, made with fresh ground salmon. We love salmon and have it about twice a week, so I thought I would try the burgers. Of course, I had to tweak the recipe a bit, because either I didn't have some of the original ingredients, or we didn't like some of them-- red chili sauce was one of the items.

I have not had a beef hamburger in more than 20 years, unless you want to count a bite here and there of a good burger that my husband would order in a restaurant. The thought of a salmon burger got my attention.... a guilt-free, low-calorie burger.

The raw salmon... I cut it up into tiny chunks, more like dicing than cutting. Into that I added sauted diced onion and garlic, fresh parsley, Old Bay seasoning, and a little bit of shredded mozzarella. Mixed it all up, and formed it into nice-sized burgers. Into the fridge that all went, letting everything rest and get happy together, and I was hoping the cold would make the burgers hold their shape.

I used one of my best heaviest skillets to cook the burgers, about three or four minutes on each side-- really hot skillet. I had also grilled some pineapple rings and made caramelized onions, and had fresh lettuce ready. (The pineapple rings on a burger was from another one of Guy's shows.) I didn't have hamburger buns, but I had fresh home-made bread from the French restaurant in Burton, and I wish I'd had fresh tomato and avocado in the house, because both would have been good on the salmon burgers also.

The burgers did indeed hold their shape, they were tender and moist, and totally delicious. It was a warm and gorgeous day when I made them and we had dinner out on the front porch. With every bite of that burger, my husband kept saying how delicious it was. Totally, totally delicious.... and the pineapple with the salmon was great, and the only things I would have added would have been a slice of fresh tomato and thin slices of avocado. I'll make sure to have them in the house the next time I make those burgers. The consistency of the salmon when it's chopped up so finely is similar to that of ground beef, so there really wasn't a problem in making and keeping a round burger-shape.

I told my husband that we should eMail Guy Fieri and tell him about our own salmon burgers, and invite him to have dinner with us on the porch as we look out at the fields of wildflowers. Salmon Burgers, Hill Country style.