Pacific Northwest Salmon Burger

I grew up watching salmon run the rivers of Oregon. Every fall, the fish would return in numbers that seemed impossible, their silver bodies flashing beneath the surface. We ate salmon fresh, smoked, and canned. We never tired of it. The salmon burger was born from that abundance, a way to make something extraordinary from the trimmings and less glamorous cuts that deserved better than the compost pile.

The secret to a proper salmon burger lies in texture. You want some bite, not baby food. Pulse your salmon in a food processor until you have a mix of fine and coarse pieces, or better yet, chop it by hand. The patty should hold together without becoming dense. Too much binder and you've made a fish cake. Too little and the thing falls apart on the grill.

What makes this Pacific Northwest is the supporting cast: fresh dill that grows wild along the coast, capers brined in the same saltwater tang you taste in the air, lemon to brighten everything, peppery greens to cut through the richness. The dill-caper sauce does the heavy lifting, turning a simple grilled patty into something memorable. Make extra. You'll want it on everything.