Teriyaki-Pineapple Yellowtail Burger

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh, skinless trim meat and scraps from California Yellowtail

• 1 egg

• 2 cups panko

• ¼ red onion, finely diced

• 1 scallion/green onion, finely minced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

• ½ red onion sliced thinly into rings

• 1 tomato, sliced 

• Butter lettuce or spring mix

• 4 pineapple rings

• 4 burger buns, toasted

• Salt and pepper to taste

For Burger Dressing

• 3 tablespoons of mayo

• 2 tablespoons of ketchup

• 1 tablespoon of relish

Making a burger using the trim meat (scraps that are left over from filleting a fish) and the spoon meat (anything you can scrape off a fish backbone with a spoon) is an immensely rewarding way to reduce your intake of red meat, and reduce waste in your kitchen.

California Yellowtail is seasonally caught by San Diego commercial fishers in the summer months. They can be caught throughout the year, but increase in abundance off the San Diego coast when coastal waters are warming up.

California Yellowtail does not belong to the same family as our tunas, but is sometimes confused with Yellowfin Tuna due to the superficial similarities in their names. Compared side-by-side with one another, Yellowtail are much “thinner” in body, unlike the torpedo-shaped tuna, and also have leaner and lighter-colored meat.

Hamachi and buri are both Japanese names which sushi connoisseurs may recognize - they refer to a relative of California Yellowtail, the Japanese amberjack. California Yellowtail is sometimes described by the same names.

You don’t need a California Yellowtail, specifically, to make this recipe - you can substitute trim meat from any fresh local fish, and even combine trim meat from different species for a blended fish burger.

How to Prepare:

1. Use a cleaver or kitchen knife to coarsely chop fish trim into a moldable consistency similar to ground beef.

2. Combine fish, garlic, diced red onion, minced green onion, teriyaki sauce, and egg in a mixing bowl, and thoroughly mix with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Add 1 cup of panko and continue mixing, the panko will absorb excess moisture and help bind the patty together. The ingredients should stay together and hold shape when molded into a ball. Add more panko - a spoonful at a time, until that consistency is achieved. Previously frozen fish will release more water and may require additional panko. 

3. Shape ingredients into four compact patties and season the face of the patties with salt and pepper. The patties will be more delicate than burgers made with red meat, so do not bother trying to season both sides. 

4. Light a grill or prepare a pan with neutral oil over medium heat. Cook patties for 4-5 minutes per side, covered. Optionally, you may sear or grill the pineapple rings alongside the fish.

5. When fish patties are fully cooked, remove to a plate and assemble your burgers.