Salmon Burgers With Roasted Red Pepper Aioli
⏲ ~110 min total · prep 20 · cook 90 · 4 servings
Lunch⏱ 40 min total🔥 12.9g net carbs⚡ ≈554 kcal/serving~10% of calories from carbs
By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch chunks and chilled
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill, divided
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, patted very dry and divided
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated into cups
Instructions
- Pulse the chilled salmon chunks in a food processor 5-6 quick pulses — you want a rough chop with some 1/4-inch pieces left, not a paste.
- Fold the chopped salmon with the almond flour, egg, scallions, 1 tbsp of the dill, and 3/4 tsp salt; shape into 4 patties 3/4 inch thick and chill 15 minutes so they hold together.
- While the patties chill, blend half the red peppers with the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and smoked paprika until smooth, then stir the other half in finely chopped by hand so the aioli has texture.
- Heat the avocado oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high until it shimmers; fry the patties 4 minutes per side until deep golden and the center just turns matte pink, 140°F inside.
- Rest the burgers 3 minutes on a wire rack — they finish setting as the steam escapes.
- Stir the remaining 1 tbsp dill into the aioli, spoon a little into the lettuce cups, and top each with a burger and an extra dollop.
Why this recipe works
- Chopped, not pureed Five or 6 quick pulses leave quarter-inch pieces of salmon in the mix, and those pieces are what keep a burger tasting like fish. A paste binds fine and eats dull.
- Almond flour holds it A quarter cup of almond flour plus one egg is the entire binder. Fifteen minutes of chilling firms the patties so they hold through a hard sear.
- Two-texture aioli Half the roasted red peppers blend smooth into the mayo, the other half get chopped in by hand. The sauce reads creamy with actual pepper in each spoonful.
Tips for making this recipe well
Cold salmon, cold hands
Start with well-chilled chunks; cold fish chops clean in the processor instead of smearing. Shape the patties quickly and get them back in the fridge.
Dry the peppers twice
Pat the jarred red peppers on towels before they go anywhere near the mayo. Pepper water breaks the aioli into a watery mess.
Trust the shimmer
The avocado oil should shimmer in the cast iron before the patties go in. That first sizzle is what builds the deep golden crust.
140°F and a 3-minute rest
The center turns matte pink and reads 140°F when they are done. Rest them on a wire rack so steam escapes and the bottoms stay crisp.
Lettuce cups, patted dry
Separate the butter lettuce and blot the cups before filling. Wet leaves slide and dump a burger into a lap.
Serving suggestions
Spoon a little aioli into each lettuce cup, set a warm burger on top, and finish with another dollop so it runs down the sides. The last tablespoon of dill goes into the aioli at the final minute, which wakes the whole sauce up. Each burger carries 12.9 g net carbs, most of that from the red peppers and scallions, and four patties come off one skillet in under 40 minutes. Cucumber slices alongside round it out.
Storage and meal prep
Shaped raw patties keep covered in the fridge for a day; cook them straight from cold. Cooked burgers refrigerate for 3 to 4 days and reheat in a dry skillet over medium until the crust re-crisps. The aioli holds in a jar for 3 to 4 days. For the freezer, stack raw patties between parchment sheets in a bag for 2 to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before frying.
Variations worth trying
- Slider size Shape 8 small patties instead of 4 and pull them off the heat earlier per side. Same aioli, more napkins.
- Lemon-dill mayo Skip the peppers and stir the lemon juice, garlic, and dill straight into the mayonnaise. It is the simpler sauce and it suits the fish.
- Parsley for dill Chopped parsley replaces the dill if that is what the fridge holds. The aioli herbs can swap the same way.
- Keto bun route A toasted keto bun works if lettuce cups feel too light. The patties stand up to a bun without complaint.
Frequently asked questions
Can I skip the food processor?
Yes. Mince the salmon by hand with a sharp knife until you have a mix of fine and quarter-inch pieces. It takes a few extra minutes.
Why 140°F instead of 145°F?
The recipe pulls the burgers at 140°F and rests them 3 minutes, which carries the temperature further. If you prefer the standard 145°F for fish, cook to that and expect a slightly firmer center.
My patties cracked at the edges. What happened?
Usually the mix sat unchilled or the patties were pressed too thin. Patch cracks with wet fingers before the pan, and keep the thickness at 3/4 inch.
Can I freeze them cooked?
Raw freezes better; stack shaped patties with parchment between them for 2 to 3 months. Cooked patties survive the freezer but the crust goes soft on thawing.
How many net carbs?
A serving runs 12.9 g net carbs. The roasted red peppers and scallions drive most of the count, with the almond flour adding a little.
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As an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner, Keto Food Ideas earns from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Nutritional values are estimates. Recipes are developed with AI assistance and reviewed by our editors before publishing.
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