Chinook Burger with Stilton, Caper Relish and Kecap Manis Glaze

The Fish hatchery in my home town of Issaquah, Washington, raises Chinook and Coho salmon. These species of salmon travel great distances during their life spans. Perhaps even as far as Asia before returning to Issaquah. This is my recipe to honor salmon which is a very large part of our meals in the Northwestern USA!

Ingredients:

Caper Relish
1 tablespoon Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 green onions, finely chopped
½ cup shallots, finely chopped
½ cup yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
½ cup Sutter Home Moscato Wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely grated
3 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup capers, drained
¼ cup kecap manis
Kecap Manis Glaze
6 tablespoons kecap manis
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Horseradish Mayo
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons crème fraiche
2 teaspoons horseradish, finely grated
Burgers
2 pounds skinless Chinook (King) salmon fillet, bones removed, finely chopped by hand or food processor
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons crème fraiche
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for forming the burgers and brushing on the grill rack
6 ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled
6 brioche hamburger buns, split

Instructions:

Directions
To make the caper relish, pour oil into a fire-proof saucepan and place on a gas grill over medium-high heat. Add green onions, shallots and bell pepper and saute until soft about 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Deglaze pan with wine, lemon juice and lemon zest: cook, stirring often, until reduced by half. Add wine mixture to onion mixture along with honey, capers and kecap manis. Cover and keep warm until serving.
To make Kecap Manis Glaze, stir together all of the ingredients in a small fire-proof saucepan and place on a gas grill over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until reduced by quarter. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm until serving.
To make Horseradish Mayo, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until serving.
To prepare the burgers, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Handling the salmon as little as possible, mix well. Coat your hands with oil and divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, and form the portions into patties to fit the buns. Set aside until grilling.
Heat the grill to medium-high. When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with oil to prevent sticking. Place the burgers on the rack, cover, and cook until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn burgers and top with Stilton over each burger, pressing lightly to adhere. Cook until medium-rare or desired doneness, 4 to 5 minutes longer. During the last few minutes of cooking, place the buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly.
To assemble the burgers, spread toasted sides of buns of horseradish mayo. Top bun bottoms with burger, drizzle with Kecap Manis Glaze top with Caper Relish and bun top. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 burgers.