Kimchi Seafood Burger

Love fish? And kimchi? Look no further than a panko-crumbed seafood burger chock full of salmon, white fish and prawns, jazzed up with a dose of funky kimchi in the patty and a creamy, spicy and tangy kimchi sauce !

Korean food has recently come into its own on the global food scene, and about time too. I remember when I was first exposed to Korean food many years ago in London while living near New Malden, one of the main Korean-centric suburbs in the area. Like many Korean food virgins, I cut my teeth on bulgogi, bibimbap and japchae. Living near a huge Korean supermarket also had its advantages, opening the doors to the vast array of delights that Korean cuisine has to offer.

Although I have eaten my fill of Korean food, I’m fairly sure I haven’t even scratched the surface of all it has to offer, so don’t take what I say as any expert opinion on the cuisine – nay, I am merely a devotee to its charms. I do however have lots of fun learning how to cook Korean food, and making my own kimchi!

A simple yet popular weapon in the Korean food arsenal is the savoury spring onion or scallion pancake (Pajeon). A variation of this is made with seafood and called Haemul Pajeon.

My kimchi seafood burger was originally inspired in part by this seafood pancake, though it very quickly progressed to some unholy mashup of Haemul Pajeon and a certain fast food chain’s fish sandwich (you know, the one with the clown…).

The heart of the burger combines fish and prawns, leaning heavier on the salmon as it’s an oily fish and so (I think) adds a richer flavour and some fattiness. I’ve introduced some kimchi for added kick alongside the spring onion, and also because you can’t have a Korean meal without kimchi!

In playing around with the pancake concept, I very quickly abandoned the idea of a batter element, which just gets very messy very quickly, so instead I’ve opted for a panko breadcrumb coating. Also, because I was determined for the burger concept to work, I wasn’t keen on the repetition of an overly bready texture between even more bread.

I tried both a breaded and a “naked” variation of the patty and they actually both work well in their own way – the crisp breading lends a nice textural contrast to the burger, while the unbreaded version seemed to come out a little juicier and also picks up a little more flavour dynamic from being browned in the pan. I like the breaded version a little more, but you have the option of leaving it plain if you’d rather not shallow fry. The fried variant is on the left, the plain version on the right.

The whole thing is topped off with a creamy yet tangy sauce studded with more chopped kimchi. It started out more like a tartar sauce, but adding gochujang and ketchup to it means it gains some spice and tang to help pep up the burger.

The amount in the recipe should make around a kilo of mix, enough for six of the seafood burgers (at about 165g or at a little over 1/3 pound each raw weight). Alternatively, those with an appetite can make four big burgers instead!

The rest is simple – sandwich between your favourite bun, throw in some shredded lettuce for a crisp, cool finish, and enjoy! If you like, you can always add some toasted sesame seeds and more chopped spring onion on top as well – in the pictures, the burger was served alongside some sweet potato fries and a cucumber salad for freshness.

Kimchi Seafood Burger

Print Recipe

This panko-crumbed seafood burger is full of fish and prawns, spiked with kimchi and spring onion and topped with a creamy, spicy and tangy kimchi sauce.

Servings

4 - 6 burgers

Servings 4 - 6 burgers

Kimchi Seafood Burger Print Recipe This panko-crumbed seafood burger is full of fish and prawns, spiked with kimchi and spring onion and topped with a creamy, spicy and tangy kimchi sauce. Servings 4 - 6 burgers Servings 4 - 6 burgers

Ingredients

For the burgers

• 400 grams raw salmon
• 200 grams raw firm white fish (such as cod, haddock or monkfish)
• 200 grams raw prawns (peeled)
• 100 grams kimchi (squeezed dry and finely chopped)
• 40 grams spring onions (about 2 large, chopped)
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 clove garlic (crushed or minced)
• pinch of ground black pepper
• 50 grams plain flour
• 100 grams panko breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• Oil for shallow frying

For the sauce

• 50 grams kimchi (drained and finely chopped)
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
• 1 teaspoon tomato ketchup
• squeeze of lemon juice

To serve

• shredded lettuce
• 4 - 6 burger or other soft white buns
• Toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onion (optional)

Servings: burgers

Instructions

To make the burgers

1. In a large bowl, mix together the chopped spring onion, garlic, kimchi, sesame oil, soy and fish sauce and pepper.
2. Pat the fish and prawns dry and cut into 1 cm chunks, then either chop by hand or pulse in food processor until you get a rough paste. Don't make it too smooth or it will become too dense - you should still see some colour differentiation, and the mix should hold together but still have chunky bits.
3. Mix together the chopped fish with the seasonings and work well with your hands so it’s thoroughly combined. Form into four or six portions and refrigerate for about half an hour to firm up.
4. Meanwhile, lay the flour, breadcrumbs and egg on three separate dishes. When the burgers have chilled, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Dust each burger with flour, egg and then breadcrumbs. The burgers will still be quite delicate, so handle carefully. Shallow fry for about 8 - 10 minutes till golden, turning occasionally. Drain on kitchen paper. They can be kept warm in a low over while you cook the rest.
5. Alternatively, you can pan-fry the burgers without the breadcrumb coating - cook for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

To make the sauce

1. Mix together the chopped kimchi, mayo, gochujang, ketchup and a little squeeze of lemon. There should be a bit of chilli heat, and a nice balance of creaminess and tartness. Adjust accordingly with more mayo, lemon or gochujang depending on how you like it.
2. To serve, smear a little of the sauce on the bottom half of your choice of bun, top with shredded lettuce, then the burger and add a good dollop of the sauce on top. Sprinkle over some toasted sesame seeds and spring onion if you like, and finish with the top half of the bun.

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