Trident Alaska Salmon Burgers Review
Live long and prosper…in my freezer.
Salmon. Burgers.
Not everyone has warm feelings about those two words, but I do. I grew up eating my mom’s salmon burgers, which were made from canned salmon, eggs, bread crumbs, onions, peppers, lemon zest — and pan fried until crispy-tender. Heaven. When I saw these Trident Alaskan Salmon Burgers on sale at Costco, I had to have them.
Unfortunately, THESE burgers are more like the fish version of a turkey burger. They kind of remind me of a vegan meat-substitute burger, even though this is definitely fish. They’re nothing like the salmon-burger-heaven I’d expected. More like salmon-burger-purgatory. Alas.
But in purgatory, there is still hope. Yes.
If you just want a generic meat patty that sort of tastes like fish, these will be perfect. The texture is dense, and firm — but not tough or unpleasantly chewy. Instead of distinct lumps of tender salmon, there’s a tightly packed, reconstituted salmon puree. On the upside, these burgers aren’t filled with carbohydrate fillers. On the downside, they taste highly processed. On the OTHER upside (ooh we’re going up again!), these burgers are very juicy inside. But, “juicy” like a processed chunk of meat. Down we go.
The patty firmness is probably due to the Keta salmon. Keta salmon is not like other salmon. Not at all. Keta salmon is a lighter, firmer flesh — and a blander flavor. I buy Keta regularly, because it’s cheaper, but I enjoy it best if I pretend that it isn’t salmon, because the taste and texture are so different from what my brain has pre-programmed as “salmon.” Keta just seems like a completely different animal.
Anyway. These meat-patties are a combination of Keta and pink salmon. Yes, this is WILD CAUGHT Atlantic salmon, says the label. Which is very good news. And we need good news. The patties are a consistent, smooth texture all the way through — like a hotdog. They have a slightly fishy taste and smell, but not much flavor. The first three ingredients are salmon, soybean oil, and water. The seasonings (onion, garlic, salt, etc. ) are only a ghostly whisper of flavor. Or maybe a ghost with laryngitis.
I chose the pan-fry method of cooking. It worked pretty well — I added a little coconut oil to a skillet and cooked the burger for several minutes on each side. The meat browns nicely on the outside, and the fish-flesh-conglomerate stays moist inside. The burgers are quite structural and don’t fall apart or change shape during cooking. The label says you can also air fry, bake, or grill these burgers. Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew!
I ate mine on an artisanal roll with some lettuce and spicy mustard. It was pleasant and satisfying, as long as I pretended it was an unidentified “meat-burger,” with no relationship to salmon or fishy goodness. I will definitely eat all of the burgers in this package, but I doubt I’ll buy this again.
Here’s a close-up of the frozen salmon burger. It’s a bit troubling that Trident had to add coloring to the fish patties to get them to look the pale pink color that they are. At least it is natural color, from beets and annatto.
It’s also kind of weird that the front of the bag says the burgers are “made from whole fillets.” That definitely prepared my taste buds for a different quality and texture. This fish might have started out as a whole fillet, but got lost along the way, somehow.
Nutrition Facts in Trident Seafood Alaska Salmon Burgers
Nutrition-wise, these are pretty good. Each patty has a respectable 20 grams of protein, 9 grams of fat, and only 2 grams of carbs. The label says there are 1,410 mg Omega-3 per serving, which is fabulous! These are also Gluten Free.
Ingredients in Trident Frozen Salmon Burgers from Costco
- Pink and/or keta salmon
- Vegetable oil (soybean and/or canola)
- Water
- Contains 2% or less of: onion, sea salt, potato powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, white pepper, rosemary extract, mesquite smoke flavor, lemon juice concentrate, beet juice (color), annatto extract (color).
Shelf-life
My bag has an expiration date nearly two years after the date of purchase, so these burgers will live a long, prosperous life in my freezer. Mr. Spock would approve.
Price and Servings
The frozen patties are packed in a re-sealable plastic bag, but are not individually wrapped inside. At Costco, these retail for $18.79 for 12 burgers, which means each patty costs $1.56. A decent value. I weighed a burger on my kitchen scale and it was exactly 4 ounces. This is a 48 ounce, or 3-pound bag.
Bonus: My Mom’s Salmon Burger Recipe!
Here’s my mom’s salmon burger recipe, in case you’d rather make your own.
(You’d DEFINITELY rather make your own! Admit it. You would.)
Salmon Burgers (ala Mom)
- 1 can (14.75 ounce) salmon
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, crushed
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Drain salmon; flake. Combine ingredients. Mix well. Form into 5-6 patties. Pan fry in a little vegetable oil until browned on both sides. Serve on toasted hamburger buns.
Author’s note: I wasn’t paid or compensated in any way for this review and I have no affiliation with Trident Seafoods or Costco or Star Trek. My mom doesn’t know I posted her recipe. Ha ha ha.
