I don’t normally cook a lot of seafood other than my usual seared salmon, but in the summer I do get cravings for it.  The reason is unknown – maybe because it is light and refreshing, maybe because I wish I was at the beach.  Either way, I have a couple of light and healthy Summer seafood recipes to share with you.

These shrimp tacos are filled out with a slaw of cabbage, corn, fresh squeezed orange and lime juice, and a dab of sour cream.  A great balance between warm tortillas, hot shrimp fresh out of the pan, and cool, crunchy slaw – they are healthy, filling, and super tasty.

This next recipe combines two superfoods into one awesome meal for Salmon Burgers with Tangy Avocado Sauce.

As a bit of a departure from our standard salmon dinner, and in the spirit of Summer grilling, I really wanted to try my hand at salmon burgers.  And this recipe included my current obsession – avocados – so I had to try it!  Since it is a burger, I recommend getting a fattier type of salmon for this like Coho or Sockeye.

Bell pepper and fresh salmon are chopped in a food processor and mixed with panko and an egg to bind them together.  To get perfect uniform burgers, I pressed the mixture into an old peanut butter jar lid that I keep around for just such a purpose.  Then I stacked them between sheets of parchment paper and kept them in the fridge until I was ready to cook.

The parchment made it really easy to pick them up and slap them on the griddle (which is what I use, along with my panini grill, for burgers since I don’t have a real grill yet).  I recommend a griddle for softer burgers (like turkey) that are prone to falling apart.  These salmon burgers were pretty solid, though.

Top those tasty patties off with a tangy mixture of avocado, mayo, sour cream, and vinegar and you are good to go!  Fresh, tangy, creamy, rich – these burgers are awesome.  And trust me, one is enough to get you stuffed!

Shrimp Tacos with Citrus Cabbage Slaw
adapted from Real Simple
serves 4

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp sour cream (use reduced fat if you can)
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 small cabbage (8 oz), shredded
1 cup corn kernels (from 1 to 2 ears, or frozen and thawed)
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb peeled and deveined medium shrimp
8 small flour or whole wheat tortillas, warmed

In a large bowl, whisk the orange and lime juices, sour cream, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Add the cabbage, corn, and jalapeño (if using) and toss to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Alternatively, you can grill the shrimp on skewers.

Serve the shrimp with the tortillas and the slaw.

392 cal and 9g fat per serving (2 tacos) with flour tortillas and regular sour cream

Salmon Burgers with Tangy Avocado Sauce
adapted from Dine and Dish
serves 4

1 lb fresh salmon filet, skin removed, and thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced (I used 1 whole red pepper, instead)
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1 egg

1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used low fat with olive oil)
1/4 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat)
1 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp distilled white vinegar
1/8 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
4 hamburger rolls (whole wheat would be best)
additional sliced avocados, for garnish

Place sliced salmon and bell pepper into a food processor. Pulse 2-3 times until mixture is coarsely chopped.

Remove mixture and place in a medium bowl. Add Panko bread crumbs, Kosher salt, pepper, and egg and mix with a spoon until well incorporated. If mixture is not holding together, add additional Panko bread crumbs, 1 tbsp at a time. Shape into 4 patties.

Heat a skillet, griddle, or grill pan to medium-high. Cook patties for 3-4 minutes on each side until completely cooked through.
Remove and place on toasted rolls

Meanwhile, make the avocado sauce. In a medium sized bowl, mash the avocado. Stir in mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, and vinegar until smooth. Add Kosher salt and cracked black pepper and stir until incorporated.

Spoon avocado sauce over the cooked salmon burgers. Top with a slice of fresh avocado and the bun. Serve warm.

575 cal  32g fat per serving – this is heavy on fats, but they are healthy fats from the salmon and avocado

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