My attempt to make a better Hokkaido Salmon Burger than McDonald’s

justafatboi 8 November, 20208 November, 2020 0 Comments

(Regular r/singapore readers will have seen this video already.)

McDonald’s Hokkaido Salmon Burger seems to have nothing to do with Hokkaido except using their salmon. But it tastes more like a fish ball or fish paste burger than a salmon burger…

Not dissing on fishballs or anything, but it is a severe disappointment when the burger costs S$6 (burger only) and doesn’t offer much in the salmon department. As many have pointed out, MOS Burger’s, or Burger King’s salmon offerings are much better valued for about the same price. Buying salmon at a food court will also net you a better tasting salmon.

So let’s make a better one.

The idea is simple. Use Japanese milk bread for the buns, since Hokkaido Milk Bread is a thing and there’s the option to use Hokkaido Milk. Then base the patty on Chanchanyaki, a dish popular among fishermen in Hokkaido. Some say it’s named this way because you can cook the dish “chachatto” (ちゃっちゃと) or the Japanese word for “quickly”.

That said, I recommend you just make Chanchanyaki (see links below) and pair that with rice.

Plus, this video was simply the first attempt so the recipe isn’t “perfected”. Still, more effort than what McDonald’s managed for their salmon burger from what I can tell.

But in case you’re one of those weirdos who want to try this:

Table of Contents

Japanese Milk Bread Bun

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Servings 6 buns

Ingredients

Tangzhong

20 g bread flour
30 g water
60 g whole milk

Dough

120 g milk
9 g yeast
320 g bread flour
35 g sugar
7 g salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
Splash of milk and 1 egg for brushing optional

Instructions

Combine Tangzhong ingredients in a pot and heat until it turns into a paste.
Mix 120g whole milk with 9g of yeast. Sit for several minutes.
320g bread flour, 35g sugar, 7g salt, and mix.
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix.
Add the Tangzhong and 1 egg and 1 yolk to the milk and flour mixture when it is well incorporated. Mix.
42g of soft butter and knead until the dough becomes less sticky. This might take up to 30 minutes by hand, or 8 minutes using a stand mixer.
Shape the dough into a ball roughly, then placed into a greased bowl. Cover for 1.5 hours or until doubled.
Take out the dough and deflate. Lightly flour a surface and then divide the dough evenly into 6 pieces.
Shape each portion into a bun or ball shape by tucking in the bottoms.
Place them on a baking tray and cover. Let rise for another 1.5 hours or until doubled.
Brush with egg wash.
Bake at about 180C for 16 to 18 minutes until golden brown. Temperature depends on oven (mine is a toaster oven, so a conventional oven might require 200C for the same amount of time).

Notes

Yes, this is almost exact to Joshua Weissman's recipe.

Chanchanyaki Salmon Patty and Sauce Attempt #1

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Servings 3 Patties

Ingredients

Sauce

2 tbsp Miso
2 tbsp mirin
2 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce

Vegetables

butter and/or oil for frying
1 carrot shredded
3 cabbage leaves shredded
1 onion shredded or sliced
100 g shimeji mushrooms

Salmon patty

240-300 g Salmon
~1 tbsp Sauce reserved from above
cornstarch for binding
flour for coating patties
1 egg beaten, for coating patties
panko/bread crumbs for coating patties

Instructions

Mix Sauce in a bowl and set aside.
Heat up butter and/or oil in a pan and place salmon in. Flip after 1 or 2 min to roughly cook the, but not entirely.
Take out the salmon when both sides are slightly cooked. (If making normal Chanchanyaki, skip this step.)
Put in the vegetables, top with miso sauce and cover.
5 to 10 minutes later, take off the cover and turn off the heat. Chanchanyaki vegetables should be ready if vegetables are soft.
Shred salmon in a bowl.
Add reserved miso sauce and some cornstarch for binding. Mix.
Shape salmon mixture into patty.
Cover the patty with flour, then egg, then panko for the crust.
Fry until golden brown. I baked mine instead, which wasn't as ideal as I imagined.