Cooks Notes: It’s best to use an oily salmon, such as Atlantic. If the salmon is too dense and meaty the texture of the burgers will be off. Make sure to ask your fish monger to skin and cube the salmon, it will save you time.

You can buy shelled edamame at most grocery stores, I buy mine at Trader Joe’s. Make sure your edamame is thawed, I put the bag in my fridge overnight and it’s defrosted the next day. Or just place on your counter for 1 hour. If you forget, boil in salted water for 30 seconds, remove, and run under ice cold water for 1 minute to stop the cooking process.

Begin Cooking:

For the burgers, add the ¼ of the cubed salmon and next 3 ingredients to a food processor. Puree for 5-10 seconds, so the mixture looks somewhat smooth. Add the remaining salmon to the chopper along with capers and next 4 ingredients. Pulse the processor until the mixture is fairly smooth, but still has nice chunks of fish. Don’t over mix! Add the breadcrumbs, green onions, and either pulse the processor once or twice, or mix using a spatula to thoroughly combine. Form the salmon mixture into 5 patties, if the mixture is too loose, add 2-3 more tablespoons of breadcrumbs and mix it in with a spatula. The mixture may be oily and soft, so I like to use an old mayonnaise or peanut butter lid to make sure the burgers are all the same size, just make sure to put a layer of plastic wrap over the lid so the burgers pop out easily. Move the formed burgers to the freezer for 30 minutes or the fridge for at least one hour so the salmon firms up.

Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F for the kale chips. Remove the center stalks from the kale, tear leaves into large bite size pieces, and put in a large bowl. Make the BBQ spice rub by combining the ancho chile power and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl, mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the kale, ½ teaspoon salt, and all the spice rub. Mix well using your hands and massage the kale to help soften it and thoroughly coat it in the spices. Taste the kale for seasoning, it may need more cayenne or another pinch of salt.

Using two sheet trays, arrange the kale in one single layer and bake for no more than 12-13 minutes. You may have to do this in two batches, as you don’t want the kale stacked on top of each other. Kale burns really easily, so make sure to pull it from the oven when the leaves are mostly crispy, it’s ok if some look a little wet, they will dry after removed from the oven. Allow to cool for a couple minutes then use a spatula to scape all the chips off the sheet tray and into a zip-top bag.

For the edamame salad, add the chopped onions to a small bowl and squeeze the juice of one lime over along with a small pinch of salt, mix and set aside for 10 minutes so the onions can pickle. Pre-heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Make sure the chickpeas are thoroughly rinsed and pat dry, add to a small bowl. Add the smoked paprika, cumin, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and mix well. Cook the chickpeas for 7 minutes until the spices have formed a crust. Check for seasoning, you may need a touch more salt.

Add the chickpeas to a large bowl, no need to cool them down. Add the edamame to the chickpeas along with all the remaining salad ingredients, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a couple cracks of pepper. Set aside. Make the dressing by adding the orange zest and juice to a small bowl along with the next 4 ingredients. Whisk well, then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil while continually whisking. The dressing should have thickened up a little, if not, you may need to add the third tablespoon of olive oil. Check for seasoning, you may need a little more lemon juice to make the flavor pop. I recommend adding the dressing to the salad either right before eating, or the day you want to eat it.

To cook the salmon burgers, pre-heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Cook the burgers for 5 minutes each side, making sure the heat is not too high as to burn the crust. Only flip the burgers once. You will have to cook the burgers in 2 batches, as not to overcrowd the pan. Remove and set aside.

The salmon burgers can stay in the fridge for only 3 days, so freeze the rest of them and defrost when ready to eat. The kale chips can be stored in a zip-top bag at room temperature for 1-2 weeks. The edamame salad can be kept in the freezer, but don’t dress it before freezing, or you can keep in the fridge for 5 days. Enjoy!