A salmon burger is not typically a dish we crave at the end of a long hike or that we serve while hosting poker night. And yet, salmon burgers not only appear on menus across town, they’re the perfect use for that giant, post-dipnetting bowl of scraped meat. In most instances, a salmon burger is also a far healthier and more sustainable alternative to a beef burger. Given all this, it’s worth it to have a good salmon burger recipe at home, and to know where to find a decent one in town.
A college friend and her husband had just concluded a small-boat cruise from Vancouver to Alaska, experiencing fine dining and unusual Southeast Alaska sunshine along the way. Anchorage was in the midst of a deluge, solidifying for them its reputation as an often gray, layover city. They began to dip their toes back into work inboxes and seek excuses to peel themselves away from the family members they’d just spent a week with on a boat.
When I suggested a tour of Anchorage salmon burgers as our afternoon hang, they jumped at the suggestion. It remains unclear if it was for the food, or excuse to leave oppressive parents and in-laws at the hotel, or both.
Both omnivores, these friends know good food, to be sure. What they don’t know is the uniquely gratifying first bites of July sockeye after 10 months of pulling filets from the freezer, increasingly faded in color and lacking in texture. Alaskans have just eaten some of our favorite salmon bites of the year. Given this timing, few of us are likely to rank a salmon burger, which adeptly hides old fish flavor, high on our current restaurant dining list. But, Chris and Michelle’s freezers are thousands of miles away and not primarily stuffed with salmon, so they were the perfect, unbiased testers for this pursuit.
We met at an Anchorage brewery and caught up about their trip as four DoorDash drivers arrived with salmon burgers for us to sample. Far from an exhaustive list, we selected these four based on variance in price range and preparation, as well as published confirmation that each dining establishment sources its salmon from Alaska.
Most Portable: Tastee Freez
3901 Raspberry Road # 1
“Grilled Alaskan wild salmon patty on a toasted seeded bun dressed with tartar sauce, lettuce, and tomato.” $9.84*
I was excited to see that Tastee Freez, one of Alaska’s first national franchises operating even before statehood, carried a salmon burger that qualified for our taste test.
The burger arrived in Tastee Freez’s winsome silver and red sandwich wrapper. Unfortunately its overall presentation steeply declined upon unwrapping. This is a no-frills burger. The seeds and tartar flavor promised in the description were absent, the lettuce was comically minimal, and the tomato was a very… Alaska tomato.
Something of a blank canvas begging for seasonings and toppings, a Tastee Freez salmon burger is mere Alaska-sourced sustenance in need of a generous dollop of mayo and pickles, at minimum. Decently sized, the patty has mild flavor and reasonably compact but not crispy texture, with plenty of filler (likely breadcrumbs). Not messy, this one would be a good on-the-go option for someone on a budget and abstaining from land meat.
Thankfully, it is easy to level up the Tastee Freez salmon burger experience. Grab yourself some condiments, curly fries ($4.13 for a small), and maybe a chocolate shake ($7.56 for a small) and you’ll leave with that signature Tastee Freez pep in your step. Short of that, I’ll just say it: the Tastee Freez salmon burger is one you can skip.
Best for Purists: Momma O’s
2636 Spenard Road
“Salmon fillet on a toasted bun. Side options include rice (white or brown), various fries, onion rings, veggies (stir-fry, okra, broccoli, asparagus), or coleslaw.” $19.50*
Known for its delicious fried foods, Momma O’s is a favorite for budget-savvy seafood lovers and has been a four-decade Spenard staple. We were delighted to reveal a hefty bun with unique, Momma O’s branding and noted the expected amounts of lettuce and tomato to add texture.
Though the dish is listed under Momma O’s burger menu, this is a salmon filet, and should probably be named a salmon sandwich, not a burger. Michelle and Chris treated this as a control sample, since it had the strongest salmony flavor, and deemed it best salmon lovers.
We were unimpressed by Momma O’s rather soggy and undersalted “skinny fries,” but pleased with the accompanying coleslaw (additional $2), which had a satisfying crunch and the right amount of creaminess and sweetness.
Clearly resurrected from a freezer, I kept the stark contrast of the Momma O’s salmon filet to the fresh, Chitna sockeye I’d eaten just nights before to myself. It was a decently tender slab of salmon served with a classic burger preparation. It isn’t a dish I’d recommend to a friend or necessarily re-order at Momma O’s, but I honestly doubt the restaurant would place it on their top five list.
Best Overall: Arctic Roadrunner
5300 Old Seward Highway
“Salmon Burger with coleslaw or beans. grilled wild alaskan salmon patty, american cheese, an onion ring, tartar sauce, lettuce & tomato. Served on Toasted Bun.” $13.30*
Salmon burger fatigue was starting to set in, but Chris, Michelle, and I let out an audible “OoooOoooh” when we opened the square styrofoam containing the salmon burger from Arctic Roadrunner. Known for its halibut burger, the salmon burger is a favorite, especially among tourists. We understood why.
The burger ranked highly on portion-to-price ratio, and was the only one to be served with both American cheese and an onion ring, distinctively adding pleasing savoriness and crunch, which other burgers lacked. A true salmon burger, the patty itself was well-seasoned with plenty of minced onion. The bun was gently toasted and as pillowy as it needed to be, enveloping plenty of lettuce and a slab of tomato alongside the burger.
An American cheese skeptic personally, I enjoyed the somewhat greasy Arctic Roadrunner salmon burger and would order it again. We all appreciated the strong flavor and texture, and agreed this is where we’d point someone looking to experience a well crafted, classic salmon burger.
Best Upscale: Spenard Roadhouse
1049 W Northern Lights Boulevard
Salmon Burger with “mango chutney, arugula, chipotle aioli, French Oven Bakery sesame seed bun.” $22
Spenard Roadhouse wasn’t available on DoorDash, but seemed important to include as an upscale option for the sake of variety and science. I stopped in to grab their AK Salmon Burger to-go on my way to meet Chris and Michelle, making the easy choice for tots rather than fries as our side.
We all agreed Spenard Roadhouse has effectively taken creative license with their salmon burger. Mango chutney adds unexpected but complimentary sweetness. Peppery arugula freshened up the richness of the salmon and toppings. One word of caution: spice-haters should be aware that this sandwich had a healthy, if maybe slightly excessive, amount of zesty chipotle aioli.
Not a particularly strong salmon flavor, especially amid all the toppings, this was the only patty that was crisp on its edges, giving it a delicious texture nestled within its hearty sesame bun.
“Just a tasty sandwich,” Chris said, licking aioli off his fingers.
The three of us were excited by Spenard Roadhouse’s hot take on the salmon burger alongside the many others in town that seemed to more or less follow a salmon burger blueprint. This one is worth checking out, and even attempting to re-create with that bowl of scrapings back at home.
*Descriptions and prices as listed on DoorDash.
Jenny Weis writes for a variety of Alaska nonprofits and causes in between keeping up on Alaska's doughnut scene, sliding on snow, and gawking at cool plants and rocks along local trails.
