An Umami-rich Classic Beef Hamburger

Adding fish sauce dials up the savory goodness in this simple classic hamburger recipe. Recipe below.

WE LOVE BURGERS. BIG, JUICY, BEEFY, CLASSIC HAMBURGERS. But somehow, we’ve never made them for the blog. I discovered that last weekend when we wanted to make burgers and could only find turkey and lamb burger recipes here. As I looked for recipes elsewhere, Marion mentioned reading something about dialing up the burger umami with an unexpected ingredient.

That ingredient? Fish sauce, a liquid condiment that’s a staple seasoning in East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines. Although its ingredients are fish (often anchovies) and salt, what it delivers in cooking is a wonderful savory umami flavor, not fishiness. (And before you go ewww and reach for Worcestershire sauce instead, anchovies are a key ingredient in it too.)

We often cook with fish sauce and our general recommendation when shopping for it has been to buy fish sauce that comes in a glass bottle, not plastic—it will taste better. But we’ve been experimenting with upgrading some of our Asian sauces and recently discovered Red Boat 40°N Fish Sauce. Made in Vietnam from wild-caught black anchovy and sea salt, it is barrel-aged using a centuries-old fermentation tradition, with no preservatives or additives. It is exquisite, salty and funky, a favorite among chefs. But if you can’t find it, just follow the glass bottle rule and you’ll be fine.

So, how were the burgers? Insanely good, an even meatier-tasting version of the American classic—we’ve already made them twice now. And all that meatiness said, we’re looking forward to making turkey burgers using fish sauce.

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Umami-rich Classic Beef Burger

Adding fish sauce dials up the umami in this simple classic hamburger recipe.

Course Burger, Sandwich

Cuisine American

Servings 3 or 4, depending on bun size

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons fish sauce (see Kitchen Notes)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, minced—see Kitchen Notes)
• a generous grind of black pepper
• NO salt (the fish sauce provides plenty)
• 1 pound ground beef—preferably an 85/15 lean-to-fat ratio
• olive oil
• burger buns
• your favorite condiments

Instructions

• In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, sugar, garlic powder and pepper. In a larger bowl, break up the ground beef into chunks with your hands. Pour the fish sauce over the beef and, using your hands, mix everything together thoroughly. Marinate for 30 minutes on the counter (you can also marinate it in the fridge overnight to build even more flavor).
• Form your burger patties, again with your hands. Depending on the size of the buns you’re using, you can make 4 quarter-pound patties or 3 third-pound patties. Smoosh them out to the bun size and then press a dent in the middle with your thumb. This will keep them from getting domed in the middle as they cook.
• Heat some oil in a skillet over medium or slightly higher heat. Let it get good and hot. Add the burger patties and let them cook undisturbed for about 4 minutes. Flip them and lightly press them down with a spatula, then cook 3 to 4 minutes. For medium-rare, an instant read thermometer should register 130 – 135ºF, but cook to your liking.
• Plate the burgers on buns and dress with the condiments of your choice. For me, that’s pickles, mustard and maybe some cheese. Enjoy.

Kitchen Notes

What fish sauce? We recently discovered Red Boat 40°N Fish Sauce, a salty, funky favorite among chefs. But in general, buy fish sauce that comes in a glass bottle, not plastic—it will taste better.

Garlic—powder or fresh? In this recipe, the powder is convenient and mixes in easily. Fresh garlic is, of course, also wonderful. Do NOT use garlic salt. It is mostly salt with some garlic thrown in, and with the salty fish sauce, the last thing you need is more salt.