On our recent trip to Minnesota, we ate wild rice every chance we could get, savoring the chewy texture and rich, nutty flavor of this Great Lakes specialty. Some of our most memorable meals were the meat-free, wild rice burgers served at restaurants like Fitger's Brewhouse, Black Woods, and Grandma's in Duluth. Although these popular eateries keep their recipes a closely guarded secret, we managed to come up with a remarkably satisfying version of our own, and it's sure to please vegetarians and omnivores alike.
The chewy texture of wild rice really lends itself to a burger, and we rounded out the nutty flavor with some sharp Asiago cheese and a hint of spice. To hold the burgers together, we used breadcrumbs and eggs. You can use store-bought breadcrumbs but it's very easy to make your own from white or whole-grain bread. (If you're avoiding eggs and cheese, see the vegan variation below.)
The only time-intensive part of this recipe is the wild rice – depending on the particular grains you have, it may take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to cook. If you want, make the rice a day or two ahead, cool it on a baking sheet, and store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to make the burgers.
We highly recommend seeking out natural lake and river wild rice, which has a better flavor than cultivated rice; either kind is delicious, though. If you don't live near the Great Lakes, look for wild rice at Trader Joe's; Emma has attested that it's quite good.
Wild Rice Burgers
Makes 4 patties1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/3 cup small-diced onion
1/3 cup small-diced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup shredded aged Asiago cheese
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/16 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
Cook wild rice according to package instructions or use the boiling method. Cool completely. (Can make a day ahead and refrigerate.)
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat and sauté onions, celery, and garlic until onion is translucent.
In a large bowl, combine onion-celery-garlic mixture with wild rice, breadcrumbs, Asiago cheese, salt, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Cool completely and then add eggs, stirring to combine.
Divide mixture into 4 and shape into 1/2-inch thick patties.
Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry patties 2-3 minutes on each side until crisp and golden.
Serve with your favorite burger toppings.
Variation:
For a vegan version, omit the Asiago cheese and replace the eggs with 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds whisked with 6 tablespoons water.
Related: Ingredient Spotlight: Wild Rice
(Images: Emily Ho)
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Comments (9)
hey, I live in that area!
I am surprised you liked Blackwood's wild rice burger, I find it to be dry, tasteless and inedible. But then again, I also find the two restaurants to serve dry tasteless inedible foods, and am sorry you actually wasted your money there.
Cannot wait to move back to a decent city with decent food like Chicago.
I can personally vouch as a hamburger lover in a burger-loving city [robble robble], this vegetarian version is quite satisfying and isn't "dry or tasteless" (in fact, it tasted much better than a recent wild boar burger I had despite the lack of meat). The cheese does a great job of keeping the patty intact the whole time while eating, something that doesn't always hold true with vegetarian patties, and the spices are evident with each bite. I also recommend a small dollop of dijon and pan frying the buns with butter before putting it all together.
I, too, live in Duluth and am surprised you thought the restaurants mentioned had good wild rice burgers. The only good ones I've ever tasted were home-made. It helps to soak your wild rice first--it shortens the cooking time. And always try to get wild rice that is parched in the traditional manner by Native folks...it's much better than the commercially-processed stuff you find in stores...it has a smokiness to it that you just can't beat! Your recipe looks pretty good. I always add toasted almonds &/or walnuts to mine, and I season them with cumin, thyme, & nutmeg (may sound weird, but it's an awesome combination). Mashed white beans can also work as a binder.
I made these tonight and they were DELICIOUS! http://twitpic.com/6vqqst
I live in Minneapolis but adore Duluth and the rest of the North Shore. There are great places to eat all up and down there but like others have mentioned the wild rice burgers served in most of the restaurants listed aren't the best example of a great wild rice burger. I bet burgers made from your recipe alone is better than any you ate there!
Did you get up to Grand Marais? Both Gunflint Lodge and Angry Trout do some pretty swell things to local ingredients.
@robienne1, @papergrader, @Slow Lorus - I must say, I think my version *is* actually better than those restaurants' ... but I have to thank them for the inspiration and showing me that wild rice makes a fantastic veggie burger ingredient!
@Slow Lorus I did get up to Grand Marais but didn't eat out. Next time!
@carissabyers So glad you enjoyed them! :)
I too, live in Duluth and can I say.. I'm just thrilled to see our name mentioned! Of the 3 mentioned above that all do serve wild rice burgers and other varied applications of wild rice dishes, I would have to say that the Fitger's Brewhouse is by far the best. Second ONLY to homemade of course.
I personally love making wild rice and having it on hand to add to soups and stews, cold in salads, substituted into ANY brown or white rice dishes, or just to eat with butter and salt. I even love cooking it, which fills your house with a very unique, warm, red-wine kind of smell.
My daughter and I made mini burgers. We used Panko crumbs and topped each burger with a freshly roasted tomato slice. They looked lovely and tasted great!
Me and my friend Lauren are freshmen in college and came upon this recipe while we were planning an adventure for the night. We biked miles to the nearest grocery store (we live in minnesota) and got ingredients for quite the price, just have to say, it's absolutely delicious! If you'd like throw some Southwest Salsa and a little bit of sharp cheddar cheese, fantastic, thanks!