The Old-School Canned Soup Hack That'll Change Your Fish Burgers For The Better

Canned condensed soups are a staple ingredient in vintage cookbooks. Those shelf-stable, pantry-staple souper stars can moisten and bind myriad dishes from casseroles to pot pies and more. Thankfully, versatile canned soups have led to countless hacks — including a quick fish burger upgrade. When home cooks are shaping fish burgers, a few spoonfuls of canned condensed soup add flavor and texture to each patty. It also acts as a binding agent, holding the fish together with other elements like diced green bell pepper and red onion. For flavorful fish burgers that don't fall apart, we also recommend popping your formed, shaped patties in the fridge for 30 minutes (or 15 minutes in the freezer) to chill before cooking.

Campbell's seminal 1970 cookbook "Cooking with Soup" features a recipe for tuna burgers made with condensed celery soup. Campbell's "Tuna Burger" recipe calls for a 10 ½-ounce can of condensed cream of celery soup, shaped into patties with a seven-ounce can of tuna (drained and flaked) plus chopped onions, hard-boiled egg slices, a splash of milk, chopped parsley, and lemon juice. To cook, the fish patties get broiled in the oven on a sheet pan until hot. A slice of Swiss or sharp white cheddar cheese could easily be melted on top of each burger patty at this step. Or, alternatively, those soup-upgraded fish patties could be cooked to brown in a hot skillet.

To successfully execute this old-school cooking hack, be sure to pair your canned soup with a complementary fish flavor. Cream of chicken soup pairs well with canned salmon or canned tuna — any tinned fish that would benefit from a subtle savory flavor kick. On the flip side, cream of mushroom and cream of celery soups allow bolder fish flavors like herring and trout to shine. Additional seasonings like lemon pepper, Old Bay, and paprika all pair well with fish burgers.

For some bold, flavorful inspiration, try binding a flaky cod burger with Campbell's condensed French onion soup. Top this one with a thick slice of gooey Gruyère and caramelized onions, served on garlic toast for majorly craveable French onion soup vibes. Craving an extra kick of moisture? Foodies could even simmer their pre-browned fish burgers in a rich, creamy canned condensed soup bath. To do it, simply heat the canned condensed soup of your choice in a hot skillet, then gently drop each browned patty into the soup, reduce the heat to low, pop on the lid, and allow the patties to simmer for roughly five minutes. Serve your soup-erpower fish burgers on a toasted bun with a smear of Thousand Island dressing, or atop a bed of mashed potatoes.