TL/DR – Southwest Turkey Burger. A healthy burger infused with tangy lime juice, cider vinegar, chili powder, garlic and coriander, served with an easy cilantro crema. Perfect for summer grill season. –
Ground turkey can be awful, let’s just get that out of the way. I much prefer the 85% lean ground turkey to the 93% lean. The latter can become unappetizingly dry and begs the question: why are we eating this stuff?
To 85% lean ground turkey, add a tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of one lime, a tablespoon of cider vinegar, kosher salt, chili powder, coriander, and garlic powder. Mix everything well and form the turkey into four patties.
Only make the patties when you are ready to grill. If they sit for longer than a few minutes, the lime juice will start to break down the texture and make it weird. But for those first few minutes, the lime juice not only flavors the meat, but makes it more tender so that the outcome is less dry.
Immediately heat the grill on high. Before placing the patties on a screaming hot grill, spray both sides of each with nonstick spray. I prefer to place my patties in the middle of the grill, then shut the lid. After about a minute, I turn off the middle two burners and leave the two exterior burners on. I use a propane grill. Everyone has their method, but I prefer nice grill marks followed by indirect heat. When I flip the patties, I turn the middle two burners back on for a minute to get those grill marks and then switch them off again. Sorry if that’s TMI.
The Cilantro Crema can be made in advance, or as the burgers are on the grill. It’s a bunch of fresh cilantro, garlic, lime, vinegar, sour cream and mayo processed until smooth and creamy in a small food processor.
Serve these burgers on several pieces of fresh butter lettuce to create a wrap, or a bun works, too. Top each patty with a generous amount of Cilantro Crema, which is a super easy sauce that goes with so many dishes. Try Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Crema or Turkey Lentil Burgers with Cilantro Crema.
Southwest Turkey Burger
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T cider vinegar
- juice of one lime, about 2T
- 3/4 t kosher salt
- 3/4 t chili powder
- 1/2 t ground coriander
- For the crema:
- 1small clove garlic, chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro leaves
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 t white vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1/4 c sour cream
- 1/4 c mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
- 1/8 t black pepper
- 1/4 t kosher salt
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the grill to 400 degrees F.
- Step 2 Mix all turkey burger ingredients together well and form into 4 burger patties.
- Step 3 Spray each patty on both sides with nonstick spray.
- Step 4 Place the patties on the middle of the grill and close the lid. After a minute, turn off the middle two burners, leaving the two exterior burners on, and allow them to cook for 5 – 7 min on each side or until they reach an internal temp of 165 degrees F.
- Step 5 While the patties grill, combine the crema ingredients in a small food processor and process until smooth.
- Step 6 Serve each patty with a bun or several pieces of butter or Boston lettuce and a generous dollop of the cilantro crema.
