Inspired by the Nordic tradition of fiskekaker — Norwegian fish cakes made with ground seafood and pan-fried until golden — these seafood burgers bring a taste of coastal Norway to your dinner table. A trio of wild salmon, bay scallops, and shrimp creates a rich, flavorful patty that is bound together with fresh dill, the quintessential herb of Scandinavian cooking, and served in a crisp lettuce wrap with a bright squeeze of lemon. Simple, elegant, and ready in just 40 minutes, these are a refre
Inspired by the Nordic tradition of fiskekaker — Norwegian fish cakes made with ground seafood and pan-fried until golden — these seafood burgers bring a taste of coastal Norway to your dinner table. A trio of wild salmon, bay scallops, and shrimp creates a rich, flavorful patty that is bound together with fresh dill, the quintessential herb of Scandinavian cooking, and served in a crisp lettuce wrap with a bright squeeze of lemon. Simple, elegant, and ready in just 40 minutes, these are a refreshing alternative to a traditional beef burger that seafood lovers will want to make on repeat.
Active time: 30 minutes | Total time: 50 minutes
Norwegian Seafood Burgers
Ingredients
1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
12 oz. (340g) wild salmon fillets, skin and bones discarded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 oz. (170g) bay scallops
6 oz. (170g) shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped
2 tbsp (28g) mayonnaise
1 egg, beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
4 large red leaf lettuce leaves
1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
Directions
Add the salmon, scallops, and shrimp to the food processor and pulse until finely ground, about 20 on/off pulses. Transfer the seafood mixture to a bowl with the breadcrumbs and add the green onions, dill, mayonnaise, egg, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
With moistened hands, form the mixture into 4 patties about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the burgers and cook without moving them until golden brown on the bottom and set around the edges, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip the burgers, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 5 minutes more, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 °F.
Tuck each burger into a lettuce leaf and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.
Salutes to local specialties of Hokkaido, Nagoya, and more now available across Japan.
A lot of the “Japan!” part of McDonald’s Japan’s recent offerings has come from tie-ups with popular Japanese pop culture franchises. And while we’re as happy as anyone about the Chiikawa Happy Meal toys, Gundam-themed sandwiches, and Hello Kitty-themed dessert drinks, the newest arrivals on the menu take inspiration from Japan for their actual flavors too.
The new Gotochi Mac, or “Regional McDonald’s” offe
Salutes to local specialties of Hokkaido, Nagoya, and more now available across Japan.
A lot of the “Japan!” part of McDonald’s Japan’s recent offerings has come from tie-ups with popular Japanese pop culture franchises. And while we’re as happy as anyone about the Chiikawa Happy Meal toys, Gundam-themed sandwiches, and Hello Kitty-themed dessert drinks, the newest arrivals on the menu take inspiration from Japan for their actual flavors too.
The new Gotochi Mac, or “Regional McDonald’s” offerings, start off with a nod to the country’s northernmost prefecture in the form of the Hokkaido Jaga Cheese Teriyaki. With Hokkaido being home to Japan’s largest share of dairies and swaths of potato farmland, this is an enhanced version of McDonald’s Japan’s teriyaki pork patty burger, with a special filling of chunky Hokkaido potatoes and cheese, plus another slice of white cheddar for good measure.
Next comes the Tebasaki-style Black Pepper Juicy Chicken, a salute to one of Japan’s most criminally underrated local delicacies: Nagoya-style tebasaki (chicken wings). Treated with a sweet glaze with a touch of spice and plenty of pepper, this chicken cutlet sandwich lets you enjoy a taste of Nagoya without getting your fingers all sticky.
Then there’s the Hakata Mentaiko Butter Teriyaki, a teriyaki pork burger with cheese and mentaiko, spicy cod roe. A specialty of Fukuoka Prefecture, mentaiko ordinarily has a soft but gritty texture, but for this sandwich it’s mixed into buttery mayo for a creamier consistency.
And for early-risers, the Hokkaido Jaga Cheese Teriyaki also has a McMuffin variant.
Finally, rounding out the Gotochi Mac lineup is a new flavor for McDonald’s Japan’s Shaka Shaka French Fry series, in which you get a seasoning packet to pour onto your fries and shake up in the bag. The newest member of the Shaka Shaka family is Black Curry, the local-favorite type of curry in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. Aside from its darker color (which is really more of a very dark brown), black curry tends to be spicier than other kinds of Japanese curry and also has some bitter notes to its flavor profile, so this should be a unique fry-eating experience.
The Hokkaido Jaga Cheese Teriyaki McMuffin is priced at 410 yen (US$2.65), the other sandwiches at 490 yen, and the Black Curry Shaka Shaka powder at 50 yen (added on to whatever size of fries you’re ordering). The whole lineup is on sale now.
Watch the competition or sample multiple burgers in the sales area during this weekend celebration of gourmet burgers from around the world.
Although burgers are often associated with the U.S., we’ve got beef with anyone who says that a quality burger can’t be found in Japan. In fact, finding one is about to get even easier with the return of the prestigious Japan Burger Championship next month in its fifth edition. The event has attracted a total of 170,000 attendees over the past four years
Watch the competition or sample multiple burgers in the sales area during this weekend celebration of gourmet burgers from around the world.
Although burgers are often associated with the U.S., we’ve got beef with anyone who says that a quality burger can’t be found in Japan. In fact, finding one is about to get even easier with the return of the prestigious Japan Burger Championship next month in its fifth edition. The event has attracted a total of 170,000 attendees over the past four years and promises to be a bun-believable showdown once again.
From June 12 through 14 at Yokohama’s landmark Akarenga Soko–otherwise known as the Red Brick Warehouse–visitors can enjoy a variety of festivities related to gourmet burger appreciation, which includes watching the competition, sampling a variety of burgers, and voting on which burger should be crowned the inaugural winner of the new Sales Division Award for the best gourmet burger being sold in the sales area. Entrance to the event is free, though individual food and drink purchases are not.
For the competition portion of the event, 12 competitors from around Japan who have already passed an initial screening round will take part in the semifinals on June 12 and 13, after which the top six will proceed to the finals on June 14. This year’s theme for the finals is “Energy Burger,” and competitors will be expected to concoct a gourmet burger that can be eaten for stamina in the hot summer. The overall winner of the competition earns the honor of becoming the Japanese representative to compete in the Hamburger Category for the World Food Championships to be held in the U.S. in October.
▼ Flow of the competition
At the same time as the competition, 27 gourmet burger shops will be in full operation in the sales area for visitors to conduct their own taste tests. The representatives include a mix of international gourmet burger chefs, past competition winners, famous steakhouses, and Japanese chefs making use of local and regional ingredients from their areas of origin. Some will even offer burgers crafted exclusively for this event.
While we’ve never encountered a burger that we couldn’t topple, we also understand that visitors will likely want to sample as many burgers as possible. Thankfully, the event has designed a system for visitors to request cutting a full burger into either halves or quarters or a half-burger into halves for a small additional fee. This makes for the perfect solution to share with family and friends so everyone doesn’t fill up on one shop’s burger alone. Anyone who is really up for the full undertaking, however, can participate in a social media challenge by taking a photo of a burger (full or half-sized OK) from every single shop and posting it on social media with a special hashtag. Anyone who clears this test will receive a limited prize–and as a bonus, the profound respect of the SoraNews24 writing team.
▼ A variety of ways to share burgers for a small additional fee (an extra 200 yen for a full burger cut into quarters, or 100 yen for the other options)
For a sneak peek of what you may want to taste test, pictured below are two previous Japan Burger Championship winners that will be selling their culinary crafts in the sales area. The 2024 champion, Harry’s Junction from Miyagi Prefecture, has a burger that combines the local zunda (sweetened, mashed edamame) specialty with sour cream (it’s also one of the 12 semifinalists competing in this year’s championship!). Meanwhile, the 2025 champion Brisk Stand from Hyogo Prefecture is offering a double cheeseburger with alternating layers of cheddar cheese and onions.
▼ Burgers from Harry’s Junction (top) and Brisk Stand (bottom)
A handful of gourmet burger shops from abroad will also be on site, including:
● One More The Burger House Dubai (UAE): Making its Japanese debut, the shop that previously won first place in the World Food Championships offers a burger featuring Japanese-style milk buns infused with truffle fragrance and wild arugula.
● Melting Soul (South Korea): This shop won the 2023 Korean Championship with its two smash patties, thick cheese, and bacon skirt gourmet burger.
● Zesty Saloon (South Korea): This shop won the 2026 Korean Championship with its smash patty, double cheese, and bacon skirt gourmet burger.
▼ Burgers from One More The Burger House Dubai (top), Melting Soul (middle), and Zesty Saloon (bottom)
For anyone who reaches their burger limit (if such a state of satiation is even possible), the event will also have plenty of fries, sweets, and drinks for you to order while you give your stomach a burger break.
Finally, food isn’t the only thing on the menu as several forms of entertainment will also be available to enjoy. For instance, Yokohama-based rock band Aonowa will hold a live performance on June 13 at 10:30 am at the venue.
▼ Aonowa
Other family-friendly activities will be the chance to see the elite, all-female White Angels police motorcycle unit and a performance by the 35-member Kanagawa Prefectural Police Band.
This isn’t the first time that the Akarenga Red Brick Warehouse has hosted a large-scale gastronomic event, and we certainly hope that it won’t be the last. We’re certain that the Japan Burger Championship 2026 is going to be well done, too.
Event information
Japan Burger Championship 2026 / グルメバーガー日本一決定戦
Address: Kanagawa-ken, Yokohama-shi, Naka-ku, Shinko 1-1-1, Red Brick Warehouse (Event Plaza A/B)
神奈川県横浜市中区新港 1-1-1 横浜赤レンガ倉庫（イベント広場A/B）
Duration: June 12-14, 2026
● Friday, June 12: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (food last orders at 8 p.m., drink last orders at 8:30 p.m.)
● Saturday, June 13: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (food last orders at 8 p.m., drink last orders at 8:30 p.m.)
● Sunday, June 14: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (food last orders at 7 p.m., drink last orders at 7:30 p.m.) Website
KFC set out to recreate the image of three parts of the U.S. in sandwich form, and it looks like they hit at least one bullseye.
People in Japan are well aware that KFC originated in the U.S. Seeing as how Kentucky doesn’t get a lot of international tourists or pop culture attention, though, very few Japanese people have any strong impression of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s home state, to the extent that most Japanese people call KFC itself simply “Kentucky.”
So for the trio of sandwiches KFC Japa
KFC set out to recreate the image of three parts of the U.S. in sandwich form, and it looks like they hit at least one bullseye.
People in Japan are well aware that KFC originated in the U.S. Seeing as how Kentucky doesn’t get a lot of international tourists or pop culture attention, though, very few Japanese people have any strong impression of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s home state, to the extent that most Japanese people call KFC itself simply “Kentucky.”
So for the trio of sandwiches KFC Japan is adding to its menu, collectively named “The American Burgers,” they’re picked three other parts of the U.S. for their themes, saying that they want for them to be edible expressions of the image of America. That might sound like a challengingly abstract goal, but they might have nailed it with their Las Vegas “burger.”
I’ve put “burger” in quotes since it usually implies a sandwich with a either a ground meat patty or a bun, but the Las Vegas Style Double Down Fillet Burger has neither. Instead, it’s a pair of boneless fried chicken pieces being used to sandwich onion rings, a cheddar cheese slice, what appears to be a large dollop of mayonnaise, and a drizzle of barbecue glaze. KFC Japan describes the combined effect as “a guilty flavor,” and it absolutely looks like the sort of extravagant decadence one would wallow in while visiting Vegas, right down to the inevitable soul-searching self-questioning “Should I really have done that?” afterwards.
The other two members of the The American Burgers trio are less likely to trigger a review of your life choices, though they’re both definitely heavyweight meal options too. Picture above, the New York Style Onion Ring Fillet Burger scales itself back to one piece of boneless fried chicken and has a bun, but does keep the onion rings and cheddar cheese. The other key ingredient here is a garlic sauce which KFC boasts combines the umami properties of bacon and onion, with the goal of the sandwich, KFC Japan says, being to to deliver a hearty meal evocative of a New York diner.
And last, there’s the Texas Style Spicy Avocado Filet Burger. This one ditches the New York sandwich’s onion rings and garlic sauce, and instead gives you a diced avocado filling. This is sort of an unusual choice, linguistically/geographically speaking, since in America a burger with avocado is usually called a “California burger.” KFC Japan says the avocado filling is inspired by guacamole, but with an extra spicy kick added to it, and that Texas was chosen for the name as a symbol of guacamole’s popularity across the southern U.S.
With guacamole being at least as popular in California as it is in Texas, and having been introduced to the U.S. via Mexico, the “Texas” theming still feels a little off, and while New York is famous for its delis, it’s not necessarily any more known for diners than other large American city. Still, full marks to KFC Japan for capturing the excitement-to-potential-regret roller coaster of a Vegas bender in sandwich form.
The New York and Texas American Burgers are both priced at 580 yen (US$3.75), while the Vegas one is for higher-rollers at 790 yen. They’ll all be on sale for a limited time at KFC Japan branches starting May 27.
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