Is it Monday?

I lost track of time yesterday. I was trying to catch up on mindless weekday reruns when my husband queued up his full DVR of Duck Dynasty. Duck Dynasty? I briefly imagined something like The Mighty Ducks and the nostalgia hit me—those movies and that era. But Duck Dynasty turned out to be something else entirely, and I found it both bewildering and oddly omnipresent in our house. He quotes it constantly, and suddenly I felt like I was living inside the show.

Despite the distraction, I did manage to make a healthy lunch that I hoped would yield leftovers for the coming week. The weather has been unseasonably warm—almost summer-like—which made us crave something fresh but satisfying, wholesome but fun.

A few weeks ago I discovered mahi mahi burgers at Whole Foods and fell for them hard. I was hesitant at first but ended up eating one almost every day, dressed in guacamole, BBQ sauce, or crispy onion straws. I wanted to recreate a seafood burger at home, but mahi mahi can be hard to find where I live. Tilapia felt like the practical substitute, though I worried it might be too mild for a burger.

I took inspiration from BBQ salmon burgers and simple crab cakes to build flavor and texture. The result surprised me: the tilapia patties turned out hearty, with a texture reminiscent of ground chicken or turkey, and a mild, adaptable flavor that welcomes bold toppings. My husband, a ketchup enthusiast, was ready to drown his burger in red condiment, but I convinced him to try a bright watermelon salsa with lime and cilantro. He loved it—and left the ketchup in the fridge. That felt like a small victory.

Tilapia Burgers with Watermelon Salsa + Avocado

Makes 6 burgers

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh (or frozen and thawed) tilapia
• 2/3 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg + 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 cup cubed watermelon
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• The juice of 1 lime
• Whole wheat buns

Instructions

Place the tilapia in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and add the egg, egg white, panko, garlic, Dijon, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, and dried basil. Mix until evenly combined, then shape the mixture into six tightly packed patties to help prevent cracking.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add half of the olive oil. Cook the patties until golden on each side, about 3–4 minutes per side. Add the remaining oil and cook the rest of the burgers the same way.

While the patties cook, combine the watermelon, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Once the burgers are done, serve them on toasted whole wheat buns topped with avocado slices and a generous spoonful of watermelon salsa.

And in the middle of all of this, I accidentally—on purpose—deleted the entire DVR. Some victories are small, some are messy, and some involve delicious leftovers.