Spiced Turkey Burger with Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

• 600 g turkey mince
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and black pepper
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 0.5 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 100 g cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 0.5 red onion, finely diced
• 1 red chilli, finely diced
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 lime, juiced
• 4 burger buns, toasted
• Warm tortillas, to serve
• little gem lettuce
• Soured cream, to serve

Method

1. Tip the turkey mince into a large bowl with the grated onion, minced garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, chilli powder and chopped coriander. The ground spices want to bloom in the pan later, so don't worry that they smell raw now — heat will wake them up. Season generously with salt and black pepper; turkey is lean and mild, so under-seasoning here is the single biggest reason home burgers taste flat.
2. Mix with your hands until just combined — stop the moment the spices look evenly streaked through. Overworked mince goes rubbery. Divide into 4 and shape into patties about 2 cm thick, pressing a shallow dimple into the centre of each so they cook flat instead of doming.
3. For the salsa, scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl and mash roughly with a fork — you want craggy texture, not a purée. Fold through the cherry tomatoes, red onion, lime juice and red chilli. Season with salt, taste, and adjust — it should be punchy, bright, and a touch sharper than feels comfortable on the spoon, because the rich patty will soften it on the bun.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large stainless or cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers and a flick of water cracks on the surface. Lay the patties in with space around each one — two at a time if your pan is small. Crowd the pan and they steam in their own juices instead of crusting; you want a proper sear.
5. Cook for 5–6 minutes on the first side without touching them — the patties release themselves when the crust is built, and the spices toast into the surface as they sear (this is your bloom, fragrant and smoky). Flip once, then cook another 4–5 minutes until deeply golden, firm to the press, and 74°C in the centre with no pink. Don't press them down — every drop you squeeze out is a drop you'll miss.
6. Lift the patties onto a plate and rest for 2 minutes. While they rest, drop the garlic-scented juices to good use: lay the bun halves cut-side down in the same pan and toast for 30–60 seconds until pale gold and fragrant — watch them, they tip from toasted to bitter in seconds.
7. Taste the salsa one more time. A final pinch of salt and an extra squeeze of lime if it's gone sleepy — acid is what makes avocado sing.
8. Build: lettuce leaf on the bun base, spiced patty on top, a heaped spoon of avocado salsa spilling over the edges. Scatter with extra coriander, a pinch of chilli flakes, squeeze a lime wedge over the lot, and crown with the bun lid. Serve immediately, with more lime wedges on the side.