Tuna patties
Crispy outside, tender inside and made from a few cans of tuna, this is the budget dinner that tastes like more.
- 30 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $1.85 a serving
- 380 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 3 cans canned tuna, drained very well
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 lemon, zested, then cut into wedges
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
From your pantry
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
Each serving has about 380 calories, 26 g protein, 11 g carbs and 26 g fat, and costs about $1.85 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No canned tuna? Canned salmon works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No hot sauce? Sriracha works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Press the lids down into the open tuna cans to squeeze out as much liquid as you can, then flake the tuna into a bowl.
Dolly’s tip: Wet tuna makes soft patties that fall apart. Squeeze harder than you think you need to.Add the eggs, panko, parmesan, green onions, mustard, lemon , garlic powder and pepper, and mix until it holds together when squeezed.
Zest. Zest is the thin, colored outer layer of citrus peel, rubbed off on the smallest holes of a grater. It holds the fruit’s fragrant oils, so it adds bright flavor without the sourness of juice.
How you’ll know: You see bright flecks and smell citrus right away; stop when you reach the white layer, which is bitter.
Shape into 8 patties about ½ inch thick and let them sit for 5 minutes while the panko soaks up moisture.
Timer: 5 min
Heat half the oil in a large nonstick over medium heat until it .
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Shimmering oil. Oil shimmers when it’s hot enough to cook: its surface looks rippled and wavy, like heat over a road. That’s your cue to add the food, just before the oil would start to smoke.
How you’ll know: The oil looks wavy and runs thin like water when you tilt the pan, with no smoke yet.
Medium heat
Cook half the patties 3 to 4 minutes per side, until and hot through. Repeat with the rest of the oil and patties.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Let the first side get properly golden before you flip. That crust is what holds them together.Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
the mayonnaise with a squeeze of lemon and the hot sauce for dipping.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Serve the patties warm with the sauce and the rest of the lemon wedges.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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