Baked Tuna Patties

So let’s start at the end for a moment and talk about the elephant in the room, or rather – the tuna in the recipe.

I haven’t touched tuna in 35 years. Anyone who knows me knows that if there’s one thing I don’t eat, it’s tuna. Why? Oh, what a great question! In pre-school, up until the age of 5, I was given tons of tuna in oil; I was a picky, skinny kid who didn’t like to eat, and as soon as the teacher found out I liked tuna, they gave it to me every day.

And so it happened that one day it just didn’t sit well anymore, and since then tuna and I don’t mix. Which is a bit strange, isn’t it? Because there were a lot of things I didn’t eat until I was older and at some point I tried them all and today I try first and then decide whether or not I like it. But tuna? Something stuck, psychologically.

So how did tuna patties get here, you might ask? In recent months, a lot of people have been asking for ideas for dinners that aren’t just an omelet and salad. It reminded me that in the evenings, when I want to mix things up, I make patties: vegetable patties, cheese patties, patties made from whatever I have at home. So why not take a favorite recipe of mine for fish patties and make it with everyone’s favorite, tuna?

So I did. I made it once and let a friend taste it. Then I changed the recipe and sent it to my neighbor, then to my sister-in-law. And in the end, once everyone had nodded and said it was great, I realized I had found a formula that was delicious and easy and also baked. AND it turns out that kids love it too.

Baked Tuna Patties

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Serves: 4 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes + 30 minutes chilling Cooking Time: 30 minutes 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 2 cans tuna in oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large white onion, peeled
• 1 large carrot, peeled
• 5-6 tablespoons breadcrumbs or fine oatmeal (Quaker has gluten-free)
• 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

- Drain the tuna thoroughly using a strainer and keep the oil aside.
- Coarsely grate the onion and finely grate the carrot. Squeeze with your hands to get rid of extra moisture. This step is important because the onion has a lot of liquid. Another option is to fry onion cubes until golden brown and add them to the mixture, but keep in mind that this is a bit more work.
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients, including the drained tuna, until uniform. At this point, decide how much oil you want to add - I recommend 2-3 tablespoons of the reserved tuna oil but you can add more, or less for those who are counting calories. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator for half an hour or until you want to prepare it (up to a day).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with olive oil or cooking spray.
- Form patties with lightly oiled hands and place on the prepared baking sheet. Spray, or brush oil on top as well. Don't skip this step or they will dry out.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350F (180C) degrees for 30 minutes or until the patties are golden brown. Flip them once during baking.
- And if you want to fry them? No problem, of course, just do so over a medium flame and not high heat so that the onion has enough time to soften.

You can fry or bake. Photo: Tal Sivan-Ziporin

Notes

- For those who don't like tuna, like me, you can chop up fresh fish and put it in the mixture (about a cup). It's just important to knead the mixture well so that the fish protein binds everything.
- Want to kick it up? You can add chopped chives, 2 minced garlic cloves, finely grated zucchini (make sure to squeeze out the extra liquids), 1/2 cup of corn kernels, or whatever you think sounds delicious.
- For the gluten-free version, use thin, gluten-free oats.
- Don't skip the chili sauce. It's not really spicy and its subtle sweetness really adds to the patties. It's also what caramelizes the fish a bit in the oven.