Easy Canned Tuna Cakes – I made these for my Husband’s Birthday!

When I asked my husband what cake he wanted for his birthday, he quickly replied “Easy Canned Tuna Cakes”! I was amused and thought he was joking. But apparently he was serious and meant it! Since, it’s his birthday, I granted his wish. He’s quirky and loveable that way! Lol!

These “tuna cakes” came to be during the early times of the Covid-19 pandemic and we were isolating at home. The supply of fresh food and produce at grocery stores was haphazard and uncertain. In reaction to that, we stocked up on shelf stable staples. Canned tuna* was one of the items. After a while, I got tired of eating tuna sandwiches and wanted to see if there were other ways to serve up this fishy ingredient. After a bit of research I thought it might be fun to serve it up like a crab cake patty. I found a simple recipe from Cooktoria that uses mackerel and decided to adapt it for tuna.

The first time I made this Tuna Cakes recipe, my husband and son devoured them! I made further tweaks and am sharing the latest version that I used to make those Birthday Tuna Cakes I mentioned. They looked pretty fancy served with salad, and glasses of prosecco. The amazing thing is how quickly this delicious meal comes together! From start to finish, it only takes about 30 minutes – now that’s what I love about recipes like this!

Ingredients for Easy Canned Tuna Cakes

You will need the following ingredients to make the patties:

15 oz canned Albacore Tuna in water, 3 standard 5 oz cans
3 large eggs
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated. I used Parmigiano Reggiano.
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbs mayonnaise
2 Tbs mustard
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp granulated garlic (optional). You can also use minced, or roasted
3 stalks of green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp dried chili powder or cayenne (optional)
vegetable oil for frying

For equipment, you will need a large frying pan and a 1/4 cup measuring cup.

Putting it together

Let’s start by gathering all the ingredients. I like to do this so that I won’t be scrambling for a missing ingredient in the middle of putting this together. First, drain the canned tuna and flake the meat with fork in a large mixing bowl.

Next, add all of the other ingredients, except the vegetable oil. Mix well to combine thoroughly.

Then, using 1/4 cup as a scoop, measure and shape the mixture into patties. Gently press them so that the mixture would stick together. It’s very similar to making burger patties.

In a large pan, heat up about vegetable oil. The oil should cover the bottom of the pan. When ready, arrange the patties on the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan and cook the patties in a few batches if necessary.

Fry on medium heat until the patties are golden brown (about 2 to 3 minutes per side).

Finally, lightly pat the cooked patties on paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve the patties warm with salad. Enjoy!

Notes on Easy Canned Tuna Cakes

1. Canned tuna can be fishy. I like to use a variety of spices to help address that. In addition to basic salt and fresh ground pepper, you can also use cumin, paprika, celery salt, garlic or even curry powder. Fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro and green onions are tasty when finely chopped and mixed with the fish.
2. *Note on Canned Tuna: I used Albacore for this recipe. I was curious about this canned fish a did a bit of research. Did you know that there are over 48 types of tuna and only a handful are used for canning? The 3 most common are yellow fin, albacore and skipjack. Read more about canned tuna here => http://www.cannedtuna.com/types-of-canned-tuna

Postscript:

We all enjoyed these delicious tuna cakes for my husband’s birthday dinner. In addition to that, I made him a surprise chocolate cake, with candles and all. And of course, we sang him the Birthday song! ❤

Easy Canned Tuna Cakes

Jessica Lai Perez

These delicious tuna cakes are super quick, easy and simple to make! Perfect meal for busy days.

4 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Lunch

Cuisine American

Servings 12 patties

Ingredients

  

• 15 oz canned Albacore Tuna in water, 3 standard 5 oz cans
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated I used Parmigiano Reggiano
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbs mayonnaise
• 2 Tbs mustard
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 tsp granulated garlic (optional) You can also use minced, or roasted
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried chili powder or cayenne (optional)
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

 

• Gather all the ingredients. Drain tuna and flake meat with fork in a large bowl.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, except the vegetable oil. Mix well to combine thoroughly.
• Using 1/4 cup as a scoop, measure and shape the mixture into patties.
• In a large pan, heat up about vegetable oil. The oil should cover the bottom of the pan. When ready, arrange the patties on the pan. Do not overcrowd. Fry on medium heat until the patties are golden brown (about 2 to 3 minutes per side).
• Drain cooked patties on paper towel to remove oil. Serve warm with salad. Enjoy!

Notes

fabfoodflavors.com/easy-canned-tuna-cakes-i-made-these-for-my-husbands-birthday/

Keyword burger, patty, Tuna, tuna cakes, tuna patties

This recipe was inspired by https://cooktoria.com/mackerel-patties

More Fab Flavors:

If you are in a hurry and want a quick snack or appetizer, check out => Quick Prosciutto Manchego Apple Stacks: Results of a Forage in the Fridge

Have you seen this cool Strawberries & Cream Rollup Crepe Cake? It was all over social media a while back and I had to give it a try. See how I put this beautiful show stopper together => How to make *The* Strawberries & Cream Rollup Crepe Cake

Autumn and harvest season is just around the corner, have you seen how I made regular whole wheat bread into a pretty pumpkin shape? Please read my post here =>How to make Whole Wheat Bread Pretty!