Recipe Review: Tuna Cakes

Recipe Review: Tuna Cakes

Source: Simply Recipes 

I know that anything that has the word cake in its name and doesn’t have sugar in it, will probably be rather ugly looking, most likely a washed out shade of brown. It’s the ugly sister with lots of personality and a bad tan. This has been the case with my Quinoa Cakes and now my Tuna Cakes. Unlike my Quinoa Cakes, since discovering them, I make my Tuna Cakes on a regular basis. I’m sure anyone who is also cheap or enjoys a quick meal, will agree that canned tuna is a staple in their pantry. 

At any given time, I probably have at least 30 cans of tuna in my pantry. I buy ridiculous amounts of the stuff when I find it at the price I’m willing to pay ($0.30 or so for most brands, up to $0.50 per can for my preferred brand). I eat so much tuna that when my father and sister found a case of 48 cans of my favorite tuna on sale, they bought it, and mailed the case to me. I love and appreciate them so much that I have never had the heart to ask why they just didn’t send me the money and have me purchase the tuna at the same chain grocery store in my neighborhood. I think they were just trying to take care of me in my time of college poverty.

I only have one tuna recipe up my sleeve that does not involve making a sandwich. My one tuna recipe is my popular Stovetop Tuna Noodle Casserole. Not feeling in the mood for something creamy, salmon cakes popped into my mind as inspiration. Why not substitute tuna for the salmon? I found a tuna cakes recipe on Simply Recipes (a blog that I already read regularly) and gave it a try.

Tuna cakes was a winner and has since become a regular in my repertoire. Since most of the ingredients are from the pantry or refrigerator basics, I create variations according to what is fresh my fridge. I would say, start with Elise’s original recipe which is fresh and bright with lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh herbs, and green onions. I would not eat a tuna salad sandwich without mustard and hot sauce (Melinda’s XXX hot for me) but would never have thought of adding them to my tuna cakes. Thanks, Elise! 

Just a few quick points I have learned: 

• I have made tuna cakes with different types of bread and have never noticed any differences. The original recipe calls for white bread, something I don’t have in my home unless the word white is switched with words such as French, Italian, or sourdough. When I buy bread, I get whichever of my preferred brands is on sale. It varies from plain whole-wheat to multi-grain bread with a variety of nuts and seeds. Of course I had to write a paragraph to tell you what you should have already figured out. My point: use what’s on hand and it will be just fine.
• Two cans of tuna will leave you with 4 patties, so if you do the math one can of tuna will provide two tuna patties. I find that two patties make a great dinner for me. I have taken to halving the recipe and using just one can of tuna (Z. doesn’t eat tuna so there is no one to share with). The tuna cakes make decent leftovers but are best fresh. My point: Even though I’m using one can of tuna, I use a whole egg and the patties come out just fine. Unless you’re using eggs that come out of a carton, I’m not sure how to use half of a whole egg. And if I did, I would probably forget about it and waste half an egg.
• When I haven’t had fresh parsley, I have used a few shakes from my jar of trusted Italian seasoning. I actually really liked the flavor of the Italian seasoning with the tuna but was missing the fresh element. I had recently enjoyed my Root Vegetable Soup with Cilantro Pistou and had cilantro on the brain. I didn’t think adding chopped cilantro would be extraordinary but I thought of a sauce I could make and use for other meals. Check back soon to see what I made with cilantro that has become one of my favorite additions to Tuna Cakes. Enjoy!