These tuna burgers are protein-packed, full of flavor, crisp on the outside and have a tender interior. Garnish with toppings of your choice for a quick and easy dinner idea!
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Tuna patties, tuna cakes, tuna burgers…. call them what you want. But, if you’ve never tried them and are giving me a little side eye, just trust me on this one. Give them a chance.
For real. I remember when I was little and my mom mentioned that she was making tuna patties one Friday during Lent. I’d never heard of such a thing and was quite skeptical. But ever since then, I’ve been hooked!! For our family, these are no longer just for Friday’s during Lent – it’s a quick and easy meal year-round!
Tuna Burger Ingredients
- Canned Tuna – I always use “tuna packed in water” and don’t recommend using the tuna packed in oil
- Bread – I typically use white bread, but wheat would work fine too
- Egg – I use “large” eggs (any size will work fine)
- Mayonnaise – I prefer to use full-fat mayo in this recipe
- Celery
- Red Onion
- Black Pepper
- Buns & Toppings – I use either regular hamburger buns or slider buns. My favorite way to top them is with lettuce or spinach, tomato and tartar sauce.
How do you keep Tuna Patties from falling apart?
Making tuna burgers/patties is super easy, but they can be a little more tricky to handle than a meat burger. Here’s a few tips:
- Use this recipe! 😉 The ratio of tuna to egg, bread and mayo will help these stick together!
- Make sure you finely chop the onion and celery – it’ll be more difficult to work with if they’re in big chunks.
- Don’t forget to grease the skillet! If it’s going to stick to the pan, it’ll certainly be more difficult to keep them together when flipping.
- Let them cook at least three minutes before even checking to see if they’re ready to flip. This will give them time to form that yummy crisp exterior, which will help them stay together without issue.
How to make Tuna Burgers
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, right?! See below!
What do you serve with Tuna Burgers
In terms of toppings, I like to serve mine with tartar sauce (or mayo mixed with pickle relish), tomato slices and lettuce or spinach leaves.
As for sides, you can keep it super simple with raw veggies and dip, fresh fruit, potato chips, etc. Or warm things up with a side of baked beans, French fries, cooked veggies, or whatever else sounds good to you!!
Other Delicious Fish Recipes
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Tuna Burgers
Ingredients
- One 12 oz can tuna in water drained
- 2 slices white bread torn into small pieces
- 1 egg
- 1/3 c mayonnaise
- 1/4 c finely diced celery
- 2 tbsp diced red onion
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- hamburger buns, lettuce, tomato slices and tartar sauce for topping, if desired
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the tuna, bread pieces, egg, mayo, celery, onion and black pepper.
- Divide the mixture into 4-6 even portion and form into burger patties (I typically do about 1 cm thick); set aside.
- Bring a skillet to medium heat and add 1 tbsp butter, vegetable oil or spray with cooking spray.
- Place the patties on the hot skillet and cook for 5 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Flip the patties and cook an additional 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato and tartar sauce, if desired.
