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Tuna Cakes Plated With Red Chile Sauce
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Tuna Cakes (Tortitas de Atun)

Dress up plain tuna and make it delicious with this easy recipe for Mexican inspired tuna cakes!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Grapeseed or Olive oil
  • 1/3 cup onion finely diced
  • 1 serrano or jalapeño seeded and mince
  • 1/3 cup carrot peeled and finely dice
  • 1/3 cup celery finely diced
  • 1 large clove of garlic minced
  • Pinch of salt and pepper or to taste
  • 12-14 oz of tuna in water drained well
  • zest of 1 lemon or lime
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice or lime
  • 1 tablespoon Mexican-style hot sauce
  • 18 saltine crackers finely crushed
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 tbsp cilantro finely chopped

Garnish

  • 1 cup your favorite salsa see link for chile sauce
  • Lemon or lime wedges
  • Cilantro chopped

Instructions

  • In a skillet at medium heat add 2 tablespoons of oil. After a minute, add the onions, serrano, carrots and celery. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one more minute. Remove from heat at let cool completely.
  • When ready, in a large bowl add the tuna, cooled vegetables, lemon zest and juice, hot sauce, saltines, cilantro and eggs. Mix well and set aside.
  • To a medium skillet, add the remaining oil and preheat to medium for a few minutes. While oil preheats, line a baking pan with wax or parchment paper. Form 10 equal tuna cakes and place onto parchment paper.
  • Before frying, test the oil to make sure it's not too hot. Otherwise the tuna cakes will burn on the surface before cooking all the way through. Fry for 3-4 minutes per side. Do not over crowd the pan or it will be difficult to flip the cakes over. Transfer fried cakes to a plate lined with paper towels or transfer to a low temperature heated oven to keep warm.
  • Serve tuna cakes with your favorite salad, rice and beans. Garnish with lemon, hot sauce or salsa and cilantro. Cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.

Notes

The tuna can be substituted with cooked shredded chicken, beef, pork or crab meat. For a vegetarian option mix in shredded zucchini or chayote that is lightly sauteed and cooled instead of meat.