Easy, fast, tuna patties with potatoes perfect for Lent or any time of the year. The way we made them in Mexico. Try them out!
Tuna Patties remind me of my mom. I loved when she made them for me when I was a little girl, and now my boys love them, too. My boys’ little faces light up when they see them on the table.
RELATED POST: Silvia’s Mexican Tuna Salad (no mayo)
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They are effortless to make and are ideal for Lent.
How to Serve Tunna Patties?
I usually serve them with a green salad or soup. Try our pinto bean soup, or creamy squash and carrot soup .
They are also delicious with a squeeze of lime juice, green salsa or red salsa and guacamole on the side.
Can I Make Tuna Cakes Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can. I don’t recommend preparing them more than one day in advance though. My preference is to make them in the morning, cover and leave them in the fridge until ready to fry or bake.
How to Keep Tuna Patties from Falling Appart?
I have two tips to keep these tuna cakes in one piece.
- Place the patties in the fridge for 30 minutes before frying. If you are in a rush, put them in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Don’t move them around in the pan when frying. Place them in the hot oil and wait until they are golden brown to flip them.
If you make these tuna patties, be sure to snap a photo and share it on social media with the #mamalatinatips hashtag. I’d love to see it and share it as well.
Easy Tuna Patties Recipe
Makes 12 patties
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes
- 2 cans of tuna
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 white onion finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 3-5 parsley springs or basil leaves, finely chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
- 3/4 cups breadcrumbs or Panko, divided*
- 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil, divided
* For gluten-free or keto tuna patties, replace the bread crumbs with 1/2 cup of almond flour.
Equipment
- Potato peeler
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Medium pot
- Potato masher
- Medium Bowl
- Skillet
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
Process
Peel the potatoes cut them into chunks, and put them in a pot of water to cook. When they are cooked, a fork will easily pierce the potatoes, strain them and mash them into a puree.
Add drained tuna, eggs, onion, garlic, parsley or basil, salt, pepper to taste, and 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs.
Mix well with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are combined. The mixture will be a little wet.
Place the rest of the breadcrumbs on a plate.
Form small balls with your hands and then flatten them into circular patties. Cover both sides of each with bread crumbs
Alternative method: combine the bread crumbs directly into the mixture by adding a little bit at a time until the entire mixture is consistent. Then make the small balls and flatten into circular patties.
Add 1/4 cup olive oil to the pan to fry the patties, but not deep fry.
When the oil is at frying temperature, add the patties to the pan. Be careful not to crowd the pan too much, which will cause the cakes to steam rather than fry. Usually, it takes about 3-4 minutes on each side.
They will look golden brown when ready. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spatula and place them on a paper towel to drain extra oil. Change oil when needed.
If you don’t want to fry them, you can spray a baking sheet with olive oil, place the uncooked patties on top, and put them in a pre-heated oven at 350 F (180 C) for 15-20 minutes, flipping the patties halfway through so they can brown on both sides.
Enjoy!
Print the Tuna Pattie Recipe
Tuna Patties
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes
- 2 cans of tuna
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 white onion finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 3-5 parsley springs or basil leaves finely chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
- 3/4 cups breadcrumbs or Panko divided
- 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil divided
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, cut them into chunks and put them in a pot of water to cook. When they are cooked, a fork will easily pierce the potatoes, strain them and mash them into a puree.
- Add drained tuna, eggs, onion, garlic, the parsley or basil, salt, pepper to taste and 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs. Mix well with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are combined. The mixture will be a little wet.
- Place the rest of breadcrumbs on a plate.
- Form small balls with your hands and then flatten them into circular patties. Cover both sides of each with bread crumbs. (Alternative method: combine the bread crumbs directly into the mixture by adding a little bit at a time until the entire mixture is consistent. Then make the small balls and flatten into circular patties).
- Add 1/4 cup olive oil to the pan to fry the patties, but not deep fry.
- When the oil is at frying temperature, add the patties to the pan. Be careful not to crowd the pan too much, which will cause the cakes to steam rather than fry. Usually, it takes about 3-4 minutes on each side. They will look golden brown when ready. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spatula and place them on a paper towel to drain extra oil. Change oil when needed.
- If you don’t want to fry them, you can spray a baking sheet with olive oil, place the uncooked patties on top, and place them in a pre-heated oven at 350 F (180 C) for 15-20 minutes, flipping the patties halfway through so they can brown on both sides.
Nutrition
Notes
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Loved these tuna patties! So easy and delicious!
I have made something similar to these recently, but i really want to try these ones out soon! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’ve made tuna patties in the past but these were the best I’ve had. So easy to make and so tasty!
I should definitely try these I definitely need to get more fish into our diets and this looks like a great way to do that.
These are so crunchy and delicious! I’m happy to have these for lunch or as a snack!