The RecipeTin magic touch that lifts these tuna patties from meh to marvellous

A drizzle of garlic butter is all it takes to turn pantry staples into a surprisingly tasty meal.

July 9, 2024

You may already have the ingredients on hand to make these golden fishcakes.Rob Palmer; STYLING: Emma Knowles

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

These take everybody by surprise the first time they try them. Who knew something this simple could taste so good? The secret is a little garlic butter, which transforms plain spuds and canned tuna into morsels of creamy mash studded with flakes of fish, all coated in crunchy golden crumbs.

SOS checklist

Less than 12 ingredients (excluding oil, salt, pepper and water) ✔
Less than $20 for 4 servings ✔

Ingredients

TUNA CAKES

1 cup frozen peas
750g Sebago potatoes, peeled, cut into 2cm cubes
50g unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 spring onion stems, finely chopped
¾ tsp cooking salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 x 425g can tuna in oil, drained, broken into large chunks – see note
75g (½ cup) plain flour
2 eggs, lightly whisked
105g (1¼ cups) panko breadcrumbs
250ml (1 cup) vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Pink dipping sauce

½ cup mayonnaise (or sour cream or yoghurt)
1-2 tsp sriracha, or to taste ‒ see note

Method

Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the peas and let the water come back to a boil then immediately scoop them into a small bowl. Set aside. In the same pot, boil the potatoes until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes, transfer to a separate bowl and mash.
Step 2
Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 20 seconds until the garlic smells amazing and is light golden. Pour the garlic butter over the potatoes, add the spring onion, salt and pepper, and mash again to mix through. Then, using a rubber spatula, gently mix the peas and tuna through, taking care to preserve some chunks of tuna.
Step 3
Shape ¼ cup measures of the mixture into patties 1.5cm thick (you should get about 16) and place them on a plate or baking tray lined with baking paper. Chill for at least 10 minutes. This will help them hold their shape.
Step 4
Mix the pink dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 100C fan-forced (120C conventional). Put the flour, whisked eggs and panko crumbs into three separate bowls. Coat the patties in flour (shake off excess), dip in egg (let the excess drip off) then coat in panko crumbs, pressing to adhere.
Step 6
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Cook the tuna cakes in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden. If you’re pedantic like me, stand them on their sides and roll slowly to make the sides golden too. Transfer cooked patties to a tray lined with paper towels and place in the oven to keep them warm while you pan-fry the remaining tuna cakes.
Step 7
Serve with the pink dipping sauce on the side.

Choosing responsibly sourced canned tuna

It’s encouraging to see the increased demand for canned tuna without a high cost to the environment and marine life. But without a regulated labelling system, it can be difficult to know what to buy.

The good news is that most canned tuna available at supermarkets is considered relatively responsible – but you need to read the label. Look for tuna caught using “FAD-free” or “FAD-free purse seine” fishing methods and choose skipjack tuna over other species.

If the can doesn’t specify this information, I avoid it. But for a gold-star responsible choice, choose pole- and line-caught skipjack tuna such as the Good Fish and Fish 4 Ever brands. These are typically available at fresh produce stores, fishmongers and delis. I look forward to the day when these become the standard at supermarkets.

“Dolphin-friendly” labelling is not a true indicator of sustainable practices in Australia. For example, most of the canned tuna we buy comes from the Pacific Ocean, in an area where dolphins are not common. The “dolphin friendly” label is more relevant to the US, where dolphins do live with tuna and are being caught and killed by unethical tuna fishing practices.