Garlic Lemon Tuna Patties
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Crispy, delicious Tuna Patties are easy to make with canned tuna in just 20 minutes! They’re low calorie, high protein and easily made gluten free and keto-friendly.
Serve the delicious tuna patties with salad, lettuce wrapped or in pita pockets for a complete meal.
Today’s post is sponsored by my friends at Bumble Bee®!
If you’re looking for an easy meal, made with pantry and refrigerator staples, that the whole family will enjoy, you’ve come to the right place!
Since 1899, Bumble Bee® Seafoods has been a mission to show the world that there’s A Better Way to Seafood™. Once for ounce tuna is lower in calories, fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than even the leanest cuts of chicken.
In fact, these tuna patties each contain only 151 calories, making them a great healthy option for the entire family. While they are made with breadcrumbs, you can easily substitute gluten-free breadcrumbs to make them gluten free, or nut crumbs to make them keto-approved.
My favorite thing about these easy tuna patties, is just how versatile they are. You can make a batch at the beginning of the week, then eat them 5 different ways for breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the week.
When adding cans of Bumble Bee® Tuna to my pantry, I know that I’m adding a great source of protein at an unbeatable value!
How to make Tuna Patties
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Prepare the patties.
- In a large bowl, combine Bumble Bee® Chunk Light Tuna (drained out of the can) with crushed garlic, minced onion, salt and black pepper.
- Add lemon juice, lemon zest, hot sauce, an egg, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, parsley and chives.
- Combine all of the ingredients together, then use your hands to form the tuna mixture into 8 approximately 1 inch thick patties.
- In a shallow bowl or rimmed plate, combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
- Coat each of the tuna patties in the breadcrumb parmesan cheese mixture, then set aside.
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Cook the patties.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat on the stove.
- Once the oil is hot, add 4 tuna patties, cook for 4 minutes per side, or until lightly browned and crispy.
- Add more oil to the skillet, then add the remaining 4 patties and cook for 4 minutes per side.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
How to make Gluten Free and Keto Tuna Patties
To make these tuna patties gluten free, simply replace the breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs.
To make keto-friendly tuna patties, simply replace the bread crumbs with nut crumbs to lower the carbs from 6 carbs per tuna patty to 3 carbs per tuna patty.
What do you eat with Tuna Patties?
Tuna patties are delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner and can be served in a variety of ways. Here are a few of my favorite ways to eat them!
- Lettuce Wrapped – serve them wrapped in butter or iceberg lettuce, topped with a dollop of garlic aioli.
- Pita Pockets – serve them in pita pockets with lettuce, tomatoes, sliced cucumber and garlic aioli.
- Sandwich – serve them between two slices of bread or hamburger buns with lettuce, tomato, onion and mayonnaise.
- Eggs Benedict – serve them on a toasted english muffin, topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce.
- Salad – replace the tuna on a nicoise salad with tuna patties. To make this salad, use a base of chopped romaine lettuce, topped with hard boiled eggs, olives, tomatoes and tuna patties, dressed with a drizzle of olive oil.
How do you keep tuna patties from falling apart?
Here are the three most important rules to follow, to make sure that your tuna patties don’t fall apart.
- Coat the patties in the parmesan breadcrumb mixture. This crust helps keep the patties together while pan frying them on the stove.
- Make sure to use plenty of oil when pan frying the patties. Be sure that the entire bottom of your pan is coated in oil before cooking the tuna patties.
- Make sure the oil is hot before adding the tuna patties to the skillet. This will help the patties achieve that perfect crispy texture on the outside and keep them together while cooking on the stove. To test if the oil is hot, drop a small amount of water in the skillet. If it sizzles, the oil is hot and ready for the patties.
How long do tuna patties last in the fridge?
Cooked tuna patties will last in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Uncooked tuna patties will last in the refrigerator for 2 days. To extend the life of your tuna patties, you can store them in the freezer.
To do so, either store each tuna patty individually in small freezer-safe plastic bags, or wrap each one individually in plastic wrap, then place them all together in one large freezer-safe bag.
To thaw the frozen tuna patties, place them in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 8 hours. To reheat them, I recommend adding them back to a skillet with hot oil to refresh that beautiful golden crust. You’ll want to heat them 2-3 minutes per side in the skillet. You can also reheat them in the microwave for 60 seconds.
For more quick and easy family-friendly recipes, check out these 5 favorites!
- Buffalo Taco Spaghetti – a flavor explosion, made in just 29 minutes!
- Creamy Tortellini Soup – creamy goodness in just 15 minutes!
- Sloppy Joe Tacos – fun for the whole family in 29 minutes!
- Buffalo Cheddar Cornbread Chili Pie – total comfort food in under an hour!
- Taco Croissants – a fun & easy 5 ingredient recipe!
Garlic Lemon Tuna Patties
Ingredients
Tuna Patties
- 10 oz Bumble Bee® Chunk Light Tuna, drained from the can
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- ¼ cup white onion, minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
- ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Garlic Aioli
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
Tuna Patties
- In a large bowl, combine the drained tuna, crushed garlic, minced onion, salt and black pepper.
- Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, hot sauce, egg, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, parsley and chives.
- Combine everything, then form into 8 patties.
- In a shallow bowl or rimmed plate, combine the remaining ¼ cup breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp parmesan cheese.
- Coat the tuna patties in the breadcrumb and parmesan cheese mixture.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Once the oil is heated, add 4 tuna patties and cook 4 minutes per side or until lightly browned and crispy.
- Add the additional tablespoon olive oil to the skillet, once hot, add the remaining 4 tuna patties to the skillet and cook for 4 minutes per side.
Garlic Aioli
- In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper together.
- Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- Nutrition information: the nutritional information provided only includes the tuna patties and does not include the optional garlic aioli topping.
- Gluten Free: to make these tuna patties gluten free, substitute gluten free breadcrumbs.
- Keto Friendly: to make the patties keto friendly, use nut crumbs instead of breadcrumbs to reduce the carbs per patty in half.
- Refrigerate or freeze: cooked tuna patties will stay good in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Uncooked tuna patties will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Frozen tuna patties will stay good, individually wrapped in the freezer, for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Facts
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