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This tuna patties recipe makes a crowd-pleasing easy dinner! The tuna cakes are tender on the inside with a golden crisp exterior.
Here’s an easy healthy dinner that is always a massive hit in our house: tuna patties! Also known as tuna cakes, these burgers made of canned tuna might sound humble. But au contraire: they’re so savory on the inside and golden crispy on the outside, you won’t be able to resist another bite!
This recipe is spiced with Old Bay, parsley and Dijon mustard, and it’s a total treat. We first made them for my parents who immediately asked for the recipe—and our kids always lick their plates clean.
Ingredients in tuna patties, aka tuna cakes
Tuna patties are small fishcakes made with canned tuna, mayonnaise, mustard and breadcrumbs, similar to crab cakes. Also called tuna cakes, they’ve been a staple affordable meal idea in America for decades. While they might be known as a cheap dinner, the flavors are anything but: Old Bay, Dijon mustard and fresh parsley make this tuna patty recipe taste restaurant quality. For this recipe, you’ll need:
- Canned tuna
- Parsley and green onion
- Garlic powder and Old Bay seasoning: Look for this classic American seafood seasoning in your grocery store in the spices aisle. Or, you can buy Old Bay online or make homemade Old Bay.
- Plain panko or coarse breadcrumbs: use gluten-free panko if necessary. See below!
- Dijon mustard
- Mayonnaise
- Eggs
- Olive oil
How to make tuna patties: the basic steps
Tuna patties are simple to make: the only thing to remember is that you’ll need 15 minutes for the patties to set before you pan fry them. Here’s the basic idea for how to make tuna cakes (or go to the recipe below):
- Mix: Drain the tuna. Mix in the parsley, spices, panko, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and egg.
- Form and refrigerate: Form the dough into 8 burger shapes, using ⅓ cup for each. Refrigerate 15 minutes to firm up the texture. (You can also refrigerate for up to 24 hours before cooking them.)
- Pan fry: Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add the patties and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side until lightly browned on both sides.
Panko vs breadcrumbs
The panko or breadcrumbs are an important component for tuna patties: they make the texture cohesive and help it stick together. Panko is our top choice, since it’s easy to have on hand and very shelf stable.
- Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb mixture that is airier and lighter than traditional breadcrumbs. You can use it in many other recipes like pistachio crusted salmon or stuffed portobello mushrooms, or even in place of croutons in a kale Caesar salad.
- Coarse breadcrumbs also work! Packages labeled coarse are best, but traditional breadcrumbs also work. Or make homemade breadcrumbs.
- Need breadcrumb substitutes? Try gluten-free panko or gluten-free breadcrumbs if necessary. You can also use an equal amount of crushed crackers to stand in in this recipe.
How to serve tuna patties
Neither Alex nor I grew up with tuna patties, which gives them a bit more allure in our household! This is one of the only dinners where our 5 year old cleans his plate and even asks for seconds. Here a few sides to serve with tuna patties:
- With a dipping sauce like Remoulade, Tartar sauce, Caesar dressing or Parmesan dressing
- Over a bed of spinach rice, seasoned quinoa, or lemon couscous
- With a salad like butter lettuce salad, romaine salad, fennel salad, or frisee salad
- In a sandwich with mayonnaise or one of the sauces above
When we served this for my family as a “fancy” dinner, we plated the tuna cakes over a bed of lemon couscous with fennel salad and butter lettuce salad as sides. Extra Parmesan dressing from the salad with ideal as a sauce for the top of the cakes!
Tips for buying canned tuna
There are lots of options when it comes to the canned tuna aisle. What’s the best tuna to look for in this tuna cakes recipe? Here are some tips on buying it:
- Look for light tuna caught by pole and line fishing, which is the most sustainable choice. Light tuna that comes from skipjack has the lowest mercury levels of all types of tuna. (Read more here.)
- Buy BPA free cans. Look for cans that are BPA free, or some tuna is now sold in BPA free pouches.
- Oil packed or water packed work. Some canned tuna comes packed in oil, whereas others are packed with water. Use whatever is your personal preference, just drain before using.
Dietary notes
This tuna patties recipe is pescatarian and dairy free. For gluten-free, use gluten-free panko.
Easy Tuna Patties (Tuna Cakes)
This tuna patties recipe makes a crowd-pleasing easy dinner! The tuna cakes are tender on the inside with a golden crisp exterior.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes (+15 minutes chill)
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 patties (4 servings) 1x
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Seafood
Ingredients
- 3 5-ounce cans tuna
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- 1 green onion, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup plain panko or coarse breadcrumbs (or gluten free breadcrumbs*)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking
Instructions
- Drain the tuna and flake it into small pieces with a fork, smashing up any big chunks. In a medium bowl, mix it with the parsley, green onion, Old Bay, garlic powder, kosher salt, panko, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and eggs.
- Form the dough into 8 patties using a ⅓ cup measuring cup to portion it out, then patting it into a patty with your hands. Refrigerate the patties for 15 minutes to firm up the texture (or up to 24 hours).
- When ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add the patties and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes until lightly browned, then gently flip them with a spatula and cook about 3 to 4 minutes more until lightly browned on the other side. Repeat with the next batch, adjusting the heat because the pan will be hotter on the second batch (much like pancakes!).
- Serve immediately, with a sauce (like remoulade, tartar sauce, Caesar dressing, or Parmesan dressing) or over rice, couscous, or quinoa.
More tuna recipes
What can’t a can of tuna do? Here are a few more fun tuna recipes that make dinnertime easy (and affordable):
- Try zingy Mediterranean tuna salad, or go for tuna wrap.
- Mix up easy tuna burgers, or make the classic tuna pasta salad.
- Grab a tuna salad sandwich or avocado tuna salad
- Try our ultimate tuna melt recipe.
Thankful I found this recipe! So delicious and healthy. The only thing I did different was use Pork Rind Panko Crumbs instead of regular to make it Keto! I was so surprised at how good they were and will definitely be a staple from here on!
This is has been my go-to recipe for tuna or salmon patties for the past year—thank you! It’s easy and delicious
Very good recipe. I forgot to put the mayo and dijon into the mixture but it still tasted good. I ended up making a sauce out of the two and some more old bay. Was delicious.
Served over some buttery, mashed, baked sweet potatoes. This will be a new main dish in my arsenal for sure
Thank you for making it!
Love this recipe, the Old Bay is a nice touch, I added capers for a salty addition. This recipe is a great summer meal!