Three years ago, I wouldn’t have stepped foot in a room with an open can of tuna, let alone eaten it. The smell turned me off so much that I scrunched my nose at the mere thought of it.
Fast forward to today and I’m a canned tuna advocate. Once you get past the smell (I still gag a little bit), you’ve got a portable, high protein, low-fat, and ready-made food that is a blank slate for all kinds of mix-ins, sauces, and recipes.
I try to rotate fish with poultry and meat in my diet as much as possible because of the beneficial omega 3 fatty acids but I don’t always have to time to cook fish, or as much disposable income as I’d like to purchase fresh fish. Enter our dear friend Canned Tuna. Did I mention that canned tuna is about as wallet friendly as a protein gets?! As an added bonus, tuna has Vitamins D, B6 and B12 which promote calcium absorption and proper neurological function.
Tuna cakes are one of my new favorite ways to eat canned tuna and I like to add in fresh fruit and veggies to brighten things up and bring more flavor to the tuna. For this recipe, I went with fresh mango (you could also use frozen and thawed mango) and scallions. I was inspired by a friend to use coconut flour in place of regular flour to keep these tuna cakes paleo and gluten free. The coconut flour doesn’t hold together as well as regular flour so you have to be careful when flipping the patties in the pan.
I served my tuna cakes with avocado salsa from Trader Joe’s which is my new favorite condiment! It’s only 15 calories for 2 tablespoons…I mean, come on!
Now that I’ve branched out and given canned tuna a second shot, I’m excited to try out different ways of preparing it. A few months ago, I created a tuna salad with chopped apple, sauerkraut, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice. Maybe I should share that recipe on the blog soon too!
Are you a fan of canned tuna? What are your favorite ways to eat it?
- 15 ounces canned Bumble Bee Solid Albacore Tuna packed in water, drained
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 cup diced mango (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 2 large eggs, lightly whisked
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
- Guacamole or green salsa to serve, optional
- Add drained tuna, chopped scallion, and diced mango to a medium bowl.
- Whisk eggs together with salt and pepper and pour over tuna. Toss with a spoon until completely combined.
- Add coconut flour and toss again until mixed together.
- Heat a medium-sized pan over medium-low heat with coconut oil.
- Once hot, form a patty with 1/3 cup of tuna mixture and gently place on hot pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned and then flip to cook throughout for another 3-5 minutes.
- Serve hot with guacamole or green salsa. Store in an airtight container for up to five days or freeze.
By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Bumble Bee Seafoods and am eligible to prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.
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Ha…so glad you’re a tuna liker now….because these look yummy! Great nod to tacos in a cake!
love that you used mango and coconut flavors with tuna, I would have never thought to use sweet flavors with tuna! Yum 🙂
Pinning right now – such a creative and flavorful way to use canned tuna!
Great idea adding the tropical flavors! Sounds like an amazing combo. Haha yeah, tuna does smell a little weird. But I think it doesn’t taste at all what it smells like!
You’re so right. The smell doesn’t really match the taste and when I add tons of stuff then I’m good to go. Thanks, Emily!