The world, at time of writing, is certainly a strange place to be living. We are in the midst of social distancing. The supermarkets are having shelves cleared as people are panic buying. There is much uncertainty and fear is rife. One thing that is certain is we need to eat. I have come up with these Tuna Fish Cakes as a recipe that can be whipped up with store cupboard ingredients. I also have a few ideas on how to adapt them to what you have.
Firstly I want to talk about the construction of a ‘patty’, which is essentially what we are making under a different name. Patties are great for using up odd bits of thing you have left over, or sneaking vegetables into people who are not completely ‘vegetable-friendly’. To make a patty you need to have two things, bulk and a binder. For this recipe I have tinned tuna, sweet potato & grated carrot as my bulk and to bind this. The bulk is entirely up to you; I will say as a binder I am yet to find anything better than an egg.
For me cooking has always been something I turn to as comfort and order when my world feels busy and stressful. However how do cook if the shops don’t have ingredients. Of course you can substitute ingredients and make minor adjustments for what you do have. This is something I actively encourage with my recipes. I would like them in time to become yours with little tweaks and changes that put your spin into the dish. For example there is nothing stopping you throwing in a tin of sweet corn, using leftover mashed potato in place of the sweet potato. Maybe you want to add in a little curry powder. If you wanted to bread them then be my guest, I decided against the extra steps but I have gone to the effort of breading in the past.
This is a store cupboard recipe using up things that I always have in my kitchen, it is also very cost effective. You can of course buy some very nice and good quality fishcakes at your local shop. However, I find, they can be expensive and these are so easy to make for a fraction of the price. You also have the added piece of mind that you know exactly what has gone into these Tuna Fish Cakes. You get to control how many vegetables are in there as well as the spice and seasoning. I find all you need is a pinch of salt a spritz of lemon and if I have them a snip of chives.
At the time of publishing the schools here in the UK are closing and parents have to entertain and facilitate learning at home. When we think of children in the kitchen we often jump to baking. I of course have some great easy bakes that would be great for children, my Chocolate Crinkle Cookies or Brown Sugar Shortbread. But they are perfectly capable of helping with the family meals. This Tuna Fish Cakes recipe is a good one for getting children in the kitchen. They can grate the carrot, use some scissors to snip chives, give the mixture a good mix and make the patties. It is well documented that if a child feels a connection to the food (i.e. has helped make it) then they are more likely to try it and enjoy it.
I really hope you enjoy this Tuna Fish Cakes Recipe and that it shows you that you can have a meal from store cupboard ingredients. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Share your pictures with me on social media, tag me @cubbinthekitchen on Instagram or use the hashtag #CUBBintheKitchen to be featured in my stories.
Looking for more fish recipes? Take a look at my:
Easy Fish Pie
Cashew Crusted Cod
Stay safe out there.
Tuna Fish Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 Sweet Potato Approx 180g
- 2 tins Tuna
- 100 grams Grated Raw Carrot
- 2 tsp Chopped Chives
- 3 Spring Onions
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 1 Egg
- Pinch Salt
- Olive Oil to fry
Instructions
- Wash & Scrub the Sweet Potato and prick all over with a fork, wrap in kitchen towel & microwave for 10 minutes (800 Watts)Meanwhile drain the tins of Tuna, grate the Carrot and chop the Spring Onions & the Chives.
- Take the Sweet Potato from the microwave and scoop out the cooked insides into a bowl, add the Carrot, Tuna, Spring Onions, Chives, a pinch of salt and the Lemon Juice & Zest (if using) – Stir to combine.Crack in the Egg and mix until the mixture comes together.
- Using your hands form patties the size you would like, I go for about the palm of my hand.Place on a tray and chill in the fridge for 30 mins or 15 mins in the freezer – this stops them falling apart.
- Heat a little Oil in a frying pan and fry the Fish Cakes for 3-4 minutes a side until golden and hot all the way through.Serve with either a salad or more vegetables e.g. green beans and broccoli.
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Love to spend time near Sea !
Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
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