Lemon Garlic Tuna Cakes are the best and easy patties made with canned tuna, lemon juice and zest, garlic, onion, breadcrumbs, eggs, mayo and shredded Parmesan. Quick and delicious tuna cakes for lunch or light dinner!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
I am all about easy lunches and light dinners but only if they have lots of flavor. The garlic-lemon combo is definitely one of my favorites to use. My Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken is so delicious, I wanted to make another dish with this flavor pair. I know it works great with vegetables, like my Lemon Garlic Roasted Potatoes. This time, I added it to my best easy tuna cakes. They were a huge hit! Best tuna cakes I've ever made!
These Lemon Garlic Tuna Cakes can be made ahead of time or even frozen after frying. They are a great option for a delicious lunch or a light dinner. Serve with tartar sauce, simple aioli, or in a sandwich. The combination of garlic and lemon gives these tuna cakes plenty of flavor. Coating lightly in breading before frying makes them moist inside and crispy on the outside.
Ingredients:
- tuna: from a can, drained from the water;
- bread crumbs: they help ingredients to bind and keep the cakes moist;
- onion and garlic: add flavor;
- lemon zest: the best way to add citrus flavor to a dish;
- egg: necessary for the ingredients to bind and prevent the cakes from falling apart;
- Parmesan cheese: adds cheesy flavor;
- seasoning: salt, pepper.
How to make tuna cakes?
- Start by draining canned tuna from water. I use a small colander to do that.
- Next, mix it with a large egg, breadcrumbs, finely chopped onion, minced garlic, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and dried parsley.
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- Combine the remaining breadcrumbs and grated cheese in a shallow dish. Scoop ¼ cup of tuna mixture, form into a patty, and lightly coat with the breading mixture.
- Fry the cakes in a pan with oil, until nicely browned on each side. Remove from pan and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with spinach or other greens, an additional lemon wedge, or even simple aioli.
How to make them crispy?
My secret to making these delicious tuna cakes crispy on the outside is to lightly coat them in breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese mixture. It makes the cakes moist inside and perfectly crispy on the outside.
What to serve with tuna cakes?
These tuna cakes are very flavorful thanks to the citrus and garlic, but if you want to dip them or drizzle them with a creamy sauce, you can make aioli by whisking together mayonnaise with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a dash of hot sauce. You can also use my homemade Tartar Sauce.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes! It's great to make a larger batch of tuna cakes, cook (or bake), and cool completely. Then arrange them on a large baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours. Next, remove them from the sheet and place in a ziploc bag. Seal well by squeezing out as much air as possible. Label the bags and place them in a freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat before serving.
Yes, tuna cakes can be prepared and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. They make for a quick and easy lunch or light dinner on a busy day.
Yes, these tuna cakes can be easily cooked in the oven. Simply arrange prepared tuna cakes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in 375 degrees F oven for about 18 to 20 minutes.
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If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
Lemon Garlic Tuna Cakes recipe
Ingredients
- 10 oz. tuna in water two 5 ounce cans; well drained
- 3 garlic cloves grated
- ¼ cup finely chopped white onion
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 4 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
Instructions
- Start by draining canned tuna from water. I use a small colander to do that.
- Next, combine it with garlic, onion, salt and pepper, lemon juice and zest, egg, breadcrumbs, mayo, ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese and dried parsley. Mix well.
- Combine remaining breadcrumbs and grated cheese in a shallow dish. Scoop ¼ cup of tuna mixture, form into a patty and lightly coat with breading mixture.
- Fry cake in pan with oil, until nicely browned on each side. Remove from pan and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with spinach or other greens, additional lemon wedge or even simple aioli.
Notes
- To freeze: cook (or bake) and cool completely. Then arrange on a large baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours. Next, remove from the sheet and place in a ziploc bag. Seal well by squeezing out as much air as possible. Label the bags and place in a freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat before serving.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
Julian Smith says
I was very pleasantly surprised with this recipe! Bravo. Great recipe
Roman T says
I went back to the store to get another can of tuna. I've never eaten such good tuna cakes before.
Erica says
We have been making these for a few years and they are a regular in our home! I love to whip up some lemony sriracha mayo to dip them in, my hubby likes them with ketchup and my daughter eats them plain! Sooo good!
Jola says
I rarely buy tuna. I made these cutlets because my friend praised them very much. They turned out to be a hit. Simply delicious. I've already stocked up on cans 🙂
Kat says
A little labor-intensive for the amount of finished food. Probably because I grated the Parmesan myself. I told myself I wouldn't make again. But I totally will because they were DELICIOUS. I used panko crumbs (will use even more next time because mine didn't hold together well) and added in some small-diced water chestnuts for even more texture on the inside. Didn't need any kind of dipping sauce. I just squeezed more fresh lemon onto them. Had 4 with a large-ish side salad (greens). I would eat these weekly if it wasn't so much work. Thanks for this recipe!
Julie says
Tuna cakes were good, but I have issues with the number of servings the recipe should have made. I followed exact recipe and measured out the tuna mixture and was only able to make 4 patties. I have made other tuna cake recipes and they are all very similar, this one was good but not fantastic. I might make again but will definitely have to double the ingredients.
Barbara says
I think the lady misread the amount of tuna so there fore didn't have enough mixture to make the required amount . We don't have oz here in Australia so I had to convert 425 g + 185g to make the required amount of tuna . Understand 8 oz. Converts to 250 g.
Michelle says
Love it, and so does my husband who at first screwed up his face in distaste when I told him we were having tuna patties for dinner. Lovely recipe, but I leave out the Mayo.
Sue says
Excellent! The lemon zest makes all the difference and the coating browns up so nice and crispy! Loved it!
Anna says
That's fantastic! Thank you for making my recipe, Sue! I am so glad it was a hit!
L. Chung says
Oops! Totally missed the rating section. But, I know you knew what it was.😊
Anna says
You are so kind! Thank you, Lilly!
Lilly Chung says
Anna, I live in Connecticut and I volunteered to do lunch for my town's seniors at the local community center. I was assigned can tuna but didn't want to do tuna salad which is so typical; therefore, so boring... I found your recipie and decided that I liked how it read. And OMG, it was a resounding hit with the seniors and regular staff! Yum! And this was my first time ever making tuna patties. And I used 22 cans of tuna, 2 servings per can.😊
Now many want to have the recipie to use at home. What a delightful reconstruction of plain old tuna! Thanks so much for sharing.😄
Anna says
Hi Lilly! I am absolutely delighted that you chose my recipe to make for the seniors in your community center! Thank you! I am so glad it was a hit and everyone enjoyed it. You did an amazing job (22 cans of tuna is a LOT!)! Thank you for sharing and for making my recipe!
Linsey says
Delicious!!! Even my 5 and 4 year old ate them up! Keeping this on the rotation. We ate air fried brussels and macaroni for sides! Thank you for sharing your genius!
Anna says
Thank you so much, Linsey! I am so glad everyone loved the tuna cakes. Your sides sound perfect!
Allaigra says
Made this in bulk for 10 people, and made a buerre blanc sauce to go with it and cheese gritz. When I came downstairs after they had started eating all I heard was this was so good, I ate it slow because I didn't want it to disappear! Sooooo good! And so easy for me! I give thanks to God for this recipe and allowing me to share it with my family!
Anna says
The sauce and gritz sound delicious! Thank you for making my recipe!
Patti says
Such a great recipe! I use my air fryer and they turn out beautifully. I put them on parchment paper, spray a little avocado oil on top and set the fryer on 375 for 10 min. I flip them, spray this side and set for an additional 5 min. They are so good! I found a Cajun tarter sauce recipe on another site and it was amazing! This is the only tuna cake recipe I will use😋
Genie says
Delicious!! Used bottled lemon juice and dried peel, minced jarred garlic and seasoned bread crumbs because that’s what I had on hand. Also a little more than 1/4 cup bread crumbs in mix as I wanted to make sure they held together when pan fried but not really sure if necessary. Saved two for a cold sandwich on a soft bun tomorrow. This makes 8 small Patties. I ate 3 myself so you may want to double if feeding more than 2 people.