The tuna fiasco: Tuna Burgers |

I’ve mentioned it before, my husband likes to buy in bulk. This would be less of a problem if we had more storage and a bigger family. Instead, what it means is that I have to make enormous batches of food that we either eat for days straight (which Gen is totally okay with, but I get really bored) or I try to make it freezable. Last round of ridiculous batch cooking came with Gen’s purchase of a box of mussels. That turned out deliciously but we literally ate ourselves silly on mussels that night and the next day. This time it was tuna.

I am not a particular fan of tuna, my parents never really made anything with it. I don’t remember growing up with tuna casseroles or tuna salad anything. I went through a brief tuna salad sandwich phase in my first year of university when my roommate showed me that a little mayo, relish, salt and pepper could make a killer sandwich. I ate a tuna sandwich a day for a week or two, loving the convenience and frugality (we got all our relish from Ikea as it was the only condiment that came in packets that we stuffed in our pockets after buying our $1 hotdogs). But then crepes came into my life and I ditched tuna forever. Really, I made crepes all the time, it was ridiculous. I’ve since perfected my recipe, actually even beyond the crepe recipe I have up here on Not Crocker, so I will have to post the new version soon.

Anyway, I haven’t had canned tuna for years. Mom made Kel and I tuna melts when we were in the Yukon this fall, and I remember thinking that that had been my first canned tuna experience since that period in school.

That is a 32oz waterbottle. Annnnnnnd a 1.88kg can of tuna. This is 8x the normal can size.

This means that it is unlikely that Gen has had much tuna in the last three years. I do most of the cooking in our house, and it’s never come up that he was craving it, so I never bought any. But one inspired day at Costco, Gen buys the BIGGEST can of tuna I’ve ever seen. At almost 2kg, the can dwarfed my big waterbottle. I was stumped. I didn’t want to make an enormous batch of tuna salad that I would be hardpressed to help eat and that Gen would be tasked with eating for days. I had to think, so I put the can into the cupboard and thought long and hard about a plan. A month later, I decided that burgers were the answer.

These burgers are pretty tasty with lots of flavours going on, a nice crust from the cheese, and they hold together well. Top with some crisp, cold veggies and a dollop of sour cream. I’ve included the recipe amounts for a single can of tuna-sized recipe in [square brackets] beside the amounts for this ridiculous amount. But don’t fear the giant-sized can, it made 20 patties and I froze all but 2 for later. Make them!

Tuna Burgers

INGREDIENTS

[6oz] 1.3kg drained chunk light tuna
[1] 6 eggs
[2 tbsp] 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
[ 1/4 cup] 2 cups cheddar, shredded
[1 tbsp] 1/2 cup sour cream
[1 tbsp] 1/2 cup mayo
[pinch] 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper *optional*
[pinch] 1 tsp salt
[pinch] 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
[pinch] 1 tsp dill *optional*
[pinch] 1 tsp oregano

coconut oil

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except the coconut oil. Combine well with your hands, making sure all ingredients are evenly distributed.
Shape into patties and layer into a wax paper-lined tupperware container, adding a new sheet per layer.
Melt coconut oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat, add patties. Cook for 5 minutes on each size, until firmed up and golden.
Serve on top of a salad, in a bun with dill sauce, or with some veggies on the side. I dolloped some sour cream mixed with coriander chutney on top and it was perfect.