Well, yes, the tiny bat lives on an island and eats fish often! Today, we’re featuring tuna, another fish that is rich in those healthy fats! However, tuna is best known for its high protein (more or less as high as beef) and its low calories. So if you are on a diet, don’t like eating much, dislike beef, and need proteins, tuna is your way to go! Here we’re basically doing a perfect low-fat burger!
We’re also using chilies here, they are not simply a source of heat and a great kick to your taste buds, but also an amazing source of Vitamin C that puts oranges to shame! So, before you decide you don’t like hot food, I do encourage you to think twice, just a few flakes can increase your Vitamin C considerably and give some Vitamin B6, Folate, Manganese, and Magnesium! Yes, they have a good selection of minerals and vitamins in there just like most herbs do, they’re not just there to give flavor to our food! So let’s see how these tuna patties go and see just how fishy they are!
Ingredients
- Tuna
- Chickpeas
- Ginger
- Onions
- Chilies
- Garlic
- Chives
- Lemon/Lime
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Sesame Seeds
- Parsley
- Marjoram
- Mint
- Dill
- Coriander
- Rosemary
- Oregano
- Black Pepper
Method
Start our recipe off by mincing the tuna in a blender. Add in the ginger, onions, chilies, garlic, chives, parsley, marjoram, mint, dill, coriander, rosemary, oregano, and black pepper, and blend some more. Add some lemon juice and a little balsamic vinegar and slowly blend in the chickpeas until the mixture drys out a little and gets to a moldable consistency. In the end mix in the sesame seeds and shred in a little lime zest. You can blend them too but I prefer to leave them visible to create some interest in the patties.
I grilled mine in a pan and they held together very well. However, if you want to flame grill them, you may want to freeze them before just to make sure they don’t fall between the grill and make sure the fire is hot enough for the bottom to cook fast enough. Well, more or less the same precautions you would use with any burger or patty. Finish off with some soy sauce and a splash of lime juice for some added juiciness and flavor.
Variations
As usual, you can play with the herbs and omit any tastes that you dislike. You can use eggs instead of chickpeas, they would probably leave the burger fishier. Maybe you want to try the mix with different fish as well, it should work for most fish! For another, softer version of these patties (not chili this time, although for sure you can add chilies to these too) try our previous tuna recipe, however, I feel these will do way better on a grill than our previous ones. So next time you want a patty day, remember this recipe and maybe get your source of proteins from some tuna instead! Let us know what you think about this idea and if you would consider trying a tuna burger!