These Gluten Free Tuna Cakes With Mackerel are crispy on the outside, and melt in your mouth as soon as you bite into them. The rich flavor of the mackerel complements that of the tuna making these tuna cakes the most perfect tuna cakes that you will ever have. A slight tanginess from the lemon juice gives it a refreshing flavor.
This gluten free tuna cake recipe with mackerel is my go to easy weeknight dinner. Preparing the mix takes about 5 to 10 minutes only. Shaping them and frying them might take about 15 to 30 minutes depending on how many you are making and the temperature of the oil.
The first thing that you’ll want to prepare before starting on the tuna cakes is some jasmine rice. Jasmine rice is not only my favorite kind of rice, but it really goes well with this tuna cake recipe.
Cooking the rice takes about 30 minutes; of course that would depend on the brand you’re using.
PREPEPPING THE INGREDIENTS
The first thing that you will need to do is thinly dice all the vegetables that you will be adding into the tuna cakes. The thinner you dice them, the better. Having large pieces of vegetables in the tuna cakes will cause them to fall apart as they get cooked.
What types of vegetables should you use?
The vegetables that I like to use in making these tuna patties with mackerel are carrots, green peppers, and yellow or red onions.
You could of course add other vegetables if you like such as jalapenos, celery, green onions, chives, or any vegetable that does not contain a large amount of water such as zucchini or tomatoes.
When adding vegetables, remember that you do not want to add too many because you want the tuna cakes to be able to hold up well during the frying process. Otherwise, you would end up with tuna crumbles.
BINDING AGENTS
Of course, these are gluten-free tuna cakes, so we will need gluten-free binding agents.
In a non gluten-free tuna cake, wheat flour and bread crumbs would act as the binding agents for the tuna cakes.
But in this gluten free recipe, we will be using gluten free rolled oats and corn starch. The rolled oats are a much healthier option than gluten free bread crumbs and they give these tuna cakes a melt in your mouth feel.
You could of course use gluten free bread crumbs if you wish, but I really encourage you to try these tuna cakes with the rolled oats.
If you allow the tuna cakes mixture to sit for about 10 minutes before you start the frying process, the rolled oats would have the chance to absorb any excess liquid. They will get softer and get activated to act as the binding agent.
Always make sure to check the labels to ensure that the products that you are using are truly gluten free as they may be processed in a factory that processes wheat products as well.
The second binding agent that we will be using is cornstarch. This will thicken as it gets hotter. So as the tuna cakes are being fried, the cornstarch will thicken causing the tuna cakes to hold better together.
And of course, we cannot forget the eggs. The eggs are going to play a huge role in binding the tuna cakes, but if you are allergic to eggs, you could replace them with 2 tablespoons tapioca starch, or 2 tablespoons flaxseed powder and 6 tablespoons water.
TYPES OF TUNA AND OTHER FISH
We will be using three small cans of tuna. Which type of tuna you are going to use? This really depends on you and what you like.
I personally like to use light chunk tuna in water since it is a little healthier, but you can use the tuna in oil. Just make sure to drain the tuna cans before adding them into the mixing bowl.
The mackerel really makes this dish so much better. the mixture of flavor between the mackerel and tuna is so perfect.
Unfortunately, I am not always able to find canned mackerel. In that case, I always go for the wild caught canned salmon. The flavor of the salmon and tuna together is very pleasant, and they make an excellent tuna cake together.
SPICES AND FLAVORINGS
Here are the spices and flavorings that you will be needing.
- Lemon juice is going to brighten up the flavor of the tuna patties
- Black pepper and of course everything needs black pepper!
- Paprika this will add flavor and some color to the tuna cakes
- Salt it is true that we are using canned fish which is going to be already salty, but we are also going to be adding in lots of vegetables and rolled oats. If you do not add this extra bit of salt the tuna cakes will taste a bit flat.
Now, all that is left is to mix in all these ingredients together, let them sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, and we are ready to patty, you know… >_<
moving on…
THE FRYING PROCESS
Now that the mix is ready, we are ready to fry these tuna cakes. Heat up a large skillet with some canola, coconut, or vegetable oil coating the bottom of the pan. Keep a little extra oil on hand to add into the pan for whenever necessary.
Once the oil starts glistening, shape each tuna cake into a 3/4 inch thick patty that is 4 1/2 inches in diameter. Place each formed patty directly on to the hot oil. Arrange patties on the bottom of the pan.
Fry the patties about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy on both sides.
If after the first batch is done, you end up with very little oil in the pan, just add in a little to cover the bottom of the pan again.
If you feel that the tuna cakes are getting burned too quickly before they get warmed up in the center, reduce the heat a little. Adjust it so that the tuna cakes can have the chance to get warmed up on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Do not overcook the tuna cakes as this will cause them to dry up and they will lose that melt in your mouth feel when you bite into them.
Remember to serve this tuna cake recipe with mackerel with this soy dipping sauce recipe.
scroll down for the printable recipe.
More Delicious Recipes
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Gluten Free Tuna Cakes Recipe With Mackerel
Equipment
- Large frying pan
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- Metal spatula
- fork
- Spoon for mixing
- Measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Medium mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 3 5 oz tuna cans, drained
- 1 15 oz can chub mackerel, drained
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 carrot diced into very small pieces
- 1 medium onion or 1 cup, diced into very small pieces
- 1 green pepper diced into very small pieces
- 2 large eggs
- Vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan
Instructions
- Mix in the drained tuna cans, drained mackerel, cornstarch, lemon juice, rolled oat, black pepper, paprika, salt, diced carrots, diced onions, diced, green pepper, and eggs.
- Place some vegetable oil into a large frying pan. Just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Preheat on medium to low heat until oil is glistening.
- Shape tuna mix into patties of about ¾ inch in thickness and 4 ½ inches in diameter.
- Fry tuna cakes in the preheated oil about 3 minutes on each side, or until both sides are crispy.
- Adjust the heat as needed to prevent the tuna cakes from burning, and to ensure that the inside is cooked through.
- You can serve this with a soy sauce dip, some jasmine rice, and mixed greens berry salad.
Video
Notes
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