Spicy Tuna Cakes Recipe (Easy Canned Tuna Patties)

Why You’d Love This Spicy Tuna Cake Recipe

• Quick and easy – these tuna cakes take just 5 minutes to prep and around 10 minutes to cook, making them an easy option for busy days.
• Made with canned tuna – there’s no need for fresh fish or complicated preparation. A couple of tins of tuna and a handful of pantry staples are all you need.
• Packed with flavour – tandoori masala, green chillies, ginger-garlic paste and fresh coriander give these tuna patties a delicious South Asian-inspired kick.
• Crispy without breadcrumbs – a combination of plain flour and gram flour helps bind the patties while giving them a lightly crisp exterior when fried.
• Great for meal prep – shape the tuna cakes ahead of time and keep them chilled until you’re ready to cook. They’re also freezer-friendly for up to 2–3 months.
• Versatile – serve them as an appetiser with your favourite dipping sauce, stuff them into wraps, or turn them into an easy meal with rice, salad or daal.
• Tinned Tuna – I prefer to use oil-packed tuna for this recipe as it has a richer flavour and tends to produce juicier tuna cakes. Make sure to drain the tuna well before mixing.
• Red Onion – finely chop the onion so that it distributes evenly throughout the patties and doesn’t make them difficult to shape.
• Green Chillies – add a fresh chilli kick. Feel free to adjust the amount depending on how spicy you like your tuna cakes.
• Ginger Garlic Paste
• Tandoori Masala, Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder, Turmeric Powder, Chilli Powder – the spices that give these tuna cakes their distinctive kebab-like flavour.
• Salt
• Fresh Coriander Leaves
• Lemon Juice – brightens up the savoury flavours and cuts through the richness of the tuna.
• Egg – to bind all the ingredients together and help the tuna patties hold their shape.

Drain the tuna well, then combine it with the onion, chilli, ginger-garlic paste, spices, coriander, lemon juice, egg and both flours. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Divide the tuna mixture into roughly 45g portions and shape each into a thick patty. You should get approximately nine patties.

Heat oil over medium heat and cook the tuna cakes for 3–5 minutes per side until the outside is golden and crisp.

Recipe Tips for the Best Tuna Cakes

• Oil-packed tuna has more flavour and moisture, yielding juicier tuna cakes. You can still make this tuna cake recipe with brine-packed tuna, but it may turn out a little drier in texture and less “meaty”.
• Drain the tuna thoroughly. Excess liquid makes the mixture wetter and can make tuna patties more difficult to shape and fry. This is also a recurring recommendation in other tuna-cake recipes.
• Finely chop the onion and chilli. Large pieces can prevent the mixture from binding together properly and may fall out during frying.
• Don’t make the patties too thin. Thick patties stay moist in the middle while developing a crispy exterior.
• Adjust the flour if necessary. Different canned tuna can retain different amounts of moisture. If your mixture feels particularly wet and difficult to shape, add a small amount of gram flour until it holds together.
• Keep the heat around medium. You want enough heat to create a golden crust without burning the spices before the centre has heated through.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches if necessary, so there’s enough room to flip each tuna cake comfortably.

How to Store and Freeze Tuna Cakes

Cover leftover cooked tuna cakes and refrigerate them once cooled. Reheat until thoroughly hot before serving.

You can totally make these tuna cakes ahead of time and freeze them. Mix and shape the tuna cakes, then place them on a lined tray and freeze uncovered for 1-2 hours until firm. Then transfer them into a freezer bag or an airtight container. These tuna cakes can be frozen for 2-3 months.

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the tuna cake ingredients, except the cooking oil.290 g Oil-packed Tuna* (x2 145g tins), 1 medium Red Onion, 2 Green Chillies, 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste, 2 tsp Tandoori Masala, 1 tsp Coriander Powder, ½ tsp Cumin Powder, ½ tsp Turmeric Powder, 10-15 g Coriander Leaves, 1 tbsp Lemon Juice, 1 Egg, 1 tbsp Plain Flour, 2 tbsp Gram Flour (Chickpea Flour / Besan), ½ tsp Chilli Powder.
• Heat cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. Shallow fry the tuna cakes for 3-5 minutes on each side until crispy and golden brown.2 tbsp Cooking Oil.
• This recipe is suitable for freezing. You can prep ahead by mixing and shaping the tuna cakes, and place them on a lined tray to freeze uncovered for 1-2 hours until firm. Then transfer them into a freezer bag or an airtight container. These tuna cakes can be frozen for 2-3 months.