Do you know that feeling when you come home from work and you just don’t feel like cooking? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. But don’t let that discourage you. My quick lime and basil tuna burgers are very quick and easy to make. All you need is some basic pantry ingredients, that most people always have in stock.
I came up with this recipe a few years ago, when Vesely and I just started living together. We were both busy with our day jobs and trying to figure out living by ourselves.
Even though I always tried to have cooked meal every day, there were days that I just couldn’t think of spending more than half an hour cooking. On those days we would probably eat some salad and canned tuna, with a piece of bread.
Then one day I felt an urge to try something new with the same ingredients. I was thinking something like fishcakes or fritters but didn’t want to use much oil for frying. And then I came up with this simple recipe for very quick lime and basil tuna burgers. It calls for canned tuna in water, an egg, breadcrumbs, onion, lime, fresh basil and some seasoning. Nothing special about the ingredients, but the final product is really amazing.
Vesely was so thrilled how delicious it was that I had to add it my recipe to our favorites’ list.
Of course, at that time when I first made my tuna burgers, that wasn’t even a recipe. I was eyeballing all the ingredients, to get the desired texture. Sometimes they would be perfect, and sometimes they would just be crumbly and fall apart.
Then I’ve decided to do a recipe development for them, and after a couple of attempts (some perfect, and some not so great), here is a final product. And I know you will love it!
These quick lime and basil tuna burgers are perfect for busy weeknights when you don’t have much time for cooking. You can also make the mixture ahead of time and shape your patties, then fry them when you get home from work.
What is your go-to recipe for when you don’t feel like cooking? Share them in the comments below. I always like to know what you’re cooking.
Other recipes you might like:
- Crispy Quinoa Patties
- Summer Zucchini and Ground Turkey Fritters
- Quick and Easy Oven Baked Pork Chops
- Pasta Carbonara | Quick Recipe for Busy Days
- 11 Quick Meal Recipes Done In 30 Minutes or Less
- 17 Slow Cooker Meals For Long Busy Days
Anchy
Yields 4 burgers/patties
Quick and easy, yet different recipe for the delicious tuna burger. It’s perfect for the busy weeknights since it’s done in under half an hour.
10 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
20 minTotal Time
Ingredients
- 2 (170 g /6 oz) cans of tuna in water (reserve the water)
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 small purple onion, finely diced (about ¼-? cup)
- 1 tsp grainy mustard
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- ¼ cup reserved water from a can
- ? cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Pinch of ground black pepper
- Ghee, for frying*
Directions
- In a bowl add strained tuna chunks, bread crumbs, an egg, diced purple onion, mustard, zest and juice of a lime, chopped basil leaves, sea salt and black pepper. Mix everything with your hand, like you are kneading the dough.
- If the mixture is too dry and crumbly add a little bit of the reserved water from a can. Knead until you get soft, play-doh like, mixture.
- Divide the mixture into 4 and shape it into balls. Lightly press them to get the burger shape.
- (Optional) Chill them in the fridge for 1h or overnight.** Chilling helps your burgers keep their shape while cooking, so they don’t fall apart.
- Heat the big non-stick skillet or a frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, melt some ghee in it and place the tuna burgers in the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*You can use any kind of fat for frying. I like using ghee since it has very high smoking point, and has a wonderful nutty flavor. But you can use olive oil or any other vegetable oil of your choice.
**You can make these tuna burgers ahead of time, and keep them in the fridge. And then just pop them on the preheated frying pan, with a little bit of ghee/oil and they’re done in just a few minutes.
***Chilling time is not calculated in the prepping process.
Did you enjoy this post? I would like to hear what you think in the comments below. If you make it don’t forget to post it on Instagram and tag me @simply.anchy or use hashtag #simplyanchyrecipe, because I love to see all of your kitchen creations. Also be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook, so that you never miss any of my recipes and posts.
Would you like to serve healthy meals to your family every day of the week, but you can't seem to find enough time for cooking?
A little bit of planning ahead will solve this problem! Let me show you how to easily and efficiently meal plan and prep your food for the best cooking results! This course is TOTALLY FREE, all you need to do is sign up for our Newsletter below!