Tuna Patties in Spanish Sauce
Perfect for Lent, this recipe for tuna patties bathed in a tomato sauce bursts with traditional Mexican flavors. I call for solid white albacore here, but use oil-packed tuna if that’s your preference. Want a little heat? Substitute (or add) two thinly sliced jalapeños for the bell pepper.
Makes 4 servings FOR THE PATTIES:
1 (12-ounce) can solid white albacore in water
3 scallions, green stalks only, finely sliced
1⁄2
small onion, finely diced
1⁄3 cup finely chopped cilantro (about 1⁄4 bunch)
1 large Roma tomato, finely diced 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
FOR THE SAUCE:
1⁄2 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
1⁄2
cup thinly sliced white onion 1 large Roma tomato, finely diced 1 cup tomato sauce 11⁄3 cup water 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt (or 1⁄4 teaspoon table salt)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 tablespoon flour
Oil for frying 1 tablespoon Knorr Chicken bouillon
1⁄4 1⁄4 1⁄3
teaspoon ground black pepper teaspoon whole dried oregano cup finely chopped cilantro
Place the tuna into a fine-mesh strainer and drain the liquid. While the tuna drains, chop all the vegetables and cilantro for both the patties and the sauce. Set the sauce ingredients aside for now. Add the strained tuna to a mixing bowl, discarding the liquid, breaking up the flesh with a fork. Add the scallions, onion, cilantro, tomato, black pepper, salt and lemon juice to the bowl, mixing well to combine; set aside.
In another bowl, using a hand mixer, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Add the flour and continue whipping to stiff peaks. In a small bowl, hand whisk the yolks until thickened. Add 2 spoonfuls of the egg white into the bowl with the yolks and carefully stir to combine well (this loosens the yolks and will make it easier to fold them into the whites). Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the yolks into the bowl with the whipped egg whites until mostly combined, being careful not to deflate the whites. Gently fold the eggs into the tuna mixture about a third at a time.
Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add oil to about a 1⁄2-inch depth (about 1⁄4 cup). Once the oil is shimmering, carefully add 1⁄3 of a cup of the tuna mixture, gently flattening it with a spatula to form a patty about 1⁄2 inch thick by about 3 inches in diameter. Cook no more than three patties at a time to avoid lowering the oil’s temperature. Fry until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer patties to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil as needed. The batter should yield eight tuna patties.
To make the sauce, drain the spent oil and wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Return the skillet to the stove over medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Once shimmering, sauté the peppers and onions until softened, about 2 minutes. Toss in the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes start to release their juices, about 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, pour in the water and bring to a soft boil. Stir in the bouillon and pepper. Place the oregano in your palms and rub hands together over the pan, crushing the herb as it falls into the sauce (this releases the oils in the herb). Stir in the cilantro, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more bouillon if needed.
To serve, either add the patties into the sauce or plate the patties and spoon sauce over them. Serve with rice, beans and a fried egg, if desired, plus corn tortillas to sop up the sauce.
Annual Lunar New Year festivities begin on Friday, a time when millions of people in China and most other Asian countries would typically journey to their hometowns to celebrate with family. With the pandemic once again quashing plans for gatherings, celebrations this year are on a smaller scale — at home — but still filled with delicious bites.
For Chef Marie Surakul, who is originally from Thailand, these Thai Golden Bags With Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce re-create the savory appetizers that she made as a child with her mom. Surakul is head chef at Bamboo, an Asian fusion restaurant inside Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, and has fond memories of making the fun-to-look-at bundles.
“Making these for the Lunar New Year gave my mom and me time to talk,” Surakul said. “Getting the ingredients ready for assembly takes a little time, depending on how good you are at chopping veggies and meat. But we had fun, and it always helped me get more familiar with how to handle things in the kitchen.”
While most of Thailand does not celebrate Lunar New Year, Surakul and her family do because of their Chinese heritage — they are Thai Chinese.
“The name for the golden bag dumplings translates to ‘bag of money’ in Thai,” she said. “They look like little bags, and you’ll find a delicious surprise inside. The nice thing about these is you can vary the filling with whatever you prefer. Keep them vegetarian, choose a different meat, only meat and no vegetables, it’s up to you. My mom would recommend including some vegetables.”