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These easy Tuna Cakes with Quick Remoulade Sauce are crispy and flavorful, delicious served hot or cold, and only take 20 minutes to make! They’re great for meal prep, so make a double (or triple!) batch.
When I lived in Florida during law school I had a friend who was a native Floridian.
(Which might sound like an odd thing to say, but in the three years I spent in Florida during law school, I found that a native Floridian living in Florida was a rare find. Most people I came across were either from much colder states or from south of the border.)
Anyway, as such, my friend was familiar with ocean fun of all sorts, including crabbing.
He took me crabbing a few different times. I’m not sure what we did wrong, but we never caught a single thing! It’s okay, it was a fun distraction from school. And we always ended up with a delicious meal, despite not having caught it ourselves. Most times we would stop at a local seafood store selling live crab to satiate our cravings. Other times we made mock crab cakes with canned tuna – hello, tuna patties!
For crab cake-style tuna cakes, you can use any veggies you like. My favorites are onion and red bell pepper, but in the past I’ve used just about anything you can think of: green bell pepper, carrot, celery, and/or corn are all great additions.
Once these tuna cakes are cooled to room temperature, I like to wrap and freeze them individually. That way they’re easy to pull out and defrost for a quick meal.
Crispy tuna patties make a great lunch served on on a soft bun or on a bed of lettuce to keep the carbs down. And they’re also perfect for a quick and easy appetizer!
Easy Crispy Tuna Cakes Recipe (aka Tuna Patties) with Remoulade Sauce
In these sections, I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Quick Remoulade Sauce Ingredients
- Mayo and plain Greek yogurt – these 2 creamy components are the base of our quick dipping sauce
- Fresh parsley – or play with the flavor profile and use another fresh herb, such as dill or oregano
- Ketchup – for a hint of sweet flavor and a faint blush color
- Whole-grain mustard – or you can use Dijon mustard instead
- Hot sauce – feel free to add more or less hot sauce to taste
- Lemon juice – a little fresh lemon juice brightens up the flavor of this quick and easy remoulade
- Paprika, salt, and black pepper – these are the spices add a ton of flavor
Tuna Cake Ingredients
- Olive oil – this is to cook the onion and bell pepper
- Onion and red bell pepper – these vegetables add delicious savory flavor to this tuna cakes recipe; feel free to use any color of bell pepper you like
- Garlic – for savory aroma and flavor
- Egg – acts as the binder in these tuna cakes, and also bumps up the protein
- Canned tuna – you will need 1 (6-ounce) can of tuna in water
- Breadcrumbs – along with the egg, this acts as a binder
- Salt and black pepper – to enhance the flavor
- Light olive oil – this is for shallow-frying; you can use any type of oil you like for shallow frying
Instructions
How to Make Remoulade Sauce
Stir together all ingredients, and refrigerate until serving.
How to Make Crispy Tuna Cakes
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Cool slightly.
- Combine the onion mixture, egg, tuna, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Form the mixture into 4 patties.
- Add enough light olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the patties and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
How to Store Tuna Cakes
Store the remoulade sauce covered in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Once cooled to room temperature, store the tuna patties covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating
Tuna cakes reheat really well in a variety of ways:
- In the microwave
- On the stovetop (in a dry skillet over medium heat)
- In the oven (at 375F for about 5 to 7 minutes)
- In the air fryer (at 360F for about 5 minutes flipping once halfway through)
Tuna Patties FAQs
Why Do My Tuna Patties Fall Apart?
If your tuna patties fall apart, it’s likely because you didn’t use enough binder. In this recipe, both the egg and breadcrumbs act as binder. Be sure to use the right amount of each.
If You’re Having Trouble With Your Tuna Patties Falling Apart
After forming the patties, place them on a parchment paper-lined plate and pop them in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before shallow frying them.
Do You Serve Tuna Patties Hot or Cold?
These tuna cakes are great served hot, at room temperature, or chilled. This is one of the reasons why tuna patties are perfect for work and school lunches; there’s no need to reheat them!
How Do You Serve Tuna Patties?
- Along with a sauce for dipping or drizzling on top, such as remoulade sauce, tartar sauce, or even ranch dressing – this is perfect if you want to use tuna cakes as an appetizer
- On a bed of rice or quinoa – this makes it a more filling meal
- As a salad on a bed of leafy greens or spring mix – to keep the carbs down
- As a sandwich or wrap – the perfect lunch option
What to Serve with Tuna Patties to Make a Full Meal
- Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad Recipe with Feta and Pine Nuts
- Lemony Chickpea and Herb Wheat Berry Salad Recipe
- Homemade Rice a Roni Recipe
- Simple Garlic Parmesan Asparagus Recipe
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Crispy Tuna Cakes with Quick Remoulade Sauce
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Ingredients
Quick Remoulade Sauce (optional; for serving):
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Tuna Cakes:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper minced
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 large egg beaten
- 6 ounce can tuna in water drained
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- Light olive oil for shallow frying
Instructions
For the Quick Remoulade Sauce:
- Stir together all ingredients, and refrigerate until serving.
For the Tuna Cakes:
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Cool slightly.
- Combine the onion mixture, egg, tuna, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Form the mixture into 4 patties.
- Add enough light olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the patties and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
To Serve:
- You can serve tuna cakes hot, at room temperature, or chilled along with the remoulade sauce.
Notes
- Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated for the tuna cakes only (not the remoulade sauce).
- Storage: Store the remoulade sauce covered in the fridge for up to 10 days. Once cooled to room temperature, store the tuna patties covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: You can reheat tuna cakes in a variety of ways: in the microwave, on the stovetop (in a dry skillet over medium heat), in the oven (at 375F for about 5 to 7 minutes), or in the air fryer (at 360F for about 5 minutes flipping once halfway through).
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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These were SO DELICIOUS. My family and I are pescatarians so we try new tuna patty recipes frequently. This recipe is one I will be making over and over! I was in a rush as I prepared these so I dumped everything in a bowl and just cooked them on low (to give the bell pepper, onion and garlic time to cook) in a buttered cast iron pan. *I used green bell pepper instead of red b/c that’s what we prefer with tuna. Thank you for the recipe! Make a double batch you won’t regret it…my toddler even liked it and asked for MORE!
They look completely awesome! Can you serve them cold, like at a picnic?
Sarah, I haven’t tried it that way, but it sounds delicious to me!
Thanks — that’s very helpful! I’ll give it a try this weekend! : )
These are so good! My new favorite! I had a hard time getting the cakes to stick together the first time (though they still tasted great) so added a second egg to my next batch. Any tips for getting the cakes to stick together in cake form? Thanks!
Tara, Thanks so much for your comment, I’m so glad you enjoyed these! If you’re having trouble getting them to stick together, be sure you’re not over-mixing. (I’ve noticed that mixes like this with egg and breadcrumbs tend to get gummy if they’re over-mixed.) If you want to be sure you’re not over-mixing it, you can mix together everything except the breadcrumbs, and then gradually stir them in at the end right before you fry the cakes. If they still aren’t holding together, you can add more breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time. Be sure to only add enough so that the cakes hold together though, since adding too much breadcrumbs will give them a much denser texture, instead of them being light and tender. Hope this helps!
Oooh, your recipe for tuna cakes and Remoulade sauce sound delicious, and your photos are superb as usual. Only you can make a simple glass of water look so refreshing. Thanks again for your wonderful recipes. I think I’mma go grab me a nice glass of water now too. Teehee.
These look great! I love crab cakes but never thought to sub out tuna. My dad does something similar with canned salmon but I think I would prefer the tuna. Delicious!
I can’t believe I’ve never tried making tuna cakes. I love tuna! My crabcake recipe calls for red pepper also. I love the little crunch it gives. This recipe has inspired me to try tuna cakes – they look delicious!
Lovely recipe. Quick enough to whip up for lunch today.
Your tuna cakes look really tasty, Faith. Red pepper really adds a nice zing. I just posted a tuna recipe as well.
There are very few native Nashvillians anymore, too—I think it’s a testament to how mobile a society we’ve become.
It’s funny to read this about Florida – we were just talking about who lives in FL yesterday at work and how few are from Florida. I know a few people there, and they were all born in the Midwest. :)
These tuna cakes look wonderful! And a remoulade is my favorite! Delicious! I love fancy ways to use canned tuna :)
That’s a lovely speedy remoulade, Faith. My mother’s recipe is rather more involved. Can’t wait to try yours as we use it a lot on seafood dishes.
My daughter is a native Floridian….although she lives in NYC now, she still makes that claim!
Floridians are very hard to find… in the 10 years I lived there I probably met 4 or 5!
I love this recipe. I’m alergic to crab, so a tuna cake is right up my alley.
I love tuna. I dont eat it much though there are some people in my house that cant even stand the smell! These look simple and delicious, thanks for letting me dream about eating them
Love those tuna patties! The click of a glass of water makes me thirsty too.
I love how the red pepper gave them a pinkish hue (or was your tuna just already nice and pink? most canned tuna I buy is more gray than pink, unfortunately), making them look so fresh! What a great sauce for them! These are leagues above any seafood patties (usually salmon) I’ve ever made.
I’ve never heard of tuna cakes before but I bet they are so good! Your photos are fabulous!
We have such great fresh fish available here that I rarely use can tuna for anything other than sandwiches. Your tuna cakes look great, I need to give them a try.
Mimi
I make mine with salmon when I don’t feel like springing for the crab. There is something about spending a fortune for the crab meat to make a simple little dish that makes me flinch… must try with tuna next time!!
A born and bread Floridian, who cant catch crab? No such thing ;-) I love this mock crab cake with tuna. Makes a nice healthy burger too! And remoulade is so good, especially with celeriac.
Il ove tuna cakes!
Hi Faith, too funny with the ice water, you know it does look really good, do you have a recipe for it?LOL!
I could live on tuna, just finished a tuna sandwich for lunch and these tuna cakes look really good to me, I’m thinking served on top of a green salad for dinner;-)
This is so great, I am allergic to shellfish and I really miss crab cakes so the tuna, crab style would be perfect for me! Looks amazing!
that looks delish … crab and salmon jump to mind easily, but never thought of using tuna.
wonder … fresh tuna, fry for 2 mins per side then finish in the oven?
cheers!
wow this looks fab ..though I dont eat tuna …love that dip too
Just like NYC is an international melting pot, I think that Florida is a national melting pot…full of people from just about every state!
I’ve never really come around to crab cakes, but I do really love tuna. These sound super tasty to me!
I so wish i liked tuna!! The cakes look pretty
The sauce pairs perfectly well with the salmon cakes! Yummy.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a great idea! I love crab cakes…and sometimes I don’t eat them due to trying to be more thrifty on my food expenses—I can’t wait to try tuna cakes!
You are so right about the native Floridian thing – I’m as close as most people ever find and I only moved here when I was seven!
Love tuna cakes, it’s such a great way of getting all the Omegas that are so good for us! The sauce looks delicious.
wat an inviting n tempting spread of platter..:P
Tasty Appetite