The Easiest Crispy Tuna Cakes with Quick Remoulade Sauce

Published: Sep 14, 2011 · Modified: Jul 25, 2023 by Faith · This post may contain affiliate links · 33 Comments

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.

serving plate with red pepper tuna cake and remoulade sauce with fresh lemon

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!

close up of tuna cakes recipe on white plate

In This Article

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)

close up front view of crispy tuna patty

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

Let's Connect

Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below. You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media.

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