Tuna Burgers

I have to tell you, Wednesday night is a “wine night” at our house.  Weeks are like boxes of chocolates . . . you never know what you’re gonna get.  By Wednesday, you know.  It’s a good night to decompress and talk about what’s going on.  This recipe is one of our favorite, easy, Wednesday night meals.   We usually serve these with baked fries and coleslaw.

Tuna Burgers with a side of Baked Fries.

Ingredients

3 – 5 oz. cans of tuna in water, drained well (we use albacore, but you can use any kind)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

½ to ¾ cup bread crumbs (adjust for the right wetness)

1/3 cup onion, finely chopped

½ cup celery, finely chopped

1/3 cup of mayonnaise

1 tsp. fresh dill (or ½ tsp. dried dill)
1 tea. dried tarragon or 2 fresh...chopped
1/2 tea. garlic powder

1 good dash of hot sauce

1 good dash of Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

4 tbl. Canola oil

½ cup flour

1/3 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp garlic powder   (these last 4 ingredients are for coating the patties just before frying)

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions

·         In a bowl, crumble the tuna well with a fork

·         Mix all ingredients together with tuna except the last 5 ingredients (the ones for the coating  and the oil for frying.)

·         If the mixture is too wet, add a few more bread crumbs

·         Cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes

·         In a separate bowl, mix the flour, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper well

·         Patty the tuna mixture into hamburger size patties and dust with the flour mixture (pat this coating into the patties pretty firmly with your hands)

·         Heat the oil in a 12” skillet over medium heat until hot

·         Fry the patties about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown on both sides.  If you’re making a bunch you can keep the cooked patties warm in the oven on a cookie sheet until they are all cooked.

·         Serve on buns with your favorite toppings

We like to toast our buns with a brush of olive oil and Swiss cheese.  Suggested toppings are lettuce, tomato, onion, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sautéed mushrooms, bacon – pretty much anything you want!