Tuna Burger with Cilantro-Cumin Mayo

I talked about the perks of growing up in a coastal city, here. The disadvantage of a landlocked city? Its scarcity of great seafood, of course. Since I live near a really big lake, I do have unlimited access to freshwater fish. But, its just not the same....

When I first moved to Georgia, I remember searching for restaurants that specialized in seafood and visiting them. So, naturally, when I saw a great deal for canned albacore tuna at Costco, I figured I'll stockpile on these , so I can satisfy my seafood craving at anytime...

And I brought this 2 8-pack of albacore tuna cans home, eager to explain my plan to my husband. He took one look at the cans and declared "Cat Food!". Cue a balloon popping or a guitar string breaking....

I tried making some tuna salad just for me, but the brine taste was a little overpowering for me. Speaking of which, if you have some tips or a recipe on how to make tuna salad with no brine taste, leave a comment, please!

When life gives too-briny cans of tuna, what's a girl to do? Make Tuna Burgers, of course!
I referred to my collection of recipe pins for inspiration, and found one. I liked the idea of adding bell peppers to the burger. I did liberally adapt/ change the recipe to suit me, as you will see.
The original one called for 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs. It must be some mistake I made, but the patties didn't bind well with that little amount. So I ended up making a runny mix of flour and egg to dip all the patties in. That did the trick, for me.

Tuna Burger

Ingredients:
For the patties:

• tuna, packed in water - 5 cans, 1 lb
• red bell pepper, cubed - 1 cup
• dry red chili - 2
• turmeric powder - a pinch
• garam masala powder - a pinch
• garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• panko bread crumbs - 3/4 cup
• lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• salt, to taste
• egg - 1 

For dipping:

• all purpose flour - 1 tbsp
• water - 1/2 cup
• egg, lightly beaten - 1

For assembling, optional:

• tomato, sliced thick - 1 large
• onion, sliced thick - 1 large
• lettuce - 1 leaf

Method:

1. Chop the bell pepper, dry red chili and tuna in a food processor until everything is minced and mixed well.
2. Add garlic paste, spice powders and egg. Stir to incorporate.
3. Pour the lemon juice to the mix along with salt. Also add the bread crumbs.Stir again.
4. Using your hands, make 8-10 patties. If the burgers are not firm, you can refrigerate these for around half an hour.
5. In a wide bowl or a soup plate, make a runny mix of flour, water and egg. Add a little salt if desired.
6. Spray Pam or brush oil to coat the surface of a skillet. Place it on medium-high heat and wait for the skillet to get evenly hot.
7. Dip the patty/burger in the flour mix before placing it on the skillet. I was able to get 4 burgers on the skillet at one time, without overcrowding.
8. Evenly brown the burgers on all sides (top, bottom and sides). Cook covered for 5-6 minutes before flipping the burgers. Brush some more oil and let cook for a couple minutes.
9. Toast buns on the same skillet before assembling a burger sandwich. I used a Cilantro-Cumin Mayo adapted from the seaside baker's lemon-chive mayo.

Cilantro-Cumin Mayo:

• mayo, low fat - 1/2 cup
• yogurt, strained to remove liquid - 1/2 cup
• cilantro, chopped super fine - 1/4 cup
• cumin powder - 1 tsp
• salt, to taste

The burger was juicy and the briny taste was absent. I guess the addition of spices and bell pepper were the main reasons for making the burger taste fresh. Wonder what my husband said when he saw the tuna burger? "Gourmet Cat Food"! That's just fine, I have no intention of sharing these burgers :)

Tuna Burger with Chips