Delicious and chewy tuna fish cake is a fried dish loved by many people. Let’s cook with TasteVN to make these 2 simple and delicious tuna fish cake recipes right away!
1. Tuna fish cake from fresh fish
Preparation
30 minutes
Cooking
1 hour
Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Tuna fish cake from fresh fish For 4 people
Tuna 1 kg Pork fat 100 gr Fish sauce 3 tablespoons Shallots 2 bulbs Pepper 1 teaspoon Seasoning powder 1 teaspoon Cooking oil 10 tablespoons
How to choose delicious tuna
For fresh tuna
- Choose fish with shiny and clear eyes, clearly seeing the pupil inside.
- If the eyes are sunken, it indicates that the fish has been frozen for a long time and transported a lot, and the meat will no longer be fresh.
- Check the gills; if the fish is fresh, the gills will be bright red, while spoiled fish will have dark red, even brownish-black gills.
- Press the skin (especially the belly part) of the fish with your hand; if the skin has good elasticity and does not sink, it is fresh fish.
- The method of choosing tuna with fresh, red meat or not red is by using a needle. The redder and firmer the fish meat, the better; the clearer the fish meat, the lower the quality.
- When needle testing the fish, take a sample of the meat and rub it in the palm of your hand; if it releases a lot of water and is soft and flaky, this fish will not taste good.
For frozen tuna
- When buying frozen tuna, you need to check the expiration date; frozen ocean fish should ideally be used within 1 month from the catch date.
Check if the packaging is torn or has any openings and observe the fish inside. You should not choose pieces of fish with thick snow because they may have been stored for too long or have been thawed and refrozen.
Tools required
How to make Tuna Fish Cake from fresh fish
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Prepare the tuna
Clean the tuna, then cut it in half, fillet the meat, remove the bones and the head. Carefully use tweezers to remove the small bones on both sides of the fish.
Cut the fish meat into small pieces.
How to prepare tuna without a fishy smell
- After cleaning, you can soak the fish in diluted salt water or rice washing water for about 15 minutes, then rinse with clean water.
- Dilute lemon juice, soak the fish in it for about 5 minutes, then clean it as usual.
- Use diluted white wine to marinate the fish meat for about 2 minutes, then dry it; this will significantly reduce the fishy smell.
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Grinding the fish cake mixture
You put into the grinder: tuna fish, 100g of diced pork fat, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1 teaspoon of seasoning, minced shallots, and grind for about 1 minute at medium power.
Then, you place the ground fish mixture in the freezer to freeze for about 1 hour and then take it out to grind the fish cake mixture for about 15 minutes until the fish cake is smooth and fine.
You wrap the fish cake mixture in plastic wrap and shape it into round pieces that are just right to eat.
Tip:
- If you have time, you can re-grind the fish to make the cake chewier.
- Keep the fish cold for about 1 hour in the freezer before grinding to avoid the machine heating up and cooking the fish, which makes the cake crumbly.
- After grinding the fish cake, you can put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes before steaming it, which will make the cake chewier.
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Steaming the fish cake
You add water to a pot, bring it to a boil, then place the steamer on the stove and put the fish cake pieces in to steam for about 5 minutes until the fish cake is cooked.
Once the fish cake is cooked, take it out to cool.
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Fry the cake
You place a pan on the stove over medium heat, add 10 tablespoons of cooking oil and heat it up. When the oil is hot, you drop each piece of steamed fish cake into the pan to fry until golden brown on all sides.
Tips for frying fish cakes crispy and delicious:
- When frying fish cakes, heat the pan first before adding the oil, wait until the oil is lightly bubbling before adding the fish cakes, and do not fry with oil that is too hot and smoking.
- While frying, do not let the pieces of fish cake stick together, as it will be difficult to remove them. Fry with a moderate amount of fish cakes, not too many to avoid reducing the oil temperature and making the fish cakes not crispy and delicious.
- If the fish cakes stick to the pan, you should turn off the heat, tilt the oil to one side, and wait for the pan to cool down; the fish cakes will come off on their own.
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Final product
The fish cakes are fried to a golden color and fragrant, you use a knife to cut the cake into bite-sized pieces, the cake is chewy and delicious to taste, you can serve the fish cake with rice or use it as a snack, which is also very appealing.
2. Canned Tuna Fish Cake
Preparation
30 minutes
Cooking
1 hour
Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Canned Tuna Fish Cake Serves 4
Canned tuna 280 gr Rolled oats 90 gr Chicken eggs 2 Onion 1/2 bulb Garlic 2 cloves Chives 50 gr Parsley 100 gr (parsley) Salt 1/2 teaspoon Chili powder 1/4 teaspoon Olive oil 2 tablespoons
How to Choose Good Onions
- Choose onions that are round with long roots, as these are the tasty ones. Avoid buying those with unusual shapes or those that have completely lost their roots, as they will not be good.
- Good onions will have a firm, smooth skin, an attractive yellow color, no dark spots, and will hug the bulb closely.
How to prepare Tuna Fish Cake from canned tuna
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Prepare canned tuna
Place a sieve over a bowl, then open the can of tuna and pour the tuna into the sieve, using a fork to press the fish to drain the oil into the sieve. After that, transfer the tuna to a bowl.
Tip: You should use canned tuna from reputable brands and remember to check the condition of the can as well as the expiration date to ensure you get delicious tuna that is safe to use.See more: How to identify canned food contaminated with bacteria, causes, and how to handle it.
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Prepare vegetables
Remove any damaged chives, wash them thoroughly, drain, and chop them finely. Pick out the yellow leaves from the parsley, wash it, drain, and chop it finely.
Peel the garlic, crush it, and mince it finely. For the onion, peel and chop it small.
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Grind the oats
You put 90g of rolled oats into the machine and proceed to grind it into a fine powder.
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Mix the fish cake
You crack 2 eggs into a bowl, whisk them well until the yolks dissolve.
You add to the bowl the tuna meat, onion, chives, parsley, garlic, oats, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder, eggs, and mix well. If you want the cake to be firmer, use a spoon to knead it for about 10 minutes.
Tips for kneading a firm and delicious fish cake:- When kneading the fish cake, do not add oil to avoid sticking, as when we knead, the mixture will stick together to create a chewy texture. Adding oil or fat will prevent the mixture from binding together, making the cake crumbly and falling apart.
- Use a spoon to knead the mixture evenly along the edge of the bowl, in a fixed direction until you see the mixture sticking to the spoon, and it forms a cohesive mass.
- Kneading the fish cake is the most important step; you should pay special attention to this step as it determines the taste and texture of the cake. If you do not knead well, the resulting cake will be very crumbly.
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Shaping and frying the fish cake
You divide the fish cake mixture into equal portions and use your hands to shape them into round pieces.
You heat a pan over medium heat, adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add each piece of fish cake to fry until golden on each side. Then, remove them and place on a plate to drain the oil.
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Final product
The fried fish cake pieces are crispy, golden, and fragrant. The fish cake is flavorful, perfectly seasoned, combined with the sweetness of onions and parsley, making it delicious and appetizing to eat continuously without getting bored.
See more:
The above are 2 ways to make tuna fish cake that are uniquely delicious and easy to make, helping to change the flavor for your daily menu. Let’s make the dish to treat everyone, wishing you success!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channels Cooky TV and The Cooking Foodie
