by 
These Tuna Quinoa Cakes are lovely for lunch or for dinner served with sides of your choice. They also make a great lunchbox item and freeze really well.
Quinoa is one of our favourite grains (or technically seed) to eat. However, it can get really messy and cleaning up little grains of quinoa is not my favourite past time. That is why I love to turn quinoa into great little finger foods like these Sweetcorn Quinoa Fritters, Sweet and Sour Quinoa Balls, Cheese and Tomato Quinoa Balls and these Fruit and Nut Quinoa Bars. Kids love finger foods and it does make the clean up so much easier - a double win.
I usually have a tin or two of tuna in the cupboard for days when I look in the fridge and there doesn't seem to be anything available to eat. Combined with some pantry staples, a simple tin of tuna can be transformed into some pretty tasty meals. My kids' favourite is Tuna Pasta and they also love these Tuna and Potato Cakes.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup (170g) Quinoa I used tricolour
- 1 cup (250ml) Vegetable Stock*
- 1 cup (250ml) Water
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp Minced Garlic
- ½ Red Capsicum (Bell Pepper) finely chopped
- 1 cup (145g) Frozen Peas
- 1 egg
- 1 425g can Tuna Drained
- 1 Zest of 1 lime
- ¼ cup Buckwheat Flour
- ¾ cup (95g) Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Place the quinoa in a saucepan with the stock* and water. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, for approx 15 mins. Remove from heat, stir with a fork and allow to sit covered for 5 mins.
- Heat ½ tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for around 3 mins, until softened. Add the garlic and the capsicum and cook for a further 3 mins.
- Add the quinoa to a mixing bowl. There should be no moisture in the quinoa, if so make sure you drain it really well. Add the onion and capsicum mixture and stir to combine. Add the peas, stir and allow to cool.
- Add the tuna (make sure the tuna is drained really well so your mixture does not become too wet) , egg, buckwheat flour and lime zest and stir until combined. Take tablespoons of the mixture and form into cakes.
- Place the sesame seeds on a plate and press both sides of each cake into the seeds to coat.
- Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the tuna cakes for approx 4-5 mins on each side, until golden and cooked through.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional facts
Roxy
My cakes also fell apart. Ended up adding another egg, and another 1/4 flour.. held together slightly better. But in the end fell apart.
Amy
Thanks for your feedback Roxy, I think it is time I review this recipe.
Krystin
We had a bit of trouble with the cakes holding together, so I added a second egg and baked them in muffin tins with silicone liners (350oF for 20min). They turned out great.
Amy
Great idea, thanks for the tip Krystin 🙂
Jo Taylor-Campbell
I really loved the idea of these cakes but they do not hold together when cooking, even after draining everything. Do they need another egg do you think? Or more flour?
Amy
Hi Jo, thanks for the feedback. This is an old recipe and I apologise it didn't work for you. I will have a look at it this week. I'm trying to update all old recipe with process shots and more recipe info, similar to my newer recipes.
Bethany
Hi, love your recipes!
Just wondering, should the peas be defrosted and drained before adding?
Amy
Thank you Bethany! There is no need to defrost the peas before adding to the mixture. It will help cool down the mixture before adding the egg.
Florence
Hi Amy. Even though my lo liked this recipe the cakes were not holding together so well (and I did spend some time on the floor picking up quinoa seeds :() not sure what I did wrong.
Amy
Hi Florence, sorry they didn't hold together for you. Did you make sure the quinoa and tuna were drained well? Did it hold together for cooking?
Sam
Exactly the same here - will not hold together despite having drained individual ingredients through a sieve and pressed liquid out. Perhaps buckwheat flour is essential as I used plain/all-purpose, but the result is pretty useless unfortunately.
Amy
Hi Sam, thank you for the feedback and I'm sorry you didn't have success with the recipe. It looks like I need to re-look at this recipe and have put in on my plan to do so (once our kitchen reno is complete). Once again, sorry that this did not work for you.
Sam
Perhaps it also matters what the tuna is canned in? Mine was sunflower oil as I avoid brine for my baby. Although I drained as much as I could, maybe it’s harder to dry out than spring water or brine.
Tracy
Just wondering if these can be baked instead of frying?
Amy
Hi Tracy, I have never actually tried baking these but they should work. I'd spray / brush with oil before baking 🙂
Tracy
Hi, can these be baked instead of fried?
Nicole
I find the mixture doesn't stick so well together- any tips? I'm using flax egg
Amy
Hi Nicole, was the mixture too wet or too dry? If too wet then I'd make sure you really drain the tuna and make sure there is no moisture in the quinoa after cooking. If too dry you could maybe add another flax egg? I have never tried this recipe with egg substitutes. Sorry!
Ashlee
Thank you for sharing these beautiful recipes! I made the banana & blueberry fritters today as I am starting my baby led weaning journey. Bub is 7.5 months & im so paranoid about choking - a friends daughter died as a result so its next level paranoia for me 🙁 anyways would these be suitable for bub or should I chop the peas in half again?? He chews pretty well 🙂
Amy
Hi Ashlee, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend's daughter - just heartbreaking and I can totally understand your concern about choking. I would have been happy to give this to my baby (with supervision) but I did baby-led weaning from 6 months old with him so he was never used to swallowing food. If it makes you happier then cutting the peas will not affect the recipe.
celine
Hi! This recipe looks great! I love exploring new ways of preparing good food. Thanks for adding one more to the list. Just wondering if I could replace lime with vinegar, will it work?
Amy
Hi Celine, I added the lime juice for flavour more than any thing else - I love lime and corriander together. You could just miss it out. I often replace the lime and coriander with lemon juice and parsley.
Elisabeth
Hi! Is there supposed to be coriander in this recipe? Can’t find it in the ingredient list
Amy
Hi Elisabeth, no coriander but feel free to add some for extra flavour 🙂
Nuugz
Can I sub buckwheat flour for something else I ran out of buckwheat flour. Thanks!
Amy
Hi Nuugz, you can use another flour. It is in there to soak up moisture and make them easier to form.
Yasmin Atout
My son is (13mo) has an egg allergy - it possible to substitute the egg for a chai/flax seed egg in this recipe?
Amy
Hi Yasmin, I haven't tried it so can't say for sure. I think it should work.
Ashlee
Have you seen at health food/Organic shops you can also buy a vegan egg substitute? This may also work...
jean
I assume you floured the cakes be fun putting in the sesame seeds?
Amy
I didn't, I just pressed them into the sesame seeds. ??