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All Posts, by Date » Lunch / Dinner » Family Friendly Dinners » Tuna Fish Cakes

Tuna Fish Cakes

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Mashed potato and tuna are mixed together with spring onion, lime juice and coriander (cilantro) to make these delicious tuna fish cakes. They are then coated in breadcrumbs and lightly fried or baked.

Tuna Fish Cakes on a Toddler Bunny Plate with Yogurt and Chopped Vegetables.
Contents hide
1 Why Tuna Fish Cakes are Great for Families…
2 What You Need
3 Process Steps with Cooking Tips and Tricks
4 Storage Instructions
5 Frequently Asked Questions
6 Tuna Fish Cakes
6.1 Ingredients
6.2 Instructions
6.3 Video
6.4 Recipe Notes

Why Tuna Fish Cakes are Great for Families…

  • PANTRY / FRIDGE STAPLES – Perfect for when you haven’t had a chance to get the store and are running low in food stores. Budget-friendly too.
  • KID-FRIENDLY – Great for babies, toddlers and big kids. A fantastic recipe for getting them helping in the kitchen. (mixing, forming, coating)
  • MAKE AHEAD – Family life is busy (especially at 5 pm when young children are extra demanding and older kids are returning from sports etc) Form the patties ahead of time (the evening before, or in the morning) so all you need to do is pop them in the oven/fry in the evening.
  • FREEZER FRIENDLY – Make an extra batch and freeze for extra busy evenings.

What You Need

Flat Lay Shot of the Ingredients Needed to Make Tuna Fish Cakes
  • CANNED TUNA – I use canned tuna in spring water but if you prefer you could substitute the tuna for another cooked fish such as salmon.
  • MASHED POTATO – The mashed potato not only bulks out the cakes and helps bind together everything. Floury/starchy potatoes are best for this recipe. Varieties include (but are not limited to): Russet, Idaho, Yukon Gold, Maris Piper, King Edward, Desiree and Dutch cream potatoes. Avoid waxy potatoes.
  • SCALLIONS / SPRING/GREEN ONION – Adds flavour and texture. Leek would work too.
  • LIME JUICE & CORRIANDER – Adding herbs and spices to baby food is great for introducing your baby to a range of different flavours. However, if you have a fussy eater, you can easily adapt this recipe. Try leaving out the herbs and onion altogether or switch up the flavours. For example, substituting the lime juice and coriander with lemon juice and parsley.
  • BREAD CRUMBS – Coating in breadcrumbs provides a contrast in texture – a crispy outside and smooth inside.

Process Steps with Cooking Tips and Tricks

Collage of 4 Images Showing the Process Steps for Making Fish Cakes. 1)Potatoes Mashed 2)Ingredients Mixed in Bowl 3) Fish Cakes Formed into Rounds 4) Fish cakes Coated in Breadcrumbs
  1. COOK & MASH POTATO – Cook potatoes until tender (be careful not to overcook as this can cause excess moisture). Drain the potatoes, return them to the pan, shake briefly and allow them to steam dry for around 30 seconds, this helps to release some of the moisture from the potatoes. It is important to do this as if the potatoes are too wet the cakes will be too soft and difficult to handle. Allow potatoes to cool completely if you have time.
  2. MIX ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER – Mix until fully combined, breaking down any larger chunks of tuna.
  3. FORM TUNA PATTIES – The size of the cakes you form is up to you. I used an ice-cream scoop and made 17 cakes. Larger cakes will be more difficult to handle.
  4. COAT IN BREADCRUMBS – Gently push and roll the cakes into the breadcrumbs to coat. If you prefer a crispier coating then dip in flour then egg before coating in the breadcrumbs.
  5. COOK – Either bake (easier) or fry (for more colour and crispier coating)
Collage of 2 Images. 1) Tuna Cakes Fried in Pan 2) Tuna Caked Cooked in Oven on Baking Sheet

Storage Instructions

  • REFRIGERATE – Form the fish cakes and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 24 hours. If you have already cooked the patties then allow to cool, refrigerate and bake to reheat.
  • FREEZE – Place fish cakes (uncooked) on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezable container/ziplock bag for up to 1 months. Bake from frozen (add an extra 10 mins) or allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Bake or pan-fry as per recipe.
Side on View of Stack of Tuna Fish Cakes

Frequently Asked Questions

My tuna patties are too soft, how do I prevent this?

Make sure not to overcook the potatoes as this can cause them to absorb too much water. Before mashing, return the potatoes to the pan, shake briefly and allow them to steam dry. If you have time, refrigerate and allow your mash to cool completely before mixing and forming the patties.

If you have already formed your cakes but find them too soft to handle, pop them in the freezer for around 10 mins to harden. This will make it easier to coat and fry. Baking will be easier if still too soft.

My Tuna Fish Cakes Full Apart When I coat /cook them, how do I prevent this?

This could be because your mixture is too wet or too textured.

You need to make sure your potatoes are completely dry and ideally cold before mixing with the other ingredients. Also, make sure to fully drain the tuna so you are not adding extra liquid to the mixture.

If you have large chunks of tuna make sure to break them down when mixing. In addition, make sure to chop the onion small.

It’s important that the oil is hot enough when the patties enter the pan. If it’s too low, they will soak up the oil and become soggy.

If still falling apart them try baking over frying.

Can you make fish cakes ahead of time?

Yes. You can form and refrigerate a day before cooking. See storage instructions, above, for further information.

Are these suitable for babies/ toddlers?

Yes. These are perfect for both babies (6mth+) and toddlers.

What should I serve with these?

I usually serve these with salad, roasted vegetables or raw vegetables and dips.

Can you freeze these fish cakes?

Yes. You can freeze before cooking and after cooking. See above section on storage instructions.

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Side on View of Stack of 5 Tuna Fish Cakes Topped with Yogurt Dip
5 from 8 votes

Tuna Fish Cakes

Mashed potato and tuna are mixed together with spring onion, lime juice and coriander (cilantro) to make these delicious tuna fish cakes. They are then coated in breadcrumbs and lightly fried or baked.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves:17 Small Cakes
Hover over “serves” value to reveal recipe scaler
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Ingredients

  • 500g (1lb) Starchy Potatoes (Peeled and cut into rough chunks of approx.3-5 cm cubed.)
  • 2 x 185g (6.5oz) Cans of Tuna in Spring Water (Drained well)
  • 2 Spring/Green Onion (Finely diced)
  • 1 Lime (Juice of)
  • 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander (Cilantro) (Finely chopped)
  • Salt and Pepper (To taste, do not add if making for a baby)
  • 30g (½ Cup) Bread Crumbs (See notes)
  • 1 tbsp (or as needed) Oil (for frying)

Instructions

  • Add the potatoes to a large pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer until tender (approx. 10-15 mins)
  • Drain the potatoes, return them to the pan, shake briefly and allow them to steam dry for around 30 seconds. Mash until smooth and allow to cool.
  • Add the tuna, spring onion, lime juice, coriander (cilantro) and stir until combined, breaking up any larger pieces of tuna. Taste the mixture and season accordingly (do not salt if making for baby)
  • Mould into equal rounds. I used an ice-cream scoop and made 17. You can make them bigger if preferred.
  • Press/ roll in the breadcrumbs until coated. (See notes if you wish to achieve a thicker, crispier coating)
  • COOKING OPTION 1: Add the oil to frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, carefully place patties in the pan (do not overcrowd you will need to cook in batches). Fry for 3-4mins (or until golden) then flip and fry until golden on the other side.
  • COOKING OPTION 2: Place on a lined baking sheet and spray with oil. Bake at 200C/400F for 20-25mins or until golden and crispy. Turn halfway through the cooking time and spray the other side of the fish cakes before returning to the oven. (Timings may vary depending on the size of patties).

Video

Recipe Notes

POTATO: Equivalent to 2 & 1/4  cups cooked mashed potato. Allow potatoes to cool completely, in the refrigerator, if you have time.
BREADCRUMBS: Panko works great but you can use any breadcrumbs. If you prefer a thicker, crispier coating then coat the patties in flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs. 
BAKE VS FRYING: Pan-frying is great when you only need to make a few cakes as the cooking time is shorter than when you bake. However, baking is great for a couple of reasons
  1. You just have to pop them in the oven, set the timer and forget about them. Baking is definitely less labour intensive than frying. Perfect when you have young kids running about at your legs.
  2. You need less oil.
However, baking does result in a less golden fish cake than frying. (If want to achieve a more golden look to your baked fish cakes you can pre-bake your breadcrumbs. Place breadcrumbs on a baking tray, spray with oil and bake on the top shelf for around 10 mins (or until golden) before coating. 
Nutritional information is a ROUGH guide only, calculated using an online nutrition calculator. 
Nutrition Facts
Tuna Fish Cakes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 72 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 5mg2%
Sodium 86mg4%
Potassium 172mg5%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 25IU1%
Vitamin C 4.4mg5%
Calcium 24mg2%
Iron 1.6mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course:Lunch / Main meal
Cuisine:Western
Keyword:Tuna and Potato Cakes
Did you make this recipe?Tag me on Instagram at @healthylittlefoodies or leave me a comment & rating below.

*First published Aug 2015. The post has been updated to include process steps and photos and more cooking tips and information.

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Meet Amy

Amy Whiteford is a Mum to two boys and is trying her hardest to bring them up to be Healthy Little Foodies. She has a BSc (Hons) Food Science, PGDE Primary Education and a Certificate in Childhood Nutrition and uses her knowledge to create healthy and delicious recipes for kids. Explore the site for creative ideas, tips, and inspiration! Read more

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Did you make this recipe? Rate it:




90 Comments

    • Amy says

      Hi Joann, I have detailed this in the above post under “Storage Instructions” – Bake from frozen (add an extra 10 mins) or allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Bake or pan-fry as per recipe. Hope this helps. AMy

      Reply

  4. Carly says

    Hello, Is there meant to be an egg in this mixture to hold it all together? I have followed the recipe and the patties are breaking apart before I even get them into the frying pan.

    Reply

    • Amy says

      Hi Carly, I don’t add an egg. If it is too soft try storing the patties in the refrigerator for 10+ mins before frying. Also when making the mash don’t over boil the potatoes. You want them soft enough to just slice with a knife. Otherwise, the potato will absorb too much water and in turn the patties will be too soft. (I’m going to add these notes to the post as a few people have had the same problem)

      Reply

  5. Eszter says

    5 stars
    My daughter who generally disregards anything that comes in this format ate 3(!!!) of these today for lunch and every other family member was happy with them so I consider this recipe awesome! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Amy says

      Hi Naomi, yes you can freeze 🙂 Freeze flat on a baking sheet until solid, about 3 hours. Transfer to freezable container / zip lock bag. They will keep in the freezer for about 3 months.

      Reply

    • Amy says

      Hi Anna. Sorry they didn’t work for you. You could try chilling them in the refrigerator for 10 min + before frying. Always make sure the oil is hot before adding the fishcakes and don’t be tempted to touch them too much. Allow frying for a few minutes before turning. Glad you liked the flavour, hopefully these tips work. 🙂

      Reply

      • Laura says

        Love this recipe, so simple and easy! Thank u for sharing, I use a lot of your recipes .

        Just wondering can these be cooked, and then eaten cold later?

        Reply

  8. Kate says

    Simple, easy to cook and loved by whole family including almost 7month old baby. Thank you so much

    Reply

    • Amy says

      Hi Shani, it all depends on baby and weaning method. There is nothing that a 6mth old can’t eat in the ingredients, I would have fed this to my firstborn (who I did purees with and introduced finger foods slightly later) at around 8 mths. With my second I did baby-led weaning and would have given him these 6-7 months of age.

      Reply

  11. Ali says

    These were way too crumbly. I think maybe adding an egg would help. My baby couldn’t grab them that well. But she did eat a bit!

    Reply

    • Amy says

      HI Ee Ling, you can serve them alongside some veggies, or serve with a veggie dip (eg guacamole or carrot hummus. If you want to add vegetables to the cake you could try adding some grated zucchini or carrot (I’d squeeze out the excess liquid before adding). Hope this helps

      Reply

  13. Milena says

    5 stars
    My little guys loves these so much. They don’t hold together that well but he doesn’t care. They also freeze very well.

    Reply

    • Amy says

      Hi Milena, yes they are a little on the soft side but glad your little guy likes them. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback 🙂

      Reply

    • Amy says

      Hi Vetty, this is the weight. So 500g is approx 1.1lb and the 160g is the weight of the can of tuna (approx 5.6 oz) (I used two cans, drained). Hope that clears things up a little better.

      Reply

    • Amy says

      Hi Clare, yes you can freeze them. I’d freeze them just after coating them but before frying them. Freeze in a single layer before transferring to a zipline bag/freezer container. 🙂

      Reply

  23. Desiree says

    Should these have Egg? I am making them but they just fall apart and the bottom burns but still falls apart when I try to flip them

    Reply

    • Amy says

      Hi Desiree, sorry you didn’t have success with the recipe. Did you watch the video? Was the consistency of the mixture similar to mine? Maybe you had more / less moisture left in the tuna or in the potato? I never had a problem flipping them but I did use a non-stick pan. You could add an egg if the mixture was dry/crumbly. If the mixture was too wet you could perhaps add some breadcrumbs to the mixture.

      Reply

  25. Amanda says

    We only have stainless steel pans (my husband is a repeat offender of burning the bases out of non-stick!). I’m not sure if it was because of that or something else but ours broke up a bit on cooking. My 10mo also wasn’t too sure about the tuna flavour! But my husband loved them and finished them off as snacks. So still a win! Next time I’ll try using salmon and baking them.

    Reply

    • Amy says

      Thanks Amanda, glad your husband enjoyed them! I’m not sure what could have gone wrong. Mine were very soft but held together to form cakes. My only thought could be that you didn’t drain the tuna enough but it could also be the pan as you suggested. Salmon would be great in this 🙂

      Reply

  27. Mrs F says

    Can you make these in advance and then cook them just before you’re ready to eat them? I’m trying them out today – they sound lovely!!

    Reply

    • Amy says

      If you keep it in the fridge and then reheat it thoroughly I’d say yes. They texture may be be a little soft though.

      Reply

  33. Everything Mummy says

    ooo your right these do sound perfect for everyone! I love tuna so will have to give these a go! Thanks for linking up to #kidscorner x

    Reply

  36. Sara Handy Herbs says

    These look really tasty! I am sure children would love to make these with adult help . Thanks for sharing #KidsCorner

    Reply

    • Amy says

      Thanks Sara! Yes Finn loves to help and the good think is he can taste as much of the mixture as he likes as there is no raw meat / eggs in it!

      Reply

    • Amy says

      I had a little chuckle reading your comment, I now have visions of you in a bib and sitting in a high chair! Def not just for the babies, I love them too!

      Reply