Tuna Croquettes with Homemade Tartar Sauce

This recipe for Tuna Croquettes with Homemade Tartar Sauce is the perfect meal when you are short on time and only have basic ingredients on hand. Serve them on a salad, with rice or in wraps for a complete meal, ready in about 25 minutes.

This is the kind of recipe I tend to make when I've returned home from a trip or on a weekend when I'm tired of cooking. That's because it's incredibly simple yet super satisfying. I almost always have cans of tuna in my pantry, along with breadcrumbs and a potato. That is pretty much all you need to make these crispy pan-fried and baked croquettes (also called tuna cakes or tuna fritters). But for this recipe I add lots of flavor with fresh dill, briny olives, pungent mustard and bright lemon.

I love recipes where I can serve it as an entree, appetizer or even a quick lunch, just like my recipe for Smoked Trout Tartines with Crispy Capers or Crispy Buffalo Tofu. Like these recipes, my Tuna Croquettes with Homemade Tartar Sauce is ideal for dinner (with a vegetable side), a starter or even an afternoon snack!

Jump to:

• Ingredients that Matter
• How to Make Crispy Tuna Cakes
• Substitutions
• Serving Suggestions
• Equipment
• Storage
• FAQ
• Appetizers
• Dinner
• Recipe

Ingredients that Matter

One of the best things about this recipe is that most of the ingredients are likely in your pantry or refrigerator. Here are the ingredients you'll need for this recipe:

• Tuna. Use a couple cans of tuna, either packed in water or oil. Be sure to drain them. If you can find and afford it, use sustainable tuna (check out this guide from Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch for more info).
• Potato. The filling of the tuna cakes can be made with breadcrumbs, flour or potato. For this recipe, I went with potatoes since I've been trying to eat gluten-free (more on that later). One large starchy potato, like a russet or white potato (about 12 ounces), will do just fine.
• Mayonnaise. The recipe has mayonnaise in two places, in the croquette filling and as the base for the homemade tartar sauce. Use either full fat or a low fat.
• Olives. Adding chopped olives to the tuna fritter mix adds tons of briny flavor that compliments tuna very well. I like to use Castelvetrano olives. More olives are used in the tartar sauce (I like them instead of pickles in my tartar sauce).
• Mustard. Some whole grain mustard is added to both the croquette filling and sauce for some pungent heat.
• Dill. Fresh dill goes so well with tuna so there's a few tablespoons in both the filling and in the sauce itself.
• Lemon. A bit of lemon zest and juice go into both the filling and the sauce to provides bright flavor.
• Egg. The crispy tuna patties are first dipped in an egg, lightly beaten with some water, before rolling in the panko breadcrumbs.
• Panko. The crispy exterior comes from panko breadcrumbs. I use gluten-free panko (I like Aleia's Gluten Free Real Panko), but you can use whatever kind you'd like, even regular Italian-style breadcrumbs or homemade.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Crispy Tuna Cakes

Making these easy canned tuna cakes quite simple, as is the homemade tartar sauce. Here is how the recipe comes together:

Hint: Technically the croquettes may be eaten after pan-fried, but I like to finish them in the oven so the interior is hot. You can simply pan fry and serve them crispy on the inside and slightly warm on the inside, if you'd prefer (all ingredients in the filling are ready to eat).

Substitutions

There are lots of substitutions you can make to this recipe depending on your dietary needs or preferences:

• Gluten-Free - Make this recipe gluten-free by using a gluten-free breadcrumb.
• Dairy-Free - You can make this recipe dairy-free by leaving out the sour cream and instead adding more mayonnaise to the sauce.
• Dried Dill - If you don't have fresh dill you can always use dried dill weed for a similar flavor.
• Olives - Feel free to experiment with whatever type of olive you prefer. Or, if you'd like, swap out the olives for dill pickles.
• Hot Sauce - The sauce benefits greatly from a splash of hot sauce.
• Other Canned Fish - If you don't want to use canned tuna, you can instead use another canned fish like sardines, mackerel or salmon.

Serving Suggestions

This easy canned tuna dinner recipe is delicious as is. Serve one for an appetizer or starter, or two for dinner along with some vegetables. I also like to serve a couple on a green salad and drizzle with the homemade tartar sauce. This is a versatile recipe!

Equipment

My favorite cast iron skillet these days is the Lodge Blacklock Skillet as it's lightweight yet super sturdy. For the baking sheets, I like this set of Nordic Ware 3 Piece Baker's Delight Set made from aluminum. I tend to avoid non-stick products, especially roasting pans or baking sheets for health and environmental reasons.

Storage

Tuna croquettes may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 400F oven or toaster oven, until hot. You can also serve them cold out of the refrigerator, though they won't be quite as crispy.

To make the recipe ahead, you can make the croquette filling and the tartar sauce a day ahead. I suggest pan-frying and baking just before serving.

You can also easily double this recipe if you want to serve the canned tuna fritters for a holiday party or dinner.

FAQ

Appetizers

Looking for other appetizer recipes like this? Try these:

Dinner

Need some inspiration for dinner? Try these recipes]:

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