Healthy Tuna Cakes with Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I recently had a revelation: Tuna Cakes! But before I dig into the recipe, let me tell you a bit about the background to this culinary adventure. Growing up, I went to camp in Maine every summer. I loved it! Not only for the camp itself, but also for the Maine lobster. After my last summer, my dad came to pick me up and we drove from Boston to NY, stopping by Cape Cod for a few days.

On our first day, we had lunch in a cute small joint in the middle of town. Since I’d had enough lobster in Maine, I decided to go for the crab cakes. From there on, the obsession started. They were perfectly crispy on the outside, and moist on the inside, without being soaked in mayo (which I don’t eat). Basically heaven on a plate. The other day, for an unknown reason, I suddenly craved these flavors. Unfortunately for me, my pantry was crab-less. That’s when I found canned tuna and thought I could try using that for a change. It was amazing! I know that it sounds funny, but I really encourage you to try them. They were deliciously healthy (no mayo, just an egg white) and paired perfectly with crispy sweet potato fries, baked in the oven. Overall these were a great substitute for my Cape Cod cravings, that I’m sure to make again. Bon appétit!

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Total time: 10 minutes for the tuna cakes, 45 minutes for the fries.

Ingredients for the Tuna Cakes: 

• 3 oz. can of tuna
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 shallot
• 1 tbsp plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp Panko breadcrumbs
• a bunch or fresh parsley
• a drizzle of sriracha
• salt and pepper

Ingredients for the Sweet Potato Fries:

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt
• 1 tsp cornstarch (optional)

Directions:

1. To make the sweet potato fries, preheat your oven at 400°F, peel the sweet potato and cut it in 1/2 inch slices, lengthwise. Next, cut the slices in about 1/4 inch sticks. Toss with cornstarch first (optional) and then olive oil in a large Ziploc bag, or a bowl. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15 minutes, toss the fries around, and bake for another 10 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the fries inside for about 15 minutes with the door open (this will make the fries crispier!).
2. While the fries are sitting in the oven, make the tuna cakes.  In a bowl, combine the tuna flakes, egg white, shallot, parsley, yogurt, breadcrumbs, sriracha and salt & pepper. Form patties with your hands and place them in a pan over medium heat, with olive oil.  Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crispy.
3. To serve, top the patties with mashed avocado and a drizzle of good olive oil. Enjoy!