I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and somehow my routine of cooking every other day has somehow become daily. Are we consuming more? Am I not cooking enough? Whatever the reason it means me spending more time slaving over a hot stove and that certainly wasn’t my goal. With the increased time spent in the kitchen comes boredom and a need for creativity when it comes to our meals and an idea popped into my head to make these crispy Tuna and Chickpea Patty.

Cooking for a sometimes vegan husband, picky 6 year old and a 1 year old can be tricky. One wants more vegetables – as do I, one wants less vegetables and one needs a variety of different foods and textures for his developing taste buds. These tuna and chickpea patty checks all the boxes and is pleasing to all 3 taste buds. Instead of an all meat or fish patty I combine it with protein rich chick peas and for added flavor I used finely chopped red peppers. I used red peppers but you can add finely chopped vegetables such as zucchini, mushroom or carrots. I told my 6 year old that it was chicken patties and served it with ketchup – he actually ate it! And any dish that goes over well with the entire household is a success in my book.

There are a few tricks to getting this right so it’s nice and crispy and not soggy. Be sure to drain the tuna well; to do so I placed it in a strainer and using a spoon to press out any leftover liquids. I tried this recipe several times and to get the right texture for the chickpeas, I found that using a potato masher to mash the chickpeas worked best. If you’re going to use a food processor be sure to leave it chunky and not to blend until smooth. When frying up these patties be sure to form the patties nice and thin, about ½ inch in thickness. I find that if it’s too thick then crisp up as well. These are great served with dhal and rice or on a bed of sautéed greens. Enjoy!

Get the Recipe TUNA AND CHICKPEA PATTY

Servings: 10
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Leave a Review

Ingredients
 

  • 1-15 oz can chickpeas, about 1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas
  • 2-5 oz can tuna in water
  • 1 tsp crushed garlic
  • ¼ cup diced red bell pepper
  • 1/3 cup diced onions
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 wiri wiri pepper finely chopped, any hot pepper will do
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • Oil to fry

Instructions
 

  • Strain water from tuna making sure to remove excess water by pressing it with the back of a spoon through a strainer. Strain water from chickpeas and mash with a potato masher. The chick peas should still have some texture and not mashed into a paste. Add strained tuna, garlic, bell pepper, onion, wiri wiri pepper, chopped parsley, lemon zest, black pepper, salt, lemon juice, bread crumbs and egg and mix well.
  • To form the patties, use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop out each patty and press to form a circle about ½ inch in thickness. In a frying pan over medium heat, add oil(about ½ in deep). When oil is hot fry patties on both sides until golden brown. When the edges become brown, flip to the other side and fry until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a sheet lined with paper towel. Serve warm.
Author: Jehan Powell