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Home » Recipes » 30 Minute Meals

Tuna Patties (Tuna Cakes)

Modified: Apr 4, 2025 · Published: Mar 15, 2015 by Keith · This post may contain affiliate links · 39 Comments

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Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·5 from 16 reviews
2 tuna patties on white plate, partly eaten with fork and dipping sauce

Fresh Tuna Patties made with sushi-grade Ahi tuna are light, moist, and packed with flavor. A healthy 30-minute meal everyone will love. Serve them with a tangy dipping sauce.

2 tuna cakes on white plate, partly eaten with fork and dipping sauce

Fresh tuna cakes

Tuna Cakes were a dinner-table regular when I was growing up, but I’ll be honest—they weren’t my favorite. My mom, who was a fantastic cook, made them with canned tuna and celery. They were so dry we had to slice them open and spread them with butter just to make them go down.

Years later, I set out to reimagine that humble dish. These Fresh Ahi Tuna Cakes are everything I wish we had back then—moist, flavorful, and made with fresh, sushi-grade tuna. Like our Tuna Salad Sandwich, using fresh ingredients transforms a basic recipe into something memorable. They’re quick to make, light enough for lunch, and perfect with a spoonful of No Mayo Coleslaw.

Jackie never got to try my mom’s original version, but I know she’d appreciate the heart behind it. Sharing these stories through food helps me stay connected to my roots—and it’s one of the many reasons I love cooking.

Jump to:
  • Fresh tuna cakes
  • Ingredients
  • 🔪 Top tip
  • Instructions
  • Featured review
  • Variations
  • 🐟 More Tuna Recipes
  • Storage
  • FAQ
  • Related recipes
  • Tuna Patties recipe

Ingredients

ingredients for ahi tuna patties on white plate
  • AHI TUNA: fresh ahi tuna steaks (yellow fin tuna steaks)
  • CRACKERS: cracker crumbs (we like Club crackers or Ritz crackers)
  • SEAFOOD SEASONING: we like Old Bay Seasoning
  • SALT: kosher salt or sea salt
  • PEPPER: course ground black pepper
  • EGG: large egg or extra large egg
  • CILANTRO: fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
  • LIME: fresh squeezed lime juice
  • OLIVE OIL: use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can afford

*see recipe card for quantities.

🔪 Top tip

Don't over mix. Make sure to keep larger pieces of tuna in the mix for optimum flavor.

Instructions

  1. Dice Tuna: Dice tuna into ¼" pieces and place in a mixing bowl
  2. Add Fresh Lime Juice: Squeeze juice from one fresh lime wedge onto tuna
  3. Add Seasoning: Salt and pepper tuna, and mix in old bay seasoning
  4. Crush Crackers: crush crackers and cilantro. Mix to an oatmeal consistency (you want some larger pieces)
  5. Wish the Egg: In a separate bowl, whisk the egg. Add to tuna.
  6. Add Cracker Crumbs: combine cracker crumbs with tuna and mix together (it will look wet, don't worry the crackers will absorb the liquid).
  7. Refrigerate Tuna Mixture: Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes
  8. Make the Dipping Sauce: Mix ¼ cup cocktail sauce with ½ cup mayonnaise. Add fresh-squeezed lime juice (about 1 teaspoon) to taste.
  9. Prepare the Pan: Heat a sauté pan over medium high and add tablespoon olive oil
  10. Make Tuna Patties: divide tuna mixture into 3 equal parts. Form into balls and lightly smash to flatten top and bottom
  11. Cook the Tuna Patties: place in sauté pan and cook over medium high heat for 2 minutes, turn over and cook for another 2 minutes.
  12. Serve: serve with fresh lime and drizzle with dipping sauce

Featured review

❝ Every time I make these, I want to thank you! Each time we grill ahi, we grill extra just for tuna cakes. ❞
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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2 tuna cakes on white plate with lemon wedges + orange dipping sauce

Variations

  • Tuna Burger: make a larger sized patty. Serve it on a bun with fresh tomato & lettuce for an out of this world, healthier burger
  • Salad: Serve patties on a bed of greens for an easy, gluten free meal. The sauce makes a great tasting dressing.
  • Tacos: serve them in tortillas or use our Tuna Tacos recipe
  • Spice it Up: add some Sriracha or hot sauce to the tuna mixture and or the sauce to spice things up.

🐟 More Tuna Recipes

  • Tuna Salad Sandwich (with fresh tuna)
  • Tuna Steak with Mango Salsa
  • Tuna Tacos with Salsa Verde

Storage

  • STORE leftover cooked patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 days.
  • FREEZE uncooked patties by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap or a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before cooking.
  • REHEAT patties in a sautéed pan with a little olive oil.
2 tuna cakes on white plate, cut into with fork

FAQ

What are tuna patties made of?

Tuna patties are typically made from tuna (fresh or canned), breadcrumbs, eggs, and seasonings. Our version uses sushi-grade Ahi tuna for a fresher, more flavorful result.

What is the best kind of tuna to use for tuna patties?

Fresh sushi-grade Ahi tuna is best for flavor and texture. We like ahi (yellow fin or big eye) tuna. Blue fin tuna steaks are great too!

Can I use bread crumbs instead of crackers?

Yes, Panko bread crumbs work great for this recipe.

How do you keep tuna patties from falling apart?

To prevent tuna patties from falling apart, make sure to use enough egg and breadcrumbs. Chilling the patties before cooking can also help them hold their shape better.

Can I use canned tuna instead of fresh tuna for patties?

Yes, canned tuna can be used for convenience, but fresh Ahi tuna offers a moist texture and clean flavor that elevates the dish.

What do you serve with tuna patties?

Tuna patties pair well with Asian Salad, Cilantro Lime Rice, roasted veggies, or a tangy dipping sauce. Try them with our Baby Broccoli  or No Mayo Coleslaw.

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    Tuna Salad Sandwich (with fresh tuna)
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🍅 Making this recipe?

  • Please feel free to reach out with questions. We're happy to help.
  • If you enjoyed it, please leave us a comment with ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Print
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2 tuna patties on white plate, cut into with fork

Tuna Patties recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 16 reviews

Print Recipe

Fresh Tuna Patties, made with sushi-grade Ahi tuna, are light, moist, and packed with flavor. A healthy 30-minute meal everyone will love. 

  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 3 cakes 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the tuna patties:

  • 8 oz fresh ahi tuna
  • ½ C cracker crumbs (we used a club crackers )
  • 1 tbsp old bay seafood seasoning
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp Cilantro
  • Fresh lime juice
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil

For the dipping sauce:

  • ¼ c cocktail sauce
  • ½ c mayonnaise
  • Tsp fresh lime juice

Instructions

  1. Dice tuna into ¼" pieces and place in a mixing bowl
  2. Squeeze one fresh lime wedge onto tuna
  3. Salt and pepper tuna, and mix in old bay seasoning
  4. Crush crackers and cilantro and mix to an oatmeal consistency (you want some larger pieces)
  5. In a separate bowl, scramble the egg and add to tuna.
  6. Combine cracker crumbs with tuna and mix together (it will look wet, don't worry the crackers will absorb the liquid).
  7. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes
  8. Heat a sauté pan over medium high and add tablespoon olive oil
  9. Divide tuna mixture into 3 equal parts and form into balls and lightly smash to flatten top and bottom
  10. Place in sauté pan and cook over medium high heat for 2 minutes, turn over and cook for another 2 minutes.
  11. Serve with fresh lime and drizzle with tuna sauce

Notes

  • DON'T OVER-MIX: make sure to keep larger pieces of tuna in the mix for optimum flavor.
  • Author: Superman Cooks
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Category: Appetizer or sandwich
  • Cuisine: Seafood

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cake
  • Calories: 527
  • Sugar: 5.4 g
  • Sodium: 1551.6 mg
  • Fat: 41.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 19.3 g
  • Protein: 21.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 109.1 mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @supermancooks on Instagram and hashtag it #supermancooks

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Comments

  1. chantal says

    August 31, 2015 at 8:45 am

    Tried this recipe last night and it was delicious! Made some modifications with what we had on hand. Used Chicken in a Biscuit crackers, added minced onions, cilantro and green onions (Next time I will add red bell pepper). For the mayo sauce, added sriracha and balanced with sugar for a nice kick. Cooked in a cast iron, the outside was nice and crunchy while the inside was moist. My husband absolutely loved it!

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      September 02, 2015 at 11:19 am

      thanks so much for your feedback Chantal! We are so happy you and your hubby enjoyed it! Yay!
      K & J

      Reply
  2. Jackie says

    October 04, 2016 at 7:10 am

    thanks so much Lisa!! We are so excited that you tried and liked our recipe!! Love your additions as well!

    Reply
  3. Sarah says

    April 04, 2018 at 11:56 am

    Made these last night. I didn't have cilantro on hand, but I did add parsley and used whole wheat Club crackers. The sauce was good, but I think next time I will add a dash of tobasco for a little kick. They were AMAZING with a spring salad.

    Reply
  4. Sherry says

    November 05, 2018 at 10:59 pm

    These were delicious! I added onion, red pepper and some jalapeño. I used Ritz crackers and parsley because I didn't have cilantro. I will make them again soon.

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      November 06, 2018 at 7:07 am

      thanks so much Sherry!! We are SO EXCITED that you stopped by and were able to try this recipe. Next time add the cilantro! You won't regret it!!

      Reply
    • Juliette Gilbert says

      February 20, 2024 at 7:18 pm

      This was delicious and very easy. I kept the recipe as it was and served with a mixed salad.

      Reply
      • Jackie says

        February 20, 2024 at 9:47 pm

        Thanks for stopping by Juliette!
        We are so happy you enjoyed the Tuna cakes. This is one of our family favorites! We love serving them with a salad too!!

        Reply
  5. Trey says

    November 20, 2018 at 8:19 am

    Great use of my leftover seared ahi tuna. However, the direction to scramble, rather than whisk or best the egg confused me in my hurry to ready dinner.

    Next time, I will whisk the eggs before adding to the mix. Evem still, a delicious recipe, somewhat reminicent of some Spanish tapas recipes.

    Trey

    Reply
  6. andrea says

    June 16, 2019 at 8:25 pm

    just tried these and they turned out great! i did add another egg and some milk because i had a cooked tuna steak that i used in stead of fresh and it was really dry. used ritz style crackers, and it was delish.

    Reply
    • Keith says

      June 17, 2019 at 8:18 pm

      Thanks so much!! The way you made them sound great too!!

      Reply
  7. Beth says

    October 12, 2019 at 7:43 pm

    Every time I make these, I want to thank you! Each time we grill ahi, we grill extra just for tuna cakes.
    I add minced onion and use panko instead of crackers. Then we top them with avocado crema: a mixture of a smashed avocado, plain greek yogurt, lime juice, and cayenne...simultaneously cool and hot. Fabulous!

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      October 13, 2019 at 7:09 pm

      Beth, this is the nicest thing to read!!! THANK YOU so much for your kind words! We are so happy that you are enjoying our food!!
      Love the topping ideas too!!!

      Reply
  8. Sheryl says

    November 21, 2019 at 6:40 pm

    Made these tonight. My ahi tuna was already cooked so I added an extra egg, added some chopped onion and I didn’t have lime so I substituted lemon juice and zest. They were delicious!!

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      November 21, 2019 at 8:18 pm

      We are SO HAPPY you enjoined them Sheryl!! Your kind words mean a lot to us!!

      Reply
  9. Jordan says

    February 24, 2020 at 5:50 pm

    Delicious.

    Reply
  10. Jordan says

    February 24, 2020 at 5:51 pm

    Delicious. Will make again.

    Reply
  11. Patty says

    August 09, 2020 at 12:12 pm

    Can I make this ahead of time?

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      August 16, 2020 at 8:14 am

      Hi Patty,
      thanks for stopping by! Yes, you can make this ahead of time, but not too far ahead. We recommend making it the same day or the day before to maximize the flavor. Please let us know how it turns out!

      Reply
  12. Donna says

    August 16, 2020 at 1:05 pm

    Can I freeze these?

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      September 06, 2020 at 12:08 pm

      Hi Donna,
      thanks for stopping by! Yes, you can make these ahead and freeze them, but they may be a little drier than when served fresh. Please let us know how they turn out!

      Reply
  13. Joanna says

    October 22, 2020 at 3:28 pm

    As a person who does not really like the taste of tuna, this exceeded all expectations ! Definitely a staple dish in my household from now on. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe.

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      October 24, 2020 at 6:49 pm

      Thank you Joanna! This makes our day! We are so happy you like it as much as we do!!

      Reply
  14. Neal says

    February 14, 2021 at 6:15 pm

    Made tonight, added sautéed celery and onion for crunch, used ritz crackers, cooked cast iron crispy outside moist delicious inside. Used dressing with a cool salad

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      February 14, 2021 at 9:04 pm

      Thank you so much for sharing Neal! We are so happy you liked them!!

      Reply
  15. Karen says

    February 21, 2021 at 7:42 pm

    How much cilantro and when do you add it?

    Reply
    • Keith says

      February 24, 2021 at 8:06 am

      Thanks Karen for catching our mistake. I corrected the recipe. I added the cilantro to the mix with the cracker crumbs. I hope you enjoy them. Be on the lookout for some re-launched pictures in the near future. This was one of our oldest recipes and we want to re-make and update the photos.

      Reply
  16. Shannon says

    August 23, 2021 at 3:48 am

    We LOVE this recipe. Living in Okinawa, we catch a lot of tuna and it’s difficult to find recipes. The only thing I changed was I used Zatarans seasoning instead of Old Bay. We love Yum Yum sauce with this too. ❤️

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      August 30, 2021 at 12:34 pm

      Thank you so much Shannon!!
      This makes our whole day!!! We are so excited that you like the recipe as much as we do, and we are definitely going to try it with Yum Yum sauce!! Great idea!

      Reply
  17. Diana says

    November 21, 2021 at 10:12 pm

    My husband always buys too much Ahi for just the two of us, and this was a perfect solution for the leftovers. I actually had to double the recipe. I added wasabi to the sauce - and next time will add some onion and maybe a little celery to tuna. It was delicious, so thank you for this recipe! Will definitely be a staple in our kitchen.

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      November 26, 2021 at 10:40 am

      This is so great to hear Diana! Wasabi sounds like a great addition! We are so happy you stopped by!!

      Reply
  18. Heather says

    February 21, 2023 at 1:30 pm

    My friend has been fishing a ton recently and he was so generous that I had fresh caught ahí tuna coming out of my ears. Even moreso because none of my children will eat fish. At least, not until I made this recipe. I was making lunch for myself and my oldest son thought it smelled so good while cooking that he tried it. And he really liked it! He's 17 years old and never willing to try fish until THIS RECIPE! I can't thank you enough.

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      February 22, 2023 at 4:56 pm

      Thank you so much Heather! This makes our day!! We love this recipe too, and can tell you that it has also worked for us to get teenagers to eat fish! Hooray! We are so jealous that you have a supply of fresh Ahi tuna at your house!! Thank you for taking the time to write to us. Cheers!

      Reply
  19. Sandra says

    May 01, 2023 at 6:27 pm

    Delicious! A keeper recipe!

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      May 04, 2023 at 8:14 am

      Thanks so much Sandra!! We are so happy to hear that you love our Tuna Cakes as much as we do!!

      Reply
  20. Cathy Ward says

    May 04, 2023 at 5:11 am

    In What kind of oil do you fry them? I am definitely making this with my leftover Poke tuna. My guests who LOVE sushi could not get their heads around cubed raw tuna.

    Reply
    • Keith says

      May 04, 2023 at 9:06 am

      Thanks so much for the comment, we use canola oil, however a vegetable, olive or avocado oil would work well also. Let us know how you like them.

      Reply
  21. Terese says

    August 22, 2023 at 9:54 pm

    Tried this recipe tonight and it was fabulous. I was looking for other ways to prepare tuna since we have a freezer full from a successful fishing trip in Mexico! My husband wanted to make sure I kept this recipe! I did follow other remarks and added sauteed onion and jalapeno - then I added a little bit of sriracha to the sauce and served it with cilantro lime rice. So so good, thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Jackie says

      August 25, 2023 at 8:00 am

      Terese,
      This makes our day! This is one of our favorite recipes, and we are so happy you and your family enjoy it as much as we do. We love the addition of jalapeńo + sriracha! Thank you so much for your kind words.

      Reply

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