A skillet full of tuna

The ubiquitous can of tuna has been a mainstay of tourist for many years but creating a hot meal with it has always been a problem. Since it rained most all day, I decided to turn to the kitchen to see if I could solve that problem, using only what I would have on tour. A baked tuna noodle casserole was out of the question but I figured out a way to prepare a hot dinner in a single non-stick skillet over a camp stove or fire.

Salmon croquets and crab cakes have been a common staple in restaurants for years but never anything made from canned tuna and I wondered it there might be a reason. I'm happy to report that my efforts were rather successful.

Ingredients

6oz can of tuna packed in oil
1 egg
1 Tbs sp water
1/2 can finely chopped onion
10 crackers
2 Tbl sp flour, baking mix or corn meal
Salt and pepper
* Other seasonings

Directions

Beat egg in the water and add the chopped onion and tuna with the oil.
Crush the crackers fairly fine and fold in with the flour. Salt and pepper. You can omit the flour but they tend to crumble and fall apart without it.
Let set for a few minutes for the crackers to absorb the liquid. (You can even do this in the skillet you are going to cook it in) *If you have them, a dash of your favorite herbs will kick it up a notch. Thyme, Oregano, Dill, Cumin, Chili powder or Curry all work well. You could also use herb mixes like Italian, Old Bay, Cajun or Emeril's Essence.
Form it into four egg-size balls and flatten slightly into patties or you can cook it as one large cake in a 6" non-stick skillet. There's enough oil in the tuna so none needs to be added.
Cook over low heat until browned on the bottom and turn to brown the other side.

Serves two normal people or one really hungry cyclist.

Jim Foreman

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