Tuna Cakes with Broccoli di Rape

Sometimes, a tiny little thing changes something from good... to classic. 

Last night, I decided to make tuna cakes.  It’s one of our favorites, and it generally leans, or leaps, in a vaguely Asian direction. 

But I also had some broccoli di rape that was whispering my name.

So I started thinking more Mediterranean than Asian.  I also had some rosemary and a clementine. 

Hmmmmm... 

I took one can of tuna in oil (keeping the oil in, because... why wouldn’t I? ) 

Quick sidebar:  this has to be GOOD canned tuna.  Now I don’t mean the billions-of-dollars per jar stuff... but really good.  We are really fond of Genova (@genova-seafood).  It tastes great, is sustainably harvested, and is not wildly expensive.  (Shhhhh... you can even get it at Costco!)  So please... avoid Chicken of the Star Bumble, etc. 

Back to the recipe. 

To the tuna and oil, add 1 egg, some salt and pepper, a few red pepper flakes, 2t finely chopped rosemary, 2 minced scallions (white and green), and enough panko to firm it up a bit.  Form 4 cakes, and chill for an hour. 

You and the cakes. 

Coat in more panko and sauté in EVOO until golden on both sides. 

The sauce is simply mayo, with some rinsed capers (I much prefer salt packed), and the micro-planed zest of a clementine or orange or tangerine. 

The broccoli di rape is simply trimmed and sautéed with garlic, red pepper flakes, and some salt. 

Other than the chilling of the cakes, this whole meal took about 15 minutes! 

And it was so good that we stayed at the table talking for so long that we didn’t get to watch Outlander... 

And for us to miss an evening with Jamie and Claire... you know it was special!

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