How to make tuna fish kebabs. Tuna fish kebabs or fish cakes are the perfect appetizer which you can have with a variety of sauces or even go great with pilau rice. Easy to make and deliciously tasty. These tuna fish kebabs/fish kababs can be made in big batches and stored away for frying later. Also for a healthier option you can even cook them up in an air fryer. They taste great whichever way you decide to cook them up!
I love to make these fish kebabs as it’s such a easy and super yummy option if you are trying to make fish dishes that adults and kids could also enjoy. These fish kebabs taste as good as they look and are very tempting. Filled with flavors to balance out the taste and coated with a crunchy coating of panko breadcrumbs. The combination of a mixture of textures make this fish kebab a delight to have.
Why use tuna fish?
The reason I prefer to use tuna fish is just because of the versatility. Tuna fish is so easily found pretty much everywhere….Of course I’m talking about the canned tuna we find in super markets. Canned tuna works perfectly for this recipe. All ready to use and I’m sure we all have cans of tuna in our pantry for those quick sandwiches we prep.
This is a recipe I saw my mom make while I was at home and helped her make too. These tuna fish kebabs have a nice masala flavor. The tuna is lightly cooked in a masala base of onions, tomatoes and spices with fresh cilantro and green chilies. The cooked tuna is then cooled down and mixed in with mashed potatoes. Everything is mixed in well, then using your hands equal sized round balls are made and slightly pressed down to form a patty shape.
Coating the fish kebabs
To finish off the fish kebabs are rolled around in corn flour, dipped in beaten eggs then coated with panko breadcrumbs. Using cornflour helps to give the fish kebabs a even surface without cracking when they are fried up. The beaten eggs help the breadcrumbs to stick on of course. And lastly the reason for using panko breadcrumbs is for the unique flavor it has as well as the overall appearance it gives to the kebabs. And not to forget the perfect light golden color and crunch the panko breadcrumbs have once fried.
Storing and frying the kebabs
These fish kebabs are perfect for batch making so you can freeze them straight away by placing them on parchment paper on a tray in a single layer. Then once frozen they can be stored in zip lock bags ready to fry when needed. Also these tuna fish kebabs will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months.
They can be shallow fried in oil on a medium high flame for 3-4 minutes turning over once. Or they can be fried in an air fryer at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for 3-4 mins also turning over once. If frying them in an air fryer make sure to brush or spray the fish kebabs with cooking oil prior to frying.
Serve warm just as an appetizer with your favorite sauces or even have them with pilau rice and chicken roast. Either way these tuna fish kebabs or tuna fish cakes taste absolutely delicious…..
How To Make Tuna Fish kebabs, Fish Cakes
Course: AppetizersCuisine: BangladeshiDifficulty: Easy20
kebabs/cakes5
minutes20
minutesEasy fish kebab recipe
Ingredients
1/4 cup of oil
1 large onion finely chopped or sliced
1 and a 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 large tomato finely chopped or sliced
1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric powder
1/2 a teaspoon of chili powder
1/2 a teaspoon of coriander powder
1/2 a teaspoon of curry powder
2 cans of tuna (5 ounce cans) rinsed under cold water and drained well
2-3 green chilies finely chopped
A handful of fresh cilantro/coriander finely chopped
2 large potatoes peeled and cut into medium sized pieces(boiled and mashed)
- To coat the kebabs
1/2 a cup of corn flour
2 beaten eggs
1 and a 1/2 half cups of panko breadcrumbs or any other type of breadcrumbs
- To fry tuna fish kebabs
oil to shallow fry kebabs
Cooking spray if using a air fryer
Directions
- In a medium sized pan add in the oil with the chopped onions and salt
- Cook the onions on a medium high flame for 2-3 minutes until they start to turn golden brown
- Add in the chopped tomatoes, stir and cook on a medium flame for another 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften
- Add in the spices one by one, turmeric, chili, coriander and curry powder
- Stir and mix in well, cook the spices for 1-2 minutes on a medium flame until you start to see some of the oil rise to the surface
- Add in the rinsed and drained tuna, mix in well with the spices and cook on a medium/high flame for 3-4 minutes so there is no extra liquid in the pan, stirring occasionally
- Add in the chopped green chilies and cilantro, stir and take the pan off the heat
- Transfer the cooked tuna masala into a large mixing bowl
- Boil the potatoes in a saucepan filled with water and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. Bring the potatoes to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes on a medium low flame
- Drain the water and mash the potatoes using a potato masher
- Or you could put the potatoes into a microwavable bowl and cook them in the microwave for 10-15 minutes checking them half way
- Add the mashed potatoes in the bowl with the tuna masala mixture, mix the two up really well making sure everything is well combined
- Using your hands shape the mixture into 20 equal sized balls, these should be a fairly medium size
- Then just very slightly flatten them out to form patty shapes
- Place all the fish kebabs onto a tray lined with parchment paper so they don’t stick onto the tray
- To coat the fish kebabs
- Place one of the kebabs into the corn flour and very gently and lightly roll the kebab around to cover the kebab
- Then dip the kebab into the beaten eggs, taking off any excess eggs
- Lastly roll the kebab in the panko breadcrumbs, making sure the surface of the kebab is fully coated
- Do this for all the kebabs until all of them are coated
- Place them all onto the parchment paper and cover the tray with plastic wrap if you want to freeze these and fry them for later
- Once the kebabs are frozen they can be transferred into a zip-lock bag to fry away for later
- To fry
- Heat a fry pan up with oil, just enough to shallow fry
- Fry the tuna fish kebabs on a medium high flame 3-4 minutes per side
- They should turn a nice golden brown color
- Use a slotted spoon to take the kebabs out and transfer onto a paper towel
- To air fry
- Set the temperature to 390 degrees Fahrenheit, place the kebabs into the air fryer and spray the kebabs with cooking spray
- Cook for 3-4 minutes per side
- Enjoy hot with your favorite dipping sauces or pilau and roast!
Notes
- Best served on the day once fried. Uncooked kebabs will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Check out this recipe for Bangladeshi Jali Kebabs!
