Tuna Burgers with Lemon-Sage Aioli

To download a copy of the recipe for Tuna Burgers with Lemon-Sage Aioli, click HERE.

In this week’s recipe, three of my favorite things – tuna, food that’s low-fat and nutritious, and fresh-cooked burgers – are combined into one delicious meal that’s easy to make and satisfying to eat. Whether you’re cooking dinner for your family or feeding friends at a summer cookout, Tuna Burgers with Lemon-Sage Aioli are a great alternative to the usual ground beef or ground turkey burger. And the natural goodness of tuna – including high quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids and the antioxidant mineral selenium – is made even better when you serve them on whole grain rolls with turkey bacon, low fat cheese, cooked onions, or any other low fat topping you like!

The nutritional value of tuna in its many forms is worth checking out. Many on-line sources are available; the Livestrong site (http://www.livestrong.com/tuna-nutrition-information/) is one I continue to recommend for useful nutritional background information.

This recipe makes 4 meal-size burgers.

Here are the ingredients you need:

For the lemon sage aioli: ½ cup low fat mayonnaise; 2 cloves garlic; 1 tablespoon dried sage; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

For the tuna burger patties: 1 pound fresh (preferred and strongly recommended) or good quality canned; 2 egg-substitute eggs; 2 Tbsp grated carrot; ¼ cup chopped green onions; 2 Tbsp minced celery; 1-1/2 Tbsp prepared horseradish; 2 Tbsp prepared sweet pickle relish; ¼ tsp Worcestershire; ¼ tsp ground ginger; ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper; 2 tsp dried parsley; ½ cup corn meal; olive oil for sauté.

Other Items for Serving: 4 whole grain burger rolls; burger toppings as desired (e.g. low-fat cheese, turkey bacon, tomatoes, reduced fat potato chips, etc.).

First, we’ll make the aioli:

Chop the garlic cloves. Use the flat of the knife blade to press them into a paste.

Combine the remaining aioli ingredients with the garlic paste in a bowl.

Whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate till ready to serve.

Next, we’ll prepare the burgers patties:

If using fresh tuna, use a very sharp knife to cut the tuna into a ¼” dice.

Combine the tuna, egg, onion, carrot, green onion, celery, horseradish, pickle relish, Worcestershire, ginger, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup of the aioli in a bowl.

Mix well.

With the corn meal and parsley combined in a bowl, divide the tuna mixture into four equal parts. (It will feel a little loose, but that’s ok. Just handle it carefully.) Using wet hands to keep the tuna mixture from sticking to them, form each into a patty and gently dredge in the corn meal mixture until lightly coated.

Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To cook the burgers:

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary (depending on the size of the pan), place the patties in the pan.

Cook the patties till cooked through and well-browned; this will take about 3 – 4 minutes per side if you’re using fresh tuna, and a bit less if you’re using canned. Set aside when done.

 To serve the burgers:

Use the same pan to lightly toast the burger rolls, applying a little more oil if needed.

Place each patty on a toasted bun, and top with 1 Tbsp of the aioli and any other desired toppings.

To download a copy of the recipe for Tuna Burgers with Lemon-Sage Aioli, click HERE.

Hope you and your family and guests enjoy having these very special burgers!

Please visit again next week for another easy, delicious, kitchen-tested recipe. Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)

Lump Crabmeat Hash with Lemon-Sage Aioli

To download a copy of the recipe for Crabmeat Hash with Lemon-Sage Aioli, click HERE.

Hash, that great comfort food, has been the subject of a previous post here as Turkey Hash Pie. This week we’re taking hash in a completely different, and no less delicious, direction. Imagine lump crab meat and crisp potatoes combined with sautéed vegetables and just a kiss of bacon, topped with a cooked egg (a hash tradition), and dressed with a lemon-sage aioli. It’s easy, full of great taste, and - just as important - allows plenty of room for you to customize the ingredients to your liking!

Some Cook’s Notes before we begin:

• In this recipe, I’ve used a good quality canned lump crab meat. Cooking fresh crab is never wrong, and can even be downright glorious, but it's not practical to do at all times and in every place.

• For the aioli – basically, garlic-infused mayonnaise – you can make your own mayonnaise base if you like, but I went with a prepared jar of low-fat mayonnaise. (After making marshmallow cream from scratch for a cake frosting in last week’s post, I thought we deserved to use something in a jar this week.)

• The traditional egg accompaniment is usually sunny side up or poached, but make whatever kind you like; it’s your hash, after all. (I make mine sunny-side up as in the photo at the top, but make similar portions for my wife and son topped with scrambled eggs.) In cooking, as in all things, an important lesson about doing things “by-the-book” is this: Do you know who wrote “the book?” Nobody.

•  A special thanks to loyal reader (and good friend) Kim, a great cook and life-long New Englander, for helping a north Jersey guy with valuable insights into seasoning crabmeat.

This recipe makes 4 servings.

Let’s start by making the aioli.

Chop two garlic cloves. Use the flat of the knife blade to press them into a paste.

Combine the garlic paste in a bowl with ½ cup low fat mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon dried sage; 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice; and kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste.

Whisk until smooth, then cover and set aside till ready to serve.

To get the potatoes started:

Par-bake 2 pounds of russet potatoes for about 1/3 the amount of time it would take to bake them fully (approximately 4-5 minutes in a microwave, or 15-20 minutes in a 425 degree oven). When the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, peel and cut into 1/2" cubes.

Prepare the vegetables as follows:

Cut ¾ of a green bell pepper into a ½” dice. Cut the remainder into a fine dice and place in a small dish, separate from the larger dice. Do the same for a red bell pepper. Cut ¾ of a large celery rib into 1/8” slices. Cut the remainder into a fine dice and add to the fine-diced peppers.

Cut a medium onion into a ½” dice.

To cook the hash:

Heat 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the potatoes, season with a little salt, and cook for several minutes until the potatoes are browned and crisp. Set the cooked potatoes aside in a bowl.

Using the same pan over medium-high heat, cook 2 ounces of turkey bacon, chop into pieces, and add to the potatoes.

Adding a little oil to the pan only if necessary, cook 2 cloves of minced garlic till aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the ½” diced peppers, the 1/8” celery slices, the onion, ¾ cup of corn kernels and 1 bay leaf. Sauté till cooked. Add the potatoes, bacon, crab meat, 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp dried tarragon, and ¾ tsp hot sauce. Cook till heated through, about two minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

Divide the half into four portions and keep them warm (such as in a warm oven) while you prepare the eggs.

Next we’ll cook our eggs. Cook them any way that is desired. Sunny side up, prepared as follows, is frequently used. Cook one egg for each serving.

In a non-stick pan over medium heat, melt just enough butter substitute to coat the pan. The pan should be large enough for the number of eggs being cooked, or work in batches. Break the eggs into the pan, being careful not to break the yolks.

Immediately reduce the heat to low. (If firmer whites are desired, add ½ tsp of water per egg to the pan and cover with a lid or plate. For looser whites, don’t add the water and keep the pan uncovered.) Cook slowly, usually 2 – 3 minutes, until the whites have set and the yolks have started to thicken. (The doneness of the yolks can be checked by gently shaking the pan and seeing how the yolks move.)

Near the end of cooking, baste the eggs with melted butter substitute.

Season with salt and pepper after the eggs have finished cooking.

To serve:

Using a spatula, top each serving of hash with one of the eggs.

Garnish each serving with the fine diced green pepper, red pepper and celery.

Top with lemon aioli for serving.

To download a copy of the recipe for Crabmeat Hash with Lemon-Sage Aioli, click HERE.

Serve as is or with a favorite side dish, and you’re all set for a great meal your family and guests will love!

Visit us again next week for more tasty meal ideas! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)