Name: Tuna and sweet potato patties with pickled salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 600ml cold water; 300ml rice wine vinegar; 80g caster sugar or coconut sugar or 1/4 cup maple syrup; 2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp mustard seeds; 1-2 star anise; 10g spiral arame, rehydrated (available from Asian grocery stores); 2 large sweet potatoes with skin, cut into chunks; 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil; Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season; 300g tinned tuna, drained of any juices; 2 handfuls of breadcrumbs, plus extra 2 handfuls; 2 eggs, lightly beaten; 2 green shallots, finely sliced; 5cm piece ginger, peeled and grated; 11/2 Tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted; Oil, for shallow frying; 3 lebanese cucumbers, sliced into thin rounds; 8 radishes, thinly sliced; Coriander leaves, lemon wedges to serve

These sweet potato and tuna patties are ideal for nights when life feels a little chaotic and you want to pull dinner together using as many trusty pantry staples as possible. Here, Karen Martini turns a humble tin of tuna into the main event, by pairing it with nutritious sweet potato and a supporting cast of healthy vegetables.

For other easy weeknight meals you can make with tuna, try making a tuna mornay pasta bake, a layered tuna salad or a gluten-free Italian tuna spaghetti.

Ingredients

600ml cold water

300ml rice wine vinegar

80g caster sugar or coconut sugar or 1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1-2 star anise

10g spiral arame, rehydrated (available from Asian grocery stores)

2 large sweet potatoes with skin, cut into chunks

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

300g tinned tuna, drained of any juices

2 handfuls of breadcrumbs, plus extra 2 handfuls

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 green shallots, finely sliced

5cm piece ginger, peeled and grated

11/2 Tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Oil, for shallow frying

3 lebanese cucumbers, sliced into thin rounds

8 radishes, thinly sliced

Coriander leaves, lemon wedges to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional). Put water, vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds and star anise, in a small saucepan and set over high heat. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn heat down and simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and pour over arame in a small heatproof bowl. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, toss sweet potato in oil, season and spread on an oven tray. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until tender. Transfer sweet potato to a large bowl and roughly mash. Add tuna, breadcrumbs, eggs, green shallots, ginger, and half the sesame seeds, then season. Mix well.

Put remaining sesame seeds and extra breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Roll 8 patties with your hands and flatten them a little. Coat both sides of the patties in sesame crumbs.

Pour oil into a large frying pan until it comes 1cm up the side. Set over medium heat. When oil is hot, cook patties in 2 batches. Cook for about 3 minutes on one side then, using a slide, gently turn patties over and cook for a further 3 minutes. Drain.

Toss cucumber and radish in the bowl with arame and pickling liquid. Drain liquid and pile pickled salad on top of tuna patties. Serve patties scattered with coriander leaves and with a squeeze of lemon from wedges.

For more delicious recipes, pick up a copy of the latest issue in newsagents and supermarkets or buy online today!

Karen Martini Chef

Melbourne chef, restaurateur and food writer Karen Martini has been cooking professionally for more than 20 years. A passionate ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Research, Karen aims to build the awareness of the silent killer that is often misdiagnosed.

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