Tuna cutlets – VEGAN and BAKED!

UNMEAT Collaboration

VEGAN, VEGETARIAN, NUT-FREE

Continuing on my journey of trying out UNMEAT products, the next product to experiment is Tuna flakes. I used the one packed in water and salted. 

I have heard a lot about Tuna cutlets made Indian style but have never tasted them myself. Vegetable cutlets in India are a very popular appetizer. There is one restaurant in Trivandrum, Kerala called India Coffee house, which is very famous for vegetable cutlets. One thing to note: in most South Indian preparations of vegetable cutlets, beetroot is used. It gives it a unique flavor and texture while also adding a beautiful color. I have not seen this usage in north Indian preparations of cutlets or patties. Interesting discovery, I must say. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Most cutlets are deep fried or at least pan fried. Today I am BAKING them. There is a trick to baking savory items and keeping them crispy: first, coat them in oil, then coat them in breadcrumbs, before finishing with another coating of oil. So when this is put to bake, the outside oil heats up to provide a good crunch just like it was deep-fried. Try this trick and see the difference. 

So what is the verdict on the Tuna? My 13 year old ate few pieces straight out of the can and said it was delicious. Nice! First win!!

I myself could not get any ‘fishy’ smell so that was a second win!! 

Overall we were very pleased with the UNMEAT Tuna flakes. 

This is a very easy recipe. Add cooked and mashed vegetables of choice – I used potatoes, carrots and peas. Beetroot is a critical ingredient and I added them grated – no need to pre-cook them – it will cook as we bake. This actually provides a crunchy texture without overcooking the beets. 

As always, include onions and garlic for flavor. I also added cilantro stalks for a tantalizing aroma. Finally, include seasoning of choice. I used a new Italian blend from Penney’s spices. 

Mix everything together and shape it into patties. 

Here are the final steps – coat the patties in oil, then coat them in breadcrumbs, and finally coat them in oil again. Arrange them on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees turning once in between until nice and crispy. 

If you make them a large size Pattie, these can also be used as Tuna Burgers – something I am going to try out with the Spicy Tuna cans next. 

Spicy Tuna burgers 😉 my next UNMEAT Experiment. 

Check out these other baked appetizers –

Seitan vegan ‘crab’ cakes with Spicy dipping sauce

Baked Tofu “veg” balls