I have a thing for tuna. If I could, I’d eat it every day, straight out of the can (or pouch) and be happy. I get really giddy when salad bars have tuna on them. I load up. I’d bring tuna in my lunch bag every day if only it didn’t stink up my entire office. It’s a shame, really. And of course, there is the whole mercury thing (which I only really worry about now since I’m still pumping). Read more about that below.
Tuna Burgers with Pimento Mayo
So anyway, these tuna burgers….they were amazing. When I made them I doubled the recipe and froze the second half (I try to do this whenever I can. I mean, I take full advantage of any time I have in the kitchen these days). I also made a few extra burgers for Paige, without some of the added ingredients (ie: I simply used breadcrumbs, tuna, and just a little mayo to make the patties). I gave them to her without a bun. She enjoyed it, just like her mommy.
As a nursing mother, and someone who would like to have another baby in the future, I am fully aware that most women don’t get enough omega-3 during these precious times in their lives. I took DHA supplements when I was pregnant, and for the first few months while breastfeeding. Now? I aim for 1-2 servings (~4-5 ounces) of tuna or salmon a week and forget the supplements. Going back to what I said about tuna and mercury; there has been a lot of controversy about whether women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should eat tuna and whether the benefits outweigh the risks. The overall consensus, based on what I’ve seen, is that the benefits do outweigh the risks. If you want to read more check out this article. If you’re going to have tuna it’s best to choose the “chunk light”, which is lower in mercury. Sadly, however, the albacore has more omega-3. You can’t win, can you?! It’s ok though, the light tuna is still providing a good source of omega-3, not to worry. So, make these burgers.
Simple Tuna Burgers with Pimento Mayo
Ingredients
- 2 5- to 6-ounce cans chunk light tuna in water, drained
- ½ cup coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs **
- ½ cup low-fat mayonnaise, divided
- 1 4-ounce jar chopped pimientos, drained
- ¼ cup finely chopped celery **
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion **
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, divided
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 whole-wheat hamburger buns or English muffins, toasted **
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 4 slices tomato
Instructions
- Combine tuna, breadcrumbs, ¼ cup mayonnaise, half of the pimientos, celery, onion, and ¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning in a medium bowl, breaking up any larger pieces of tuna until the mixture is uniform and holds together.
- Combine the remaining ¼ cup mayonnaise, the remaining pimientos, and ¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning in a bowl.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Using a generous ⅓ cup each, form the tuna mixture into four 3-inch burgers. Cook until heated through and golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
- Spread the top half of each bun (or English muffin) with pimiento mayonnaise and place a burger, lettuce, and tomato on the bottom half.
Notes
** If you are following a low FODMAPs diet you could use gluten-free bread crumbs, or just use regular bread crumbs because really the amount in this recipe shouldn’t be enough to cause problems. I would recommend gluten-free buns or English Muffins if you are really sensitive to fructans (an Oligosaccharide), but like I said I can typically handle 2 slices of whole wheat bread and you may too. I omitted the onion and the celery (FODMAPs) and used a garlic-infused olive oil instead of regular olive oil.
I kept the Old Bay Seasoning in there because, wahoo, it’s low FODMAPs! Do you know I just realized that not too long ago? It does contain celery seed, which may sound confusing since celery isn’t low FODMAPs, but the seed portion of celery isn’t where the FODMAPs lurk. If you want to use a gluten-free (therefore low FODMAPs) bread, you could, but I didn’t, as 1-2 slices of bread don’t affect me too much. I rarely eat bread anyway.
As I mentioned above, these froze really well. They were simply delicious, even when thawed. Nick and I feasted on them for a few nights and enjoyed them each night, even as they became “leftovers”. They were even good alone without the bread and mayo (ok, I may be biased since, as mentioned, I am a tuna freak). Make them soon. See you next week with a frittata recipe!
