These Crunchy Tuna Bites make a delicious appetizer or entree!

These Crunchy Tuna Bites were inspired by a childhood favorite of mine. My great aunt Lee was like a grandmother to me when I was a young child, and she was the one who taught me a lot of what I know about food. One of my favorite things to do when I was little was go grocery shopping with her. She showed me how to pick the ripest produce and shop the discounts {she was a very frugal woman}. She was the type who saved and reused all the plastic food containers, and she’d always have different types of prepared foods in her fridge, ready to eat. Lee passed away right around my 13th birthday, but she made a tuna croquette recipe that I’ve always enjoyed. My mom used to make them, too. I took this traditional recipe and modernized it to make these Crunch Tuna Bites. They are simple to make, and my entire family just loved them. They make a great entree or appetizer for your next appetizer.

Crunchy Tuna Bites Ingredients:

• 4 cans or pouches of albacore tuna in water, drained
• 1 medium-sized potato
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs
• 1 t onion powder
• 1 t dried dill
• oil for frying
• salt & pepper to taste

Crunchy Tuna Bites Directions:

Begin by baking or boiling your potato so that you can mash it. To be honest, I cheated on this one and quickly microwaved my potato so that it was soft on the inside. If you have leftover baked or mashed potatoes from the night before? Use those instead! You’ll need about 1.5 cups. When your potato is soft, mash it and combine with the tuna, eggs, onion powder, dried dill, salt, and pepper until you have a consistent mixture. Form the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls, and roll the balls in panko bread crumbs. Lay them out on a baking sheet, and place in the freezer for about an hour until they are firm.

Pour about an inch of high-heat oil in a large pan. Test the oil to make sure it is ready by placing one crunchy tuna bite in to see how it cooks. When the oil is ready, add about six at a time in the pan. Fry on one side, and when it is golden brown, flip over. They should take about 3 – 4 minutes to cook, depending upon the exact temperature of the oil. I like to place a cookie rack over a cookie sheet so the excess oil will drip down. If you do not want to fry these, you can always use an oil spray and bake them about 15 – 20 minutes, but they will not have the same crunch.

Your crunchy tuna bites are now ready to serve. I think they pair well with either tartar sauce or remoulade, but feel free to pair with your favorite dip, maybe even ranch dressing or cocktail sauce. The great thing about a recipe like this is that it’s easy to adjust to your favorite flavors. Use garlic powder instead of onion powder, add grated carrots or finely-diced celery to the original tuna-potato mixture.

If your kids are anything like mine, they will love these Crunchy Tuna Bites {husbands love them, too}. Pair them with steamed vegetables to create a delicious, balanced mid-week meal.

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Crunchy Tuna Bites Recipe

These Crunchy Tuna Bites, inspired by the Tuna Croquettes I ate as a child, make a delicious appetizer or entree!

• Author: Carrie Wells, Ed.D.
• Prep Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 appetizer portions

Ingredients

• 4 cans or pouches of albacore tuna in water, drained
• 1 medium-sized potato
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs
• 1 t onion powder
• 1 t dried dill
• oil for frying
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Begin by baking or boiling your potato so that you can mash it. You can even quickly cook in the microwave. If you have leftover baked or mashed potatoes from the night before? Use those instead! You’ll need about 1.5 cups.
2. When your potato is soft, mash it and combine with the tuna, eggs, onion powder, dried dill, salt, and pepper until you have a consistent mixture.
3. Form the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls, and roll the balls in Panko bread crumbs. Lay them out on a baking sheet, and place in the freezer for about an hour until they are firm.
4. Pour about an inch of high-heat oil in a large pan. Test the oil to make sure it is ready by placing one crunchy tuna bite in to see how it cooks. When the oil is ready, add about six at a time in the pan. Fry on one side, and when it is golden brown, flip over. They should take about 3 – 4 minutes to cook, depending upon the exact temperature of the oil. I like to place a cookie rack over a cookie sheet so the excess oil will drip down. If you do not want to fry these, you can always use an oil spray and bake them about 15 – 20 minutes, but they will not have the same crunch.

Keywords: tuna appetizer, tuna croquettes, tuna fritters, tuna bites, tuna balls