The 100th Post: Baked tuna cutlets

I fell in love with fish cutlets over the summer while at a family friend's dinner party -head over heels in love. Served initially as an appetiser, it soon became part of the main course as I couldn't help but make multiple trips back to the kitchen for more. I had never known fish cutlets to be so addictive. At the end of the night, after rather sheepishly admitting how many I had eaten, I realised that I couldn't leave without getting the recipe. When Deepavali came around this year, I knew that I had to give the recipe a go, but using canned tuna instead of fresh fish.

Ingredients:
Tuna in brine, 5 185g cans
8-9 (depending on size) potatoes
3 large onions, chopped
Ginger, finely chopped
Chilli, chopped
Coriander leaves
Mustard seeds
Garam masala
Curry powder
Chilli powder
Fennel seeds
Fenugreek
Soy sauce
Salt
Pepper
2 eggs
Breadcrumbs

Boil the potatoes until soft and make a mash out of them.
Pre-heat the oven at about 180 degrees celcius. Line a baking tray with foil and drizzle some oil onto the foil.
Saute the onions, chilli, ginger and spices (except the coriander leaves) until the onions are soft and the spices fragrant. Add the tuna into the mixture together with the rest of the seasoning and allow to cook. This is where discretion becomes key - I would suggest adding the chilli powder, curry powder, garam masala and soy sauce a little at a time.
Take the tuna mixture off the stove and combine with the potatoes and coriander leaves.
Add the beaten eggs into the mixture and mix well.
Form small patties out of the mixture and roll the patties around in the breadcrumbs before placing them onto the baking tray. I personally like the patties to be on the thinner side as they crisp up quicker.
Place into the oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

While most fish cutlet recipes call for deep frying, I decided to go down the healthier (and easier) path by popping them into the oven instead. To cater to the vegetarian diners that night, I made a vegetarian version by omitting the tuna and just using potatoes as the base.

It definitely helps when you've got a spare potato 'masher' in the house.