Easy Tuna Croquettes
December 16, 2022
These Easy Tuna Croquettes are terrific budget-friendly snacks or appetizers. They are made with canned tuna and mashed potato, coated with Panko breadcrumbs and cooked in the Air fryer for a healthy bite for the whole family!
A Baby-Led Weaning Recipe
This Easy Tuna Croquettes recipe was the first one I did for my babies when they were ready to eat solids. It’s an awesome baby-led weaning recipe to teach your little ones about textures with a crunchy exterior and smooth interior! Also great for the parents served with a lovely squash soup or salad. These Tuna croquettes are made in under 40 minutes and use very few ingredients to keep it simple for babies. It’s just tuna, potato, olive oil and bread crumbs. No need for the egg wash; the mashed potatoes will keep the Panko in place!
Air Fryer to the Rescue
Air fryers are a new mom’s best friend! I’m not sponsored here… It was a great revelation for making my family healthy yet appealing food! It brings this nice crunch everyone loves without all the oil. Plus, it takes half the time than with the oven. However, the one thing I’ve learned with my Air fryer is to always coat a bit of the food with olive oil before cooking… not much; just a little spray is all you need! Otherwise, this machine dries up relatively fast food. This recipe is also suitable for the oven; it needs double the amount of time at the same temperature, and voila! It will be slightly less crispy but as delicious!
Bonito or Tuna?
Bonito is a type of small Tuna living in the Mediterranean sea. In Spain, it’s often canned and conserved in olive oil! Perfect for this recipe! Ensure the canned tuna you choose is preserved in olive oil, not brine. You’ll need the extra fat to bring taste to your fritters. Alternatively, you could substitute the Tuna fish for any canned fish like salmon, crab or even the leftovers.
Variations
These Tuna croquettes can be tweaked for the grown-ups a bit. Do the first batch plain without much salt for the baby and kids. Then if you want to add a little kick to them, add some chopped chives, dill or thyme to the breadcrumbs. On another note, a little heat would be great, like a spicy oil or cayenne to the tuna mix.
If you want a Gluten Free version, they sell Gluten Free Panko crumbs or check out how to make your own here!
Preservation
You can easily store the cooked croquettes in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Although, if you want to preserve them longer, put them in the freezer for up to 3 months. They are real-life saviours for new parents, so fill the freezer with these little bites!
To Serve with
A lovely butternut squash soup or vegetable soup would be a great side dish for these fritters. Even a simple side of Broccoli or caramelized carrots would do wonders here! A soup or a lovely green salad would go well for the grown-ups!
Here are a few ideas or sides for this dish:
Equipment
- Air Fryer optional
Ingredients
- 1 big potato russet style
- 80 g canned tuna in olive oil
- 50 g panko breadcrumbs or normal breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Start by boiling the potato.
- Take off the skin with a paper towel.
- In a bowl, add the potato, tuna, oil, salt and black pepper and mash.
- Oil your hands and form the croquettes, and cover in Panko breadcrumbs.
- Add the croquettes to the Air fryer at 180°C (350F°) for 10 minutes, or bake in the oven at 180°C (350F°) for 20 minutes.
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