BEST budget tuna bagel lunch – 2 delicious and healthy ways with canned tuna

BEST budget tuna bagel lunch  – 2 delicious and healthy ways with canned tuna

How to turn a humble can of tuna into, not one, but TWO delicious and super healthy lunch within 15-30 mins? Spice it up with your favourite choice of bread: bagel, burger, ciabatta, or even a simple loaf.

DOUBLE RECIPES BELOW

Tuna – probably partly due to the high price tags for a fresh cut – is not featured as often on social media’s health food segment as salmon. It does, however, triumph the fine-dining and culinary scenes (well, at least as-seen-on TV and shows). Regardless, tuna is proven to be one of the healthiest foods and fish out there. Not only is it a high-quality source of lean protein and low in fat, tuna also contains a dope amount of selenium (anti-oxidant & anti-inflammatory mineral) potassium, the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and a number of B vitamins (2, 6 & 12).

With that said, just like any other fish and shellfish, tuna does contain some amounts of mercury. However, moderate consumption is found to pose no health risk to the general public (doesn’t this ring true for almost anything?!). Interestingly, the amount of mercury increases with the size and longevity of the fish, making canned tuna (often from smaller & shorter-lived species) a healthier choice than the rarer and more expensive fresh tuna steaks (from yellow- or blue fin types).

So this means, canned tuna is a win-win-win for us in terms of accessibility, affordability, and nutrition. Let us save the fancy steak and ahi sushi-quality for special occasions and take out the canned one for quicker and convenient lunch or week-night recipes.

My favourite choice is Skipjack in water by Fish-Tales’ brand (sold in the Netherlands here at AH, UK, and Germany), which promotes sustainable and responsible fishing-to-consumption chain with MSC certified sustainable products. I got to know about the brand about 2 years ago via the Youtube channel of the (Dutch) co-founder and cooking talent Bart van Olphen. In fact, the tuna spread recipe is adapted from one of Bart’s and has become one of my go-to #quickrecipes

Quick & yummy tuna spread
Are you a bagel fan?

Today, I’m sharing with you 2 ways to turn a can of tuna into a delicious and super healthy lunch or even dinner within 15-30 mins. Perfect to pair with a good-quality wholegrain bagel, burger, or any of your favourite bread.

Or sucker for burger?
Then these potato tuna patties (or tuna #latke) will shake up your lunch menu!
15-minute tuna bread spread
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Resting time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
A simple quick recipe to make your new lunch bestie. Best to pair with bagel, burger bun, artisan bread
Course: Lunch
Keyword: cannedtuna, fish, healthy lunch, office lunch, tuna
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 221 kcal
Author: H.P.
Ingredients
  • 1 can ~ 200gr of Skipjack tuna (in water – so you have more control on the amount of added oil).
  • 1 ½ tsp 10gr capers, rinsed in water to remove some of their acidity and salt
  • 1 tbsp mustard – I like the grainy type for extra heat!
  • 1 small shallot ~30gr, minced
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • Optional 1 tbsp olive, minced
  • 1 generous sprig of fresh dill finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp flat parsley finely chopped
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 150 gr Greek Yogurt for extra protein and creamy texture
  • Optional 1 tsp of extra-verge olive oil if you feel the mixture is still dry
  • Add salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Drain all water from the can
  2. Mix all ingredients together
  3. Let rest in the fridge for about 10-15 mins so that everything is well incorporated and all the flavours are absorbed by our tuna bits. (If you’re short on time and need to run straight to work, skip this step as keeping it in your lunchbox through to lunch will do the job)
Serve
  1. Bread of choice
  2. Fresh leafy greens & sprouts
  3. Some honey-mustard-yogurt dressing if wish
Recipe Note:
  1. For lunch packing: pack bread, tuna, and greens in separate trays/containers to retain freshness and crispiness of bread

Recipe Notes

Additional nutrient info per serving

Potassium 70mg ; Vit C 2.8% DV ; Calc 12.1% DV; Iron 1.7%

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1
Servings Per Container 2

Amount Per Serving
Calories 221 Calories from Fat 44.1
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4.9g 8%
Saturated Fat 2.9g 15%
Trans Fat g
Cholesterol 9.8mg 3%
Sodium 610mg 25%
Total Carbohydrate 7.4g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1.1g 4%
Sugars 4.7g
Protein 37g 74%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Potato tuna patties (Tuna latkes)
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Optional resting time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 

Delicious and wholesome tuna fish cakes for your burger fancies. And now that Hanukkah is in full-swing in many parts of the world, this tuna patties have all the ingredients to qualify as a latke.

Course: Brunch, Lunch
Keyword: canned tuna, fish, healthy lunch, office lunch, tuna
Servings: 8 patties
Calories: 73 kcal
Author: H.P.
Ingredients
To make 8 patties (2-3 servings)
  • 1 can ~ 200gr of Skipjack tuna (in water – so you have more control on the amount of added oil).
  • ½ fresh jalapeno pepper ~5gr, finely chopped
  • 1 small shallot ~30gr, minced
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 stalks of green onion finely chopped
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 large potato ~200gr, peeled and boiled and mashed
  • 1 generous sprig of fresh dill finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp flat parsley finely chopped
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • Add salt to taste
  • ½ tbsp olive oil for binding
  • ½ tbsp vegetable oil for pan frying the fish cakes
Garnishing: fresh dill, chili flakes, corn kernels
Note: Here, we use mashed potato as the binder. If you choose to grate raw potato, add 1 (flax) egg + some breadcrumbs to create a sticky mixture.
Instructions
  1. Drain all water from the can
  2. Mix everything except the vegetable oil in a large bowl
  3. Let rest in the fridge for about 10-15 mins so that everything is well incorporated
  4. Use a spoon or scoop to form the patties
  5. Heat pan on medium high heat
  6. Add vegetable oil and fry the patties for about 3-4mins each side
  7. Depending on the size of your pan, you might need to do this in 2-3 batches to avoid over-crowding
  8. If you use grated raw potato, the cooking time will be longer and at lower heat (medium low) for 4-4.5mins per side
Recipe Notes

Additional nutrient info per patty

Double or triple this amount to work our your serving 😉

Potassium 149mg ; Vit A 3.2% DV; Vit C 2.8% DV ; Calc  0.5% DV; Iron .0.8%

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 8
Servings Per Container 1

Amount Per Serving
Calories 73 Calories from Fat 13.5
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1.5g 2%
Saturated Fat 0.3g 2%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 94mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 6.8g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1.4g 6%
Sugars 1.4g
Protein 7.7g 15%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

There you have it, between 15 to 30 mins max. from start to finish – TWO super yummy tuna burger/bagel to spice up your work week. It’s cheap, quick, healthy, and delicious. Who doesn’t love!?!



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