Tuna cakes flavorful with corn, pickled onions

I used fresh tuna for these little cakes instead of canned.

Fish cakes can fall apart, especially when turning them. Here are some tips to avoid this. Make sure your skillet is very hot, but on a medium heat. Use a wide spatula when transferring the cakes to the skillet. Do not move the cakes until a crust forms on the bottom of the cakes. Turn them over, using a wide spatula underneath the cakes and another spatula on top.

A salad of corn mixed with pickled onions completes this quick and flavorful meal.

• Helpful Hints:

You can use two 3.5-ounce cans of albacore (white) tuna packed in water instead of fresh tuna.

Fresh tuna can be coarsely chopped in a food processor instead of by hand. Try not to overprocess.

A quick way to defrost corn is to place the kernels in a colander and run warm tap water over them.

• Countdown:

Start tuna cakes cooking.

While cakes cook, make corn salad.

Fresh Tuna Cakes

Yield 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

¾pound fresh tuna steaks

2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Several drops hot pepper sauce

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 scallions, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs

2 cups panko crumbs, divided use

Olive oil spray

Place tuna on a cutting board and coarsely chop with a knife and place in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, mustard and scallions and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Blend in egg and 1 cup panko crumbs. Mix well. Shape into 4 cakes about 4 inches in diameter. Place remaining 1 cup panko crumbs on a plate. Add tuna cakes to the crumbs making sure both sides are coated with crumbs. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add tuna cakes and cook 5 minutes. Carefully, turn (see note above) and cook 5 minutes. Place two tuna cakes each on two dinner plates.

Per serving: 545 calories (20% from fat), 12.1 g fat (2.7 g saturated, 3.7 g monounsaturated), 264 mg cholesterol, 53.6 g protein, 50.2 g carbohydrates, 2.7 g fiber, 725 mg sodium.

Corn And Pickled Onion Salad

Yield 2 servings.

2 cups frozen corn, defrosted

1 cup pickled onions

1 medium tomato cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons reduced-fat dressing

Several salad leaves from bag washed-ready-to-eat salad greens

Add corn and pickled onions to a small bowl. Add the tomato cubes and salad dressing. Place several salad leaves on the two dinner plates used for the tuna cakes. Spoon corn mixture over the leaves.

Per serving: 131 calories (16% from fat), 2.3 g fat (0.3 g saturated, 0.7 g monounsaturated),1 mg cholesterol, 4.7 g protein, 27.5 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 28 mg sodium.