This post is sponsored by Genova. Genova provided me with free Genova products for the purpose of this post, as well as compensation for my time. As always, all opinions are my own.
A few weeks ago, I received pretty much the most thrilling goodies in the mail.
Last month was apparently Mediterranean diet month, and since clearly my focus lately has been more on planning my Greek wedding than preparing Greek food, I didn’t even realize it until the nice folks at Genova sent this basket my way. How embarrassing. This package of amazingness arrived after I was at the office until almost 8pm on a Wednesday a couple of weeks ago, so to say it was a welcomed surprise on my doorstep is an understatement.
Included in the basket were the Mediterranean Diet cookbook by Pamela Clark, three cans of Genova tuna, a cute olivewood serving board from Sur La Table, a bottle of Garlic Rock pinot noir, cheese and crackers, and a few other Mediterranean pairings like artichoke hearts, black olive tapenade oil, basil pesto, and couscous. The package also came with a hand-written note! I just absolutely love when brands I work with include a hand written note along with product. It makes a huge difference in my first impression.
Genova also challenged me to create a fun recipe using any of the products they sent my way. Since I gobbled up those cheese and crackers immediately (whoops), those were out of the picture. I consulted with my chef (Tim) on what he thought would be fun to make, and we decided to make the focal ingredient of the recipe the tuna. We didn’t want to just post a tuna salad (overdone), so today I’m happy to introduce you to these healthy tuna croquettes!
Healthy Tuna Croquettes
Makes 4 croquettes
Ingredients
- 2 cans of Genova tuna, drained
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1 tbsp garlic, roasted or minced
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (I used a gluten free substitute)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + more if needed
- Juice from half of a lemon
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- If choosing to roast the garlic, cut off the top of the head of garlic. Place on a piece of tin foil, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle a little salt on top. Close up the tin foil up into a boil, and roast in the oven for 40 minutes at 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix the drained tuna, eggs, garlic, cilantro, mustard, bread crumbs, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
- Once mixed well, use hands to form into 4 equally sized patties.
- Heat your olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the croquettes for 5-7 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Once cooked, place on paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tim and I ate these tuna croquettes over fresh red leaf lettuce alongside some tomatoes from our CSA farm and a little shredded parm. I’m totally into salads with burgers, fritters, etc. on them lately (did you guys SEE my picture of a lamb burger with a fried egg over greens on Instagram last week?), and these croquettes are just another way to spruce up a salad. For the dressing, we whipped up a homemade lemon mint vinaigrette since I bought a huge thing of mint at the farmers market at work last week. We just whisked the juice from 1.5 lemons, 1 tbsp fresh mint (minced), salt and pepper, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, and a 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil together. I learned recently that your oil to juice ratio should be 1 part juice and 3 parts oil for the ideal dressing!
If you’re not into topping a salad with the croquettes, you could also have these in a sandwich form or you could make them smaller and serve as either an appetizer or snack. I think they’d be yummy with a tartar sauce?
The best thing about this meal is that its quick, easy, and cheap! We almost always have cans of tuna on hand in our pantry, but we aren’t always in the mood for a tuna salad or sandwich. These croquettes transformed really nicely, and they were a great choice for something quick on a busy night.
Readers, let’s chat! Do you eat a Mediterranean based diet? Do you like tuna? What types of tuna meals do you like to make?
For a coupon to save $1.00 on any five ounce Genova product, click here!