Tuna Burgers

I absolutely LOVE Tuna.  It's a great source of protein and it is super cheap compared to other fish.  You can buy cans of high quality tuna at Costco for a good price.  Some people are worried about tuna consumption because of mercury.  The truth is, you have to consume an insane amount of tuna in order to get a dangerous amount of mercury in your system, so unless you are pregnant, a small amount once a week isn't going to hurt you.  The benefits of tuna really outweigh the risks.  That being said, this week I made these tuna burgers and my kids DEVOURED them.  Daniel ate two and then asked for a third, then next day, he asked for a tuna burger in his lunchbox!  I serve these on my homemade wheat buns topped with homemade tartar sauce.  YUM YUM!

Tuna Burgers

• 2 (7 oz) cans chunk light tuna
• zest and juice from 1/2 lemon
• 2 tsp. dried dill weed
• 1 tsp. dried onion flakes
• 2 green onions, white and green parts, finely chopped 
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp butter or cooking oil for cooking

In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients until thick and they hold together (if you are having trouble getting it to hold together you can add a little more bread crumbs).  Form into 4 round patties.  Heat oil or butter in a nonstick skillet and swirl around to coat the bottom.  Cook the patties in the skillet for about 5 minutes on each side or until very brown.  Serve on a bun of your choice with tartar sauce and a crispy leaf of romaine if desired.  

Honey Wheat Buns

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 cup wheat flour (wheat bread flour is even better)
• 1 1/2 tsp. yeast
• 1 tbsp. melted butter (optional)

Place ingredients in the bread machine -EXCEPT THE MELTED BUTTER- in the order they are listed and set to dough cycle.  When the cycle is done divide dough into 8 equal pieces (12 if you want to make slider sized buns) being careful not to punch it down too much.  Form each piece in to a tight ball and place on a baking sheet (I use my stone baking sheet- if you use metal cover with parchment paper first).  Flatten each ball into a disk to the desired size you want your buns.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Cover your buns with a dish cloth and allow to prove until doubled in size about 30 minutes (I do this on top of the preheating oven).  Bake 15-18 minutes or until buns are brown and puffed up.  Brush tops of buns with melted butter once they come out of the oven if desired- this is not a required step but this will definitely make your buns softer and help them from getting tough.

Tartar Sauce

• 1/2 cup high quality mayonnaise (I make my own cooked egg mayonnaise and it is YUM-MY)
• 1 tbsp. high quality dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. dill pickle relish (watch out for Yellow food dye!)
• 2 tsp. dill
• 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
• juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sized bowl, whisk the ingredients together until well combined.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. 

Happy and clean cooking everyone!