Quick and Easy Tuna Burgers

My friend Trixie introduced me to these. I like this recipe not just because tuna burgers are quick and easy to make while being satisfying to eat, but also because it offers another way of using canned tuna, that ubiquitous but often uninspiring ingredient. Here's what you'll need:



A can of tuna (of course), hamburger buns, an egg, breadcrumbs, your favorite mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. And of course, any condiments you like on your burger.

Mix everything together and you'll have a mixture that looks something like this:



Now you've come to a crossroads. You can either take the entire mixture and shape it into one large patty, or divide it in half and shape into two smaller patties. A lot will depend on the size of your buns. Mine were small, so I went with two patties. Place the patty in a preheated pan -- no added oil necessary. Isn't that nice?



After about 4 minutes, it'll be ready to flip. The done side will be nice and browned. Cook the other side until done, and that's it.



Dress the burger(s) your favorite way. I've got cheese, pickles, and Sriracha sauce on mine (don't judge me). Serve with fries, chips, or fruit!



Tuna Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 5oz can tuna, packed in water, drained
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp of your favorite mustard
• salt & pepper to taste 

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients together until well blended. There should be enough moisture keeping it together to form one large patty or two smaller patties.
2. Place each patty in a preheated pan -- no additional oil is necessary. Cook each side for about 4 minutes, until nicely browned.
3. Top with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, etc., however you like, and enjoy!

Saturday Dinner: Feta Burgers

It's time for another Saturday night dinner, but once again it's a special edition as we did it for lunch instead of dinner. On the menu today: Feta Burgers! Actually, it was supposed to be lamb burgers, but ground lamb isn't exactly easy to come by. (Plus I'm just not a huge fan of lamb in general; it has to be extremely fresh and cooked perfectly so that the gamey aftertaste isn't as strong.) Instead I used beef and Jade used chicken.



Other than the lamb, I followed the recipe exactly. It was super simple, took less than 15 minutes to prepare and make. I know because I had misjudged the time, and got home from the supermarket (and Starbucks) with only 15 minutes to spare until we were supposed to meet up. I mixed up the meat and slapped the patty in a cast-iron pan to cook. Instead of serving with rice or bread on the side, I decided to eat it as a real burger with a sesame bun. I sliced up a Roma tomato and spread some mustard on one side of the bun. If I'd had more time I would have lightly toasted it. Though I waited awhile, the feta cheese refused to melt on the meat. :/ I even covered it for about 30-45 seconds to encourage the steam to melt it, but it was stubborn. Finally I gave up and just took the patty out of the pan with chunks of feta cheese sitting on top. It was still tasty!



Jade was a little fancier with hers. She sauteed some spinach and added it to the ground chicken along with some marjoram, then formed patties. She also added some sliced portabello mushroom to the sandwich.



Using some spray oil, she made some corn tortilla chips to go on the side (as well as a salad). I've made my own corn tortilla chips before, but always by deep frying in oil. If just spraying the pan with a bit of oil works just as well, I might try that and save myself some calories.



Since I was in a hurry I didn't have anything to accompany my burger. Jade's plating puts mine to shame!



Feta Burger

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 500g (roughly a pound) lean ground meat (your choice of lamb, beef, chicken, turkey, etc.)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp rosemary (or 2 minced tsp if using fresh)
• pinch of ground black pepper
• 6 tbsp crumbled feta cheese

Method

1. Mix the meat, salt, garlic powder, rosemary, and pepper. Shape into 4 patties.
2. Cook the patties in a pan, using spray oil, until browned, for about 5 minutes. Flip once during this process so both sides get brown.
3. Sprinkle with cheese and cook until the cheese melts (or burger is done and you are tired waiting for the cheese to melt).
4. Serve on hamburger buns, or eat as a meat entree with some rice and veggies on the side.

Notes: You can jazz up the meat any way you like -- add additional herbs and spices, or even sauteed spinach as Jade did. And as with all burgers, you can add condiments to your preference. If I'd had time I might have fried up some bacon or sauteed some mushrooms and onions.

The Perfect Burger

I love a big, juicy burger. And I like it rare.

There was a time when I was afraid to eat rare burger, but that time is gone now, thanks to this article by David Shaw that I read, about 3 years ago. After reading it, I challenge you to find a good reason why you wouldn't get a rare or medium rare burger from the right place. (Unless, of course, you're one of those people who likes their meat well done, in which case, I can't remotely relate.)



One of the great tips Shaw imparts is that burgers are always best at steakhouses, because "they get good-quality meat, they don’t put so much lettuce and sauce on the burger that you can’t taste the meat and they know how to cook it." He's not wrong. The biggest challenge for me is going to a steakhouse and ordering a burger instead of a steak.

My go-to place to get a perfect burger is Outback Steakhouse. Sure, it's a chain, but it has consistently decent food and my wallet doesn't cry about their prices. Plus, they do make an excellent burger, and their steaks aren't so fabulous that I can't resist getting one of those instead.

I went the other day, and started with cream of broccoli soup. It was hot, which means it met my #1 requirement for soups (that are meant to be hot, at least). I've found that Seattle restaurants in general are very good about serving their soups very hot, maybe because it's so cold here. Flavor wise, however, I've had better.



Next came the burger. I always get the No Rules Burger. It's no longer on Outback's official menu, but if you order it they'll make it for you. Basically, this burger has everything and anything you want and don't want, for $9.95. My usual burger includes sauteed mushrooms, grilled onions, bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomato, and no sauce but for mustard.



The fries that night were sub-par, sadly. But I'm not sure if it's really the fault of the fries, or because after having the ones at Bis on Main, no others can compare. Sometimes I get the steamed broccoli, because it's surprisingly delicious at Outback.

In any case, it's the burger that's the star, and the meat was everything it should be: juicy, full, flavorful. And of course, cooked perfectly. I got it medium rare that night, but sometimes when I'm feeling particularly rebellious, I get it rare. ;)