Aishling Moore: How to turn tinned tuna into tasty snacks

At Goldie, our best-selling snack is our Taiwanese fried fish nuggets. It makes the best use of any trim from each species, especially the likes of monkfish and hake.

Aishling Moore: Tinned tuna cutlets/ Picture: Chani Anderson

Snacks are all the rage on restaurant menus nowadays – tasty little bites to enjoy while perusing the menu and kick-start your meal.

Snacks should be quick service items, so you’ll find lots of smoked almonds, marinated olives, gildas, croquettes or small tartlets on menus that should arrive within moments of ordering.

The nuggets of fish are first marinated in a solution of soy, beer, brown sugar, and a mix of spices. Then tossed in egg white and coated in potato starch before being fried and sprinkled with more Taiwanese
seasoning.

This weekend’s fish cutlets are a crowd-pleasing snack. This recipe is a take on Sri Lankan fish cutlets. These are a fantastic use of tinned fish and mashed potatoes, wonderfully spiced and scented with curry leaves, then shaped into golf ball sized croquettes, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep fried.

I’ve used some tinned tuna on this occasion, but you could also use tinned mackerel or any leftover cooked fish can be flaked through the mixture. Smoked fish would make an excellent inclusion in this recipe too.

To serve alongside these fried fish cutlets, I have pickled a few stalks of rhubarb. Rhubarb is an excellent accompaniment to any oily fish and, when pickled, complements fried foods so brilliantly.

I have used some oxidised rose wine in the pickling liquid which subtly reinforces the beautiful pink hue of the rhubarb. You can swap this out for any wine, apple juice, cider or even water.

Once you’ve added the sliced rhubarb to the pickle, do not walk away from the pot: Rhubarb overcooks so quickly, so attention is required.

Fish cutlets with pickled rhubarb

recipe by:Aishling Moore

This recipe is a take on Sri Lankan fish cutlets. These are a fantastic use of tinned fish and mashed potatoes, wonderfully spiced and scented with curry leaves, then shaped into golf ball sized croquettes, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep fried.

Servings

16

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the pickled rhubarb

• 350g rhubarb

• 150ml apple cider vinegar

• 150g caster sugar

• 150ml rose wine

• For the fish cutlets

• 450g potatoes, peeled and diced

• 2 tbsp golden rapeseed oil

• 1 red onion, finely diced

• 1 tbsp ginger, minced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 green chilli, finely chopped

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 10 curry leaves

• 230g tinned tuna (drained)

• 70g flour

• 1 egg

• 50g milk

• 150g panko breadcrumbs

Method

1. For the pickled rhubarb

2. Slice the stalks of rhubarb into ¼ inch slices.

3. Place the vinegar, sugar and wine in a medium-sized pot and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the sliced rhubarb.

4. Poach the rhubarb in the pickling liquid for 2-3 minutes over a gentle heat so that the rhubarb is cooked but still holds it shape.

5. Allow to cool before serving.

6. For the fish cutlets

7. Place the potatoes in a medium-sized pot topped with cold water and season with salt. Bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are cooked.

8. Drian the potatoes before mashing and set aside.

9. Place a frying pan on medium high heat. Warm the oil before adding the red onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden.

10. Add the green chilli, cumin seeds, turmeric and curry leaves. Cook for 2-3 minutes to bloom the spices.

11. Remove from the heat and add to the potatoes.

12. Add the drained tuna, season and mix well.

13. Shape the mixture into 16 even-sized balls.

14. Beat the egg with the milk and place in a small bowl.

15. Place both the flour and breadcrumbs in a small bowl each. Working in batches pass the cutlets through the flour first, next through the milk and egg mixture and finally through the breadcrumbs shaking off the excess at each stage. Place on a tray or a plate in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

16. Heat a small deep fryer to 180°C and fry the croquettes in batches of 8 at a time for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and season with sea salt.

Fish tales

You can swap the apple cider vinegar for white wine or rice wine vinegar.

Add spices to the pickling liquid, such as star anise, coriander seed or black peppercorns.

Place the pickled rhubarb in a sterile jar and refrigerate until serving.

The cutlet mixture can be made a day in advance. The mix freezes well both before and after breadcrumbing.

If you don’t have a deep fryer, use a heavy-based pot filled halfway with oil and work in batches. A thermometer is essential if you don’t have a deep fryer.

These cutlets can also be finished in an air fryer.