How to Cook Sri Lankan Tuna Fish Cutlets (the Short Version)
Fry one tin of canned tuna fish with spices, and then mix with mashed potatoes. Shape the tuna mixture into tuna cutlets (round shapes), and coat with bread crumbs. Then deep fry or air fry the cutlets, based on your preference. Voila, some yummy tea time snacks!
5 Reasons to Try to this delicious Fish Cutlet Recipe
1) Tuna is healthy – Canned tuna is packed with proteins and omega rich fatty acids!
2) Potatoes are healthy – Potatoes are rich in Vitamin C and Potassium
3) Fish Cutlets can be served in COUNTLESS ways! (More details below)
4) Can be stored in the refrigerator up to a week!
5) Use this recipe to test your new air fryer 🙂
What Ingredients do you need to make these delicious Sri Lankan tuna fish cutlets?
To cook these tuna fish cutlets, you need the following ingredients (including spices):
- TUNA – One can is plenty!
- Potatoes – Use regular, sweet potato or taro as alternatives
- Red Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Green Chillies
- Curry leaves (optional)
- Bread crumbs
- Egg
- Lemon or lime juice
- Black pepper powder
- Chillie flakes / Red chili powder (optional)
- Salt
Tips and Tricks for this Sri Lankan Tuna Fish Cutlet Recipe
- DO wait until the tuna cutlet mixture cools down. Shaping into balls and coating with bread crumbs will be much harder if the cutlet mixture is hot.
- DO add some oil to your hands if you want to make perfectly round cutlets.
- DO use regular bread crumbs. If you have panko bread crumbs, then grind them in a food processor before using to coat the fish cutlets
- No time to shape and fry tuna cutlets? No Problem, just eat the cutlet mixture with rice. It’s still very delicious!
- Using lemon or lime juice removes the raw smell of tuna
How to Serve these Delicious Tuna Fish Cutlets?
Tuna Cutlets can be served as an appetizer or a side dish! Tuna cutlets are a classic crispy, tea time snack served in Sri Lanka with bread, butter and tomato ketchup / chilli sauce. To make a really nice evening meal, serve with some egg sandwiches, curry puffs, butter cake and hot, ginger tea. Fish Cutlets can be also served as a side dish to accompany any rice and curry meal. My favorite meal pairings of tuna cutlets are below:
- Rice, Dhal Curry, Onion salad (or Chili Paste)
- Fried rice, Dhal curry, Batu Moju (eggplant pickle)
How to Store these delicious Tuna Fish Cutlets?
Store in an airtight plastic container in the refrigerator up to a week.
Sri Lankan Fish Cutlets Recipe (using tuna fish)
Ingredients
- 1 Can Tuna 5 oz
- 4 Baby potatoes
- 2 Garlic cloves minced well
- 1 Green chillie minced well
- 1/2 Onion minced well
- 1/2 tsp Lemon juice
Seasoning
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 tsp Black pepper
- 3 tsp Chillie flakes
- 1 tsp Curry powder optional
Coating
- 1 egg
- 2 cups breadcrumbs
Instructions
How to Prepare Filling for Cutlets
- Boil and mash potatoes
- Finely mince onions, garlic and green chillie
- Heat oil in pan, add onions, chillie, garlic and saute for 5 minutes
- Drain all water from tuna, add tuna and all seasoning to pan, and mix well
- Saute for 10 minutes or more until mixture is fried well
- Add lemon juice, turn off heat, add mashed potatoes and mix well
- Let mixture cool down completely before forming into cutlets
How to Prepare Cutlets for Frying
- For coating step 1 - Make egg mixture by mixing an egg well with a fork
- For coating step 2 - Put breadcrumbs on a flat plate
- Make small balls out of the cooled tuna and potato mixture
- Dip each ball in egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs
- Deep fry until golden brown OR see air fry instructions below
How to Air Fry Cutlets
- Air fry at 400 C for 5 mins without spray/oil
- Now coat the fried cutlets in coconut oil
- Air fry again at 400 C for 5 mins and check cutlets. If they have browned evenly, they are done
- If not, air fry at 400C for 3-5 more minutes
Notes
- Use regular breadcrumbs or finely grind panko breadcrumbs for coating
Steps to making these Sri Lankan Fish Cutlets(with pictures)
Preparing the Tuna Fish Cutlet Mixture
- Start boiling your potato/potatoes in a pan – Add water until potatoes are covered, and cook until potatoes are tender (you can insert a fork easily into the potato). Carefully take out the boiled potato, peel and mash it.
- Finely chop onions, garlic cloves, green chilies and curry leaves
- Heat one tablespoon of oil (coconut oil used in this recipe), and add the chopped onions, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves into the oil. Saute until onions are browned
- Open one can / cans of tuna, and drain all the water out.
- Add the drained tuna and seasonings (salt, black pepper powder, and as much chillie flakes as you like) into the pan. Mix well with the sauteed onions, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves.
- Sautee until tuna is cooked well for about 10 minutes and turn off the flame.
- Add the mashed potatoes and mix well with the tuna mixture.
- Let the tuna cutlet mixture cool down to room temperature
Making Sri Lankan cutlets from the tuna fish cutlet mixture
- Once the cutlet mixture cools down, shape into small, round balls (or your desired shape) using the palm of your hands
- Take one raw egg and beat it using a fork
- Add breadcrumbs to a flat plate
- Dip one cutlet into the beaten egg mixture and then lay on the breadcrumb plate
- Cover the cutlet with breadcrumbs and roll it around the plate to get a nice, even coating
- Deep fry the cutlets until golden brown, or air fry using instructions below.
- If the cutlets are deep fried, them put them onto a paper towel and pat oil dry before serving
How To Air Fry Tuna Fish Cutlets
- Air fry at 400C for 5 minutes, without using any oil or spray
- Then, spray with cooking oil, and air fry at 400C for 5 minutes or until the cutlets have browned evenly!