Asian-Style Tuna Burger with Ginger Slaw
A light tuna burger with ginger, scallions, and sesame, topped with avocado and a crunchy ginger-lime slaw.
- Prep
- 20min
- Cook
- 8min
- Total
- 28min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 420per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
Tuna has very little fat and this mix has no egg or breadcrumbs, just scallions, ginger, sesame oil and soy, so the way you chop the fish decides whether the patties hold. Cut the steak by hand into small dice, then chop about a quarter of it much finer, almost to a paste. That sticky portion binds the rest.
The patties cook in 3 to 4 minutes per side to 145°F (63°C) and come out firm and opaque. Napa cabbage and carrot dressed with rice vinegar, lime and honey stay light and crunchy, and sliced avocado supplies the richness the lean fish lacks.
Asian-Style Tuna Burger with Ginger Slaw
Prep 20 min, cook 8 min, total 28 min. About 420 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/asian-style-tuna-burger-ginger-slaw
Serves 4.
Ingredients
Instructions
Tap a step to keep your place.
Make the ginger slaw: In a bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp honey, and a pinch of salt. Toss with sliced napa cabbage and julienned carrot. Set aside.
In a large bowl, gently combine chopped tuna, 2 scallions (finely chopped), 1 tbsp grated ginger, 2 tsp sesame oil, and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Season with black pepper. Form into 4 equal patties.
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook tuna patties for 3-4 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer in the center of a patty reads 145°F (63°C).
Place tuna patties on toasted whole wheat bun bottoms. Top each with sliced avocado and a generous portion of ginger slaw.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds, crown with top buns, and serve immediately.
Tips
- Chill the shaped patties for 15 minutes before cooking. Cold tuna firms up, and the patties are much less likely to break when you flip them.
- Use a nonstick or well-seasoned pan and flip only once, with a thin spatula. Moving the patties early tears the surface before it sets.
- Dress the napa cabbage no more than 30 minutes before serving. It wilts faster than green cabbage and turns watery if it sits.
Substitutions
- Skinless salmon fillet instead of tuna: chop it the same way and cook to the same 145°F (63°C). It's richer and holds together more easily.
- Gluten-free: use tamari in place of soy sauce and a gluten-free bun.
- Savoy or green cabbage instead of napa: crunchier and slower to wilt, so you can dress it earlier.
Make ahead & storage
The slaw dressing keeps 3 days in the fridge; toss it with the cabbage just before serving. Cooked patties keep 3 to 4 days and reheat to 165°F (74°C) in a covered skillet, but they firm up and dry out, so they're best straight from the pan.
