If you’ve been reading my blog lately, you know that I’ve been trying my darndest to eat Paleo ever since doing the Whole30 in January. At least- most of the time (goat cheese doesn’t count in my opinion- not if I want to live a meaningful existence).
But it is CHALLENGING. For one thing, it requires a lot of planning. For another- it requires a lot more money (grains and legumes are cheap, but alas, they are not allowed). And as a girl who works super hard to stick to a frugal budget, I’ve nearly fainted every time I check out at the grocery store lately.
Which is why I created this DELICIOUS paleo recipe. These Tuna Croquettes with Lemon Dill Aioli can be made in bulk to last you all week for lunch (or frozen for later) and are budget friendly. Hip hip, hooray!
Tuna and eggs are my go-tos for inexpensive Paleo protein. Plant-based proteins are usually found in legumes, and those are out. Protein is a big part of eating Paleo, and getting enough is key for full satiation. If I pack a lunch with too little protein, I definitely feel hangry by the time dinner rolls around and feel my energy start to dwindle. And while fat is also an important part of the Paleo diet, I don’t want to be eating the really fatty inexpensive cuts of meat (like pork shoulder, etc.) ALL the time. Furthermore, buying sustainable grass-fed meats and wild-caught seafood is even more expensive, regardless of the cut.
Enter: Tuna Croquettes. Delicious, delicious patties with red bell pepper (that’s where they get their color), onion, and garlic, fried to golden perfection. When topped with the lemon dill aioli… oh my. Just amazing.
Making these croquettes couldn’t be easier, and they (and the aioli) can all be made in your food processor.
First, the croquettes. Simply combine the veggies in the food processor first, and turn on until finely chopped. You could theoretically cut them by hand, but the more finely chopped the ingredients, the more likely the patties are to stay together.
Then, add the tuna, an egg, salt and pepper, and some almond flour to bind it all together (bread crumbs are traditionally used here, but for this paleo version, I used almond flour).
Next, you’ll form small patties by hand and fry them in olive oil. I used my cast iron skillet, but you can use a dutch oven or other heavy pan. This is the tricky part- while the patties are warm, they will have a tendency to fall apart. Be careful when flipping them! Once they cool off a bit, they stay together marvelously.
While you are frying them, head back to the food processor for the aioli. Just a simple mixture of mayo, fresh dill, salt, pepper, and lemon juice for the World’s Greatest Sauce (seriously- I’m going to start putting this on everything!).
These are great on their own, atop salads, or on a bun (for you non-Paleo peeps). Freeze by wrapping tightly in plastic wrap for later. And if you like these, you’ll love these salmon croquettes and this classic tuna noodle casserole from scratch.
Recipe below. Enjoy!
Paleo Tuna Cakes with Lemon Dill Aoil
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Heavy Skillet
Ingredients
For Tuna Croquettes:
- 1/4 onion roughly chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic roughly chopped
- 10 oz. canned tuna in water drained (2 small cans)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil for frying
For Lemon Dill Aioli:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- juice of one lemon
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the onion, red bell pepper, and garlic to a food processor. Process until finely chopped.
- Add drained tuna, egg, almond flour (1/2 cup), salt, and pepper. Process until well combined.
- Heat olive oil (2 tablespoons) in a cast iron (or other heavy) skillet over medium-high heat.
- Form patties with approximately 1/4 cup of the tuna mixture and fry until golden brown on both sides (about 2-3 minutes on each side), flipping carefully (as they will have a tendency to fall apart when they are warm).
- Place on plate to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
- Meanwhile, to make the aioli, add all ingredients to food processor and process until well combined.
- Serve tuna croquettes with aioli.
Notes
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Cynthia
Hello, I am new to your site and look forward to making some delicious recipes. My question is in your recipes, the serving size may say four, for example, such as this tuna patty recipe but Does that always mean one patty for serving? Does it mean one pancake for serving? Just need some clarity. Thank you.
Elizabeth Lindemann
It just means the entire recipe divided in four. So if the tuna croquettes end up with 8 patties when you make it, it will be for 2 of those patties. Hope that helps!
Ivelisse Baco
Could be used air fryer? or baked instead of frying them.?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Sure! To bake them, I’d brush or spray them with oil (to get them golden brown on the outside), place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees F for 10ish minutes. You can broil at the end to get them more browned on top (as long as you didn’t line with parchment paper or something not broiler safe). Not sure about the air fryer. Hope that helps!
Fiona Weiss
I think you forgot to add garlic to the aioli – the word is french and means garlic, if theres no garlic its just a dip. :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
You’re totally right about this! Thanks for catching this. I actually just learned that there also is no mayo in traditional aioli (!), it’s just an emulsification of oil and garlic. That totally blew my mind, as I’ve always thought aioli and mayo were kind of one in the same! I’m going to add this to my list of things to edit, I appreciate you bringing this up!
Marilyn Murray
Very tasty but can use another egg to bind them. I’ve been making tuna croquettes for 30 years and thought I would try a recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
An egg might help but if the batter is sticky/loose, it might be because of the almond flour not absorbing the liquid enough. That’s the trouble with using it in place of traditional breadcrumbs! If you don’t need a strict paleo recipe, you could try breadcrumbs, or even quick oats for a GF option. Hope that helps!
Rebecca
This was a really interesting dish, but I wish the recipe said how long to fry each side for, and on what heat setting!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked it, and thank you for this feedback! I’m going to edit the recipe right now to include that information.
TC
Just made this and it’s great! Thank you! I added just a touch of toasted sesame oil, and served the croquets on a lettuce leaf.
Elizabeth
So glad you liked it! Love the addition of sesame oil.
Bayla
I added a half a hot green pepper. Added an awesome punch! Highly recommended and I made an avocado mint dipping sauce bc we don’t eat store bought mayo and I only had mint in the house.
Elizabeth
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing your suggestions.
Keith @ How's it Lookin?
They look great. The bell pepper will give them some more awesome flavor, thanks for sharing
Elizabeth
Thanks Keith!
Ann
Can I substitute regular flour for almond flour?
Elizabeth
Yes, or bread crumbs! Basically, just something to absorb the liquid so you can actually form the patties :-)
Ann
Thanks for the quick reply! I’m definitely going to try this recipe. Looks delicious! =)