For Renée: Yellowfin Tuna Burgers

Renée also tagged me and asked what I thought of it Calorie-wise.

It well illustrates some misconceptions about "diet food." 

Most people would think this is a fine example of being careful. Surely a burger and a salad is innocuous enough.

Renée was well aware that it was high in Calories.

Renée is a smart cookie.

Here's my response:  

Looks pretty yummy to me.
Calorie wise, it doesn't even look all that bad. I estimate the pattie to be about 6 oz (180g) based on the size of the wine bottle vs the plate. That's about 500-600 calories. Too big for weight loss, but probably fine for weight maintenance given the rest of the meal.
I assume that wine is a Cab? Add another 175 Calories. Add another ~150 for the brie, ~50 for the jelly, and you're approaching MacDonald's Calorie counts. But, like you said, who's counting?
Barbeque season is a killer on the waistline, at least for me.
If weight loss is an issue, you could consider yellowfin tuna or salmon patties (note to self: write a recipe). For a vegetarian version, portobello mushroom caps make good "hamburgers." Just scrape away the gillsMy response to Renee

See that bolded part? Here it is. 

Like all recipes in the Chef's unDiet system, this one uses weight measures. Volume measurement is far too inaccurate for this purpose. It's not because the unDiet is such a stickler. It's because it's common for volume measurement to be off by 30% or more. That's a big difference!

Try this test. Measure out a cup of flour (237ml). Now weigh it. 

Flour should weigh between 120 and 125 grams. How far off were you?

You'll need to start with fresh tuna, not the canned stuff. We're talking fresh yellowfin tuna steak. Yellowfin tuna has fewer Calories than bluefin tuna. If you can only find bluefin, cut the quantity by 25% (or don't, your waistline, your choice).

Renée doesn't eat wheat, but this recipe includes Panko breadcrumbs. Sorry, Renée, I made this recipe more mainstream.  For those with gluten allergies or who simply choose not to eat wheat, there are substitutes. (Double check labels for all these suggestions. Sometimes they sneak stuff in.) You can use crushed corn flakes, crushed tortilla chips, crushed Rice Chex cereal, etc. I figure if you don't eat wheat, you already know what you sub. If it looks like Panko, it will work.

Yield

This recipe will make 4 patties (servings) of about 180g (~6oz) each. Each will have about 200 Calories. You will need a food processor or some good knife skills. The food processor is much easier. A stick blender won't help.

Ingredients

525g     Yellowfin Tuna  ~ a pound and a quarter (400g if bluefin)

15g        Panko bread crumbs (~ 1/2 cup)

30g        Carrots, grated (~ 1/3 cup)

15g        Minced Green Onions (~1/3 cup)

20g        Finely diced Bell peppers, red preferred (~ 2 Tbs, 30ml)

18g        Soy Sauce (~ 3 Tbs, 45ml)

17g        Lite Ketchup reduced sugar (~ 1 Tbs, 15ml)

6g          Grated Ginger Root ( ~ 1 Tbs, 15ml)

8g          Cilantro, fresh, chopped (~2 Tbs, 30 ml)

50g        Egg, large, whole  (~ 1 large)

4g          Sesame Oil (~ 1tsp, 5 ml)

0.5g       Cumin, ground (~ 1/2 tsp, 2.5ml)

Salt and pepper to taste, I would also add Cayenne (0 Calories)

Method

1 -  Roughly cut the tuna into chunks. Place them in the food processor's bowl. If not using, hand chop the tuna as finely as you can.

2 -  Pulse on and off to chop the tuna. It should be like a very fine dice. Use the pulse feature to avoid making tuna paste.

3 -  Transfer the tuna to a large mixing bowl

4 -  Add everything else and mix well but not too aggressively. If you are familiar with the Pastry technique of folding, use it. (Note to self: I should probably add how-to videos. I don't know if I'm up to it.)

5 -  Cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap is in contact with the mixture. Refrigerate at least an hour.

6 - Form mix into 4 patties about 1.75cm (1/2") thick. Use a butter knife to tuck the edges in and make vertical sides. That's how to avoid the burnt-burger-edge conundrum. 

7 -  If grilling, oil your grill to avoid sticking. Grill or Broil for about 4 minutes a side. Do not overcook! If anything, err on the side of undercooked. In fact, if your tuna is sushi grade, this recipe would make a fine tuna tartar.

8 - Top and serve as you would a hamburger.

Alternates

I already mentioned possible substitutes for Panko. I also already mentioned that this recipe will also work as a tuna tartar provided the tuna is sushi grade. Here are some other possible modifications. Little changes can completely change a flavor profile.

-      Swap out the ketchup for the same weight of salsa. Depending on the brand of salsa you use, you may need to drain it a little. Use medium or hot salsa for an extra kick.

-      For an even bigger kick, swap out all or some of the bell peppers for jalapeños.

-      Swap out the egg for Calorie-reduced Italian, French, or Thousand Islands salad dressing,

-      Swap out the egg for Calorie-reduced Caesar Salad dressing. If so, swap out the Soy Sauce for half as much Worcestershire Sauce. Swap the Cilantro for Parsley and replace the Sesame Oil with 14g (~1 Tbs, 15ml) of Parmesan cheese, grated, low-fat. Seriously consider doing the next sub too. This would be a radical departure in profile and probably warrants its own recipe.

-      Swap out the tuna for sushi-grade fresh wild salmon. The farmed stuff is much higher in Calories. 

End Note 

This recipe will be part of a future Recipe Set as part of the Chef's unDiet Weight Loss system. The book which describes the system is now on Amazon at an introductory price of only $0.99 USD.

Let's all have fun and eat well while being Big Losers, weight-wise that is.

UPDATE: Some people asked for help in resizing the recipe. I did them one better. Click here for a full-blown resizer function. FULL DISCLOSURE: The resizer is only for members of the Chef's unDiet System. Membership is free, though. The catch is that you will be added to my MailChimp list, if/when I get around to creating it. That list will notify people of new Recipe Sets. You can unsubscribe anytime. 

Cheers