Tinned Tuna Cakes

Dead easy, but amazing appetizer for 4 or light main for 1-2. Great "empty cupboard" meal.    I got the idea for this recipe from the New England Salmon Cakes recipe in the "Tinned Fish Gourmet" booklet by Barbara-jo MacIntosh. I didn't have salmon in the cupboard, so I thought I whip something up with canned tuna instead.

Ingredients:

• 1 can tuna, drained. Use only sustainably harvested or you will get sick.  Seriously.
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 green onions, minced
• 1 teaspoon Gomasio (Japanese sesame-based seasoning)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced or grated
• ½ teaspoon dry chili flakes
• 1 cup rice, cooked. I used shortgrain Japanese sushi-type rice (without sushi seasonings), but you could use whatever you have.  You could also use leftover mashed potatoes.
• about 3 tablespoons panko (Japanese breadcrumbs). You could substitute regular breadcrumbs as well. 
• 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• lemon wedges

Directions:

Dump tuna into a mixing bowl.

Add all other ingredients except the panko, butter, and oil.

Mix to combine and break up tuna.

Add panko gradually until it seems like the mixture will hold together when formed into patties.

Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat and add butter and oil to pan.

While pan is heating, form mixture into 4 patties. Squeezing them a bit will help them stay together.

Once the butter and oil are foamy, add your patties.

Turn after about 5 minutes and cook on other side until evenly golden.