Air-Fryer Tuna Burgers

The tuna burger is the recipe that takes canned tuna out of the sandwich category and puts it in the burger category — same ingredient, completely different dish. The shift makes a real difference: a tuna burger feels like dinner, not lunch. It comes on a bun. It has lettuce and tomato. It needs a fork-and-knife because it doesn't quite hold together perfectly. It tastes distinctly tuna-y in the way the can-opened-at-9am-and-mixed-with- mayo version doesn't.

The mix is similar to the salmon-patties published earlier but with a different proportional balance: more tuna, less binder (the salmon recipe leans heavier on panko because salmon flakes larger). Canned tuna in water (drained well, pressed dry), beaten egg, panko, finely diced celery and red bell pepper, scallions, dijon, lemon zest, salt. Formed into 4 proper burger-sized patties (about 4 inches across, ½-inch thick), air-fried.

The photo shows them in their natural habitat: assembled burger on a brioche bun with lettuce, a thick slice of tomato, on a white scalloped plate with shoestring fries on the side. Three more burgers staged behind on a tray. This is what summer weekday-lunch-or-dinner looks like.

A note on the tuna: use tuna packed in WATER, not oil. Oil-packed tuna is too greasy for this; the water-packed gets fully drained and pressed dry, then absorbs the egg and panko into a cohesive patty. The "premium" tuna brands (Tonnino, Wild Planet) make a real difference; cheap supermarket tuna works but tastes distinctly less.