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Savory Tuna Cakes are an inexpensive answer to crab cakes. Photo by Valerie Phillips

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2. Using a dry stuffing mix is a quick shortcut to making Savory Tuna Cakes. Photo by Valerie Phillips

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Crab cakes are a favorite restaurant dish for me.

But I seldom make them at home due to the price of the crab.

If you’ve ever watched the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” reality TV show about crab fishing, you’ll understand why this crustacean is so costly.

I’ve tried using imitation crab, also known as “Krab” or surimi, which is white fish that has been formed into chunks with crab flavoring added. But the imitation stuff has a spongy, rubbery texture when you try to make it into crab cakes.

A better low-cost alternative is the humble canned tuna. It has lots of fish flavor and a better texture.

No, you won’t fool anyone into thinking these are really crab cakes. Nevertheless, they make an easy, budget-friendly weeknight meal.

Dry stuffing mix makes a quick shortcut, because it has bread crumbs, onions, celery, parsley and other seasonings already included.

Shredded carrot adds some color and nutrition, but you can certainly leave it out.

You don’t really taste the cheese, but when melted it helps to hold everything together.

If you want to give your faux cakes more of a Maryland blue crab flavor, add a teaspoon of Old Bay Old Bay seasoning. It’s produced in the Chesapeake Bay area by the McCormick Company. I visited the McCormick kitchens in Maryland several years ago, and found out that Old Bay seasoning was invented in 1939 at a time when crabs were so plentiful in Baltimore that bars offered free crabs. Salty/spicy seasonings like Old Bay were used on the crabs as a way to encourage patrons buy more drinks. It’s a heady blend of mustard, paprika, celery salt, bay leaf, black pepper, crushed red pepper, mace, cloves, allspice nutmeg, cardamom and ginger.

An essential part of the recipe is to let the mixture sit for 10-30 minutes in the refrigerator, to bind ingredients together. If you skip this step, your cakes may crumble during cooking.

Savory Tuna Cakes

2 7-oz. cans chunk light tuna in water, drained

1 6-ounce package chicken-flavored stuffing mix (such as Stovetop Stuffing)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Optional: 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, or to taste

1. Mix the ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 10 to 30 minutes, to let the mixture bind together.

2. Use an ice cream scoop or hands to scoop out the mixture and form into patties.

3. Spray a skillet with nonstick spray, and heat to medium high heat.

4. Cook the patties about 3-4 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through. Depending on the size of your skillet, it will probably take two batches.

5. Serve with lemon wedges and/or tartar sauce.

Valerie

www.chewandchat.com