Intolerances: Fructose, Gluten, Soy
It’s just something special and flavorful.
For many years, my close friends and I got together for “Tuna Tuesday”. We would trade off each week picking recipes, cooking, eating and drinking. One might think you could run out of dinner dishes with tuna, you are wrong. Our favorite dish of all time, by far, was the ahi tuna burger. It always impresses, provides enormous flavor and is simply perfect. It was the obvious choice for me to choose as the first meal to make for my now husband. I think it may have been that meal, on date 4, that sealed the deal. It is his most requested meal, but one we try to save for special occasions. I have had to take my time finding the right balance on how to keep the integrity of the dish, while still meeting allergy restrictions. It is, in fact, still delicious.
Serve it with:
- Baked French Fries
- Grilled Mixed Vegetables
- Grilled Herbed Potatoes
- Asian Slaw
- Sesame Noodle Salad
What you need:
- Food Processor
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Large Mixing Bowl and Spoon
- Small Bowl with Lid
- Small Bowl and Whisk
- Plate
- Ahi Tuna Steak
- Panko Crumbs
- Coconut Aminos
- Thai Basil
- Egg
- Sour Cream
- Mayonnaise
- Sugar
- Limes
- Kosher Salt and Pepper
- Vegetable Oil or Cooking Spray
- Lemongrass
- Hamburger Bun
- Lettuce
- If tolerant: Anaheim Pepper (Banana, Poblano, etc.), Tomato, Onion
The Burgers
Using your knife, chop your tuna into large chunks. Add the tuna to the food processor. You will want to get the tuna to a ground meat texture. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to do multiple rounds of tuna, as you don’t want to overfill it. Once the tuna is ground properly, add it to a large mixing bowl.
In a small bowl, crack the egg and whisk. You will also want to grab your rasp and zest the lime and cut it in half. Add your egg to the tuna, along with the lime zest and the juice from the lime. Next, add the remaining ingredients: panko crumbs, coconut aminos, toasted sesame oil, kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Mix everything together and form 4 patties. Place the patties on a tray and place in the fridge to firm up and make sure they keep their shape when grilling.
The Sauce
While the burgers are in the fridge, let’s make the sauce. In a medium sized bowl, add the sour cream, mayonnaise and juice from one lime and kosher salt. Next, you will want to slice the lemongrass stalk in half and then into small half moon shapes. Add a tablespoon of the lemongrass to the bowl. Next, chiffonade the basil and add one tablespoon to the bowl. Mix it all together. This will be the sauce for the burgers.
Grill and Assemble
Turn your grill to medium-high heat. Once the grill gets to 425 degrees, it is time to add your burgers to the grill. First, spray or brush the grill grates with oil to ensure that your burgers don’t stick. They will take about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on your preference of doneness. I also like to toast my bun slightly, just to get it warmed through. Put it on the grill for about 1 minute after the tuna burgers have been removed.
It is time to assemble. Place a small smear of sauce on the bottom bun, add a piece of your favorite lettuce (recommend butter lettuce). Add your tuna burger and then another layer of sauce. **Feel free to go bunless if you do not have a fructose free bun or are cutting back on carbs, simply pull out the fork and knife. Add your favorite sides and dive in.
Ahi Tuna Burgers with Basil Lemongrass Sauce
Intolerances: Fructose, Gluten, Dairy, Soy
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes
Sauce:
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
¼ cup Sour Cream
3 Tbsp Thai Basil (sub Sweet Basil)
1 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
½ tsp Lemongrass Paste
¼ tsp Kosher Salt
Burgers:
1 egg
1/2 cup Gluten Free Panko
4 tsp Coconut Aminos
4 tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Lemongrass Paste
1 Lime, zest and juice
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 1/2 pounds Ahi Tuna Filets, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil or Cooking Spray
4 Pieces Butter Lettuce (favorite lettuce)
4 Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Buns
Sauce
- First you want to chiffonade the basil (tightly roll in a cylinder and make thin cuts) and then go through again with a rough chop.
- Add all sauce ingredients into an airtight container: mayonnaise, sour cream, basil, lime juice, lemongrass and kosher salt. Mix well and refrigerate for later.
Burger
- Roughly chop your tuna into small chunks. Add the tuna into your food processor and grind until your tuna has become a “burger” texture. Do not over process, you will be able to tell when the tuna is broken down. Please note that you may need to do multiple batches, depending on the size of your food processor. Add all tuna to a large mixing bowl.
- Crack your egg into a small ramekin and whisky lightly. Add the egg to the large bowl with the tuna.
- Zest the lime and slice in half. Add the zest and lime juice to the large bowl.
- Add panko, sugar, coconut aminos, sesame oil, lemon grass, kosher salt and black pepper to that same bowl. Mix with a large spoon or hands.
- Form the meat into 4 equal patties and refrigerate.
- Heat grill to 425 degrees.
- Spray the grill and add each of the burgers. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side, based on preferred doneness.
- Assemble the burger with the sauce, bibb lettuce and a bun (if tolerated/preferred) and a large dollop of sauce.
Side Note: If tolerated, make sure you include a thin slice of a beefsteak tomato, your favorite onion and a slice of a grilled/smoked poblano pepper (banana, anaheim, etc.)
Side Note: If tolerated, add 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp of garlic, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper to the burger mix.
One response to “Ahi Tuna Burger with a Basil Lemongrass Sauce”
The original ‘Tuna Tuesday’ favorite never disappoints. It’s a standby!