by Ethan Johnson
April 10, 2006

[UPDATE 8/13/2006:] Additional cook's notes may be found here.

Do you love burgers but you want a break from red meat? Or do you want to try something a little different while still sticking with the tried and true? Fire up the grill pan and head to the fish market (preferably in the reverse order), because today you're going to make:

Tuna Burgers

Adapted from Viva la Vida by Rafael Palomino and Arlen Gargagliano.

(Serves 4)

1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsps chipotle puree (see detailed instructions below)
For the puree: 1 small can of Chipotles en Adobo (ask your grocer)
1 lb. sashimi-grade tuna fillet (steak), diced
1 cup crushed Terra chips
3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsps dijon mustard
1/2 - 1 cup dried bread crumbs
kosher salt to taste
pure olive oil

Note: This is the first time that I ever tried to make this recipe, so you're in for a real learning experience, food fans. Fortunately, I made all of the errors for you and you get to be brilliant on your first time out. Read and learn.

One more thing: This recipe has a lot of photos but it really isn't that hard to make. Since this was a first-time recipe attempt, I took more pictures and broke it down into smaller steps than I normally would with a more familiar recipe.

1. Since we need 1 cup of yogurt to start things off, I bought 3 6oz cups of plain yogurt at the store earlier in the day. The yield is going to be slightly over 1 cup but that's OK. It was cheaper than buying a tub of plain yogurt that you may not end up using for anything else, depending on your personal yogurt consumption.

   

2. Dump the yogurt into a big bowl.

   

3. Next, dump the can of Chipotle chilies into a food processor or mini chopper. Since the yield is small and we don't need much, a food processor is definitely overkill. A blender may work in a pinch.

   

4. Pulse the mini chopper a few times until the chilies become a smooth liquid.

   

5. Dab two tablespoons of the chipotle puree into the bowl with the yogurt.

   

   Note: If you transfer the remaining puree into a jar and keep it in the fridge, it will keep for up to 6 months. That will reduce a step or two for next time, eh?

   Also, if you mix 1 cup of mayo with 1-2 tbsps of the chipotle puree you'll have some exciting (if not the world's healthiest) chipotle mayo to put on your burgers or in your tacos to kick things up a bit. The jarred mayo should keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge. Give it the old smell test before using if you have been storing it longer.

6. Stir the puree and yogurt together with a fork until well blended.

   

7. Next, we need the tuna steak. "Sashimi grade" means that in theory, the fish is so amazingly perfect that you could eat it raw. I don't condone that, and am all about the cooked seafood here at In the Kitchen HQ. Look at this quality tuna steak:

   

8. Dice the tuna. Since it is flaky and similar to an onion, slicing across the natural "rings" of the fish will produce the dice effect.

   

9. Add the diced tuna to the chipotle/yogurt mixture and stir.

   

10. Pour some Terra chips into a glass measuring cup. Why: Because when you crush the chips, you'll see when you have 1 cup of crushed chips.

    

11. Crush the chips with a wooden spoon. Add more chips and keep crushing them finely with the spoon until you have 1 cup of chip flakes.

    

12. Dump the chips into the bowl.

    

13. Chop up 3-4 green onions and dump them into the bowl.

    

14. Measure out 1/2 to 1 cup of dried bread crumbs and dump them into the bowl.

    

15. Add kosher salt (to taste) to the bowl.

    

16. Dab 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard into the bowl.

    

17. Stir everything together with a wooden spoon until well blended and the tuna is completely coated with the bowl contents.

    

18. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and put into the refrigerator for 20 minutes to bind the mixture.

    

19. After 20 minutes have elapsed, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and heat up a grill pan (over "high" heat) with some pure olive oil.

    

20. Form the tuna mixture into patties. (The original recipe called for 2 lbs of tuna, so we ended up with Texas-sized burgers that were a bit much for the three of us. (My cousin came by for dinner.) 1 lb should yield 3-4 patties that are a bit more realistic.)

    

21. Place the patties in the grill pan.

    

22. Cook over high heat for at least 5 minutes per side, longer depending on desired doneness. Remember, the tuna is supposed to be "raw friendly" so less cooking won't necessarily spell disaster. BUT, as with any seafood, I prefer to lean towards fully cooked. Ask your doctor.

    

    Transfer to buns or rolls (or maybe lightly toasted or grilled bread? Have fun with it!) and serve.

23. Order's up!

Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out. <EM>