Caribbean Tuna Cakes

I came across this recipe in one of my Pampered Chef cookbooks.  I actually made these back in the springtime and froze the leftovers.  I pulled them out of the freezer this week to have for dinner.  They have a completely different flavor than a traditional mayo/bread crumb based tuna cake.  They're a little on the spicy side from the Jamaican seasoning and the black beans make the texture much thicker.  The dressing has just the right amount of spice and the lime juice in it pushes it over the edge to make your taste buds dance ... mmm!

The first time I made these tuna cakes I served them with the salad as the recipe suggests and the second time I made them I reheated them in my toaster oven and served them with mashed sweet potatoes.  I made 1/2 of the dressing recipe and topped them right before serving.  The sweet potatoes paired well with the Jamaican seasoning and it made this recipe seem more like something to serve during the winter (not that salad isn't perfectly acceptable year round)  Obviously leftovers can be frozen and reheated & they taste just as good the second time around.  Enjoy!

DRESSING & SALAD
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 tsp lime juice
1 tsp Jamaican jerk seasoning
1 bag butter lettuce mix

TUNA CAKES
1 small red onion
1 small green bell pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs, divided
2 tbsp Jamaican jerk seasoning
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained & rinsed
2 cans (6 oz each) chunk light tuna in water, drained
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

1) Prepare dressing:  Combine mayonnaise, lime juice & rub in a small bowl; set aside.  For tuna cakes, finely chop onion and bell pepper.  Combine mayonnaise, 1 cup of the bread crumbs and rub in a bowl.  Add onion, bell pepper, beans and tuna; mix well.  Place remaining bread crumbs in a dish.  Using a large scoop or 1/4 cup scoop one heaping scoop of the tuna mixture, packing firmly.  Add cake to the plate of bread crumbs; gently flatten with the back of the scoop to 3/4 in thickness.  Turn cake over to coat lightly with bread crumbs.  Repeat with remaining tuna mixture for a total of 12 cakes.

2)  Cook Tuna Cakes:  Heat 1 tbsp oil in skillet over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until shimmering.  Add half of the cakes; cook 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, turning once.  Heat remaining oil in skillet 30-45 seconds or until shimmering.  Repeat with remaining cakes.

3) Prepare salad & Serve:  Toss lettuce with 2 tbsp of the dressing.  Serve cakes with salad; drizzle with remaining dressing.

Yield:  4 Servings

Source:  Pampered Chef 29 Minutes to Dinner, Volume 2