These moist, flaky, and simple Croquetas De Atún (Tuna Croquettes) are an easy, versatile recipe to serve as an appetizer or main dish. Topped with cilantro crema and a squeeze of fresh lemon, one bite of this delicious tuna croquettes recipe will transport you to your favorite coastal city.
***This post was originally published on Dec 2015. It has been updated to be more helpful.
Croquetas De Atún
This is a classic, must make seafood dish any time of year. Follow this recipe for crispy on the outside and creamy inside croquettes. The secret to their soft and creamy texture? A plain mashed potato!
The potato mutes the tuna-taste and they’re not as fishy as other seafood patties tend to be which is perfect for picky eaters!
Why make these?
The Ingredients
The ingredients for these Croquetas De Atun are very simple and most likely you already have in your pantry.
- The Tuna – I like to use white albacore in water but you can use whatever tuna you may have handy.
- The Potato – A large russet potato or two medium white potatoes. Whatever you have handy.
- 1 large egg
- For the bread crumbs you can use seasoned or plain. This is the beauty of this dish! It’s so flexible. Panko will also work perfectly.
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Oil to fry – You can fry them in a pan, bake them or in the air fryer.
** Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
How to make Croquetas De Atun
Croquetas aren’t complicated to make and they are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.
Here’s a quick run-down:
- Start by boiling the potato in water until soft.
- Once cooked, mash the potato with a fork then mix together with the tuna in a bowl. Mix and mash everything together until you don’t see any chunks of potato.
3. To form the patties, grab some tuna mixture with your hands and squeeze together to form the croquette patty.
4. Pass it thru the scrambled egg then the bread crumbs. Reserve on a plate until you’re ready to fry or bake them.
Ways to cook Croquetas De Atun
In Frying Pan:
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the croquettes until golden browned on all sides. About 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels and repeat the frying process until all done.
Note: frying the croquettes in oil does not require a lot of it since it’s a quick pass thru for about a minute on each side. Add more oil to the pan as needed, a little bit at the time.
In Oven:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Arrange the tuna patties on a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Spray or brush the top of the tuna patties with olive oil.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, turning once, until golden browned on both sides.
In Air Fryer:
- Preheat, arrange the tuna patties on surface.
- Spray or brush the top of the tuna patties with olive oil.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, turning once, until golden browned on both sides.
Chef’s Tips & Notes:
Make ahead and freeze raw: Prepare tuna croquettes up to step #3 then place uncooked flat on a tray. Place in freezer for about 4 hours and when frozen, then you can package for longer term storage. Place them in a freezer bag or plastic container with wax or parchment paper between layers.
Storing leftovers: Let your patties cool completely and then transfer them into an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How to reheat: I suggest doing this in a frying pan, in the air fryer or toaster oven to keep the crispiness. Add a little bit of olive oil to your pan and heat over medium heat. Cook croquettes for a few minutes on each side to warm up.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these delicious tuna croquettes with any of the following to round out a healthy and delicious meal!
- Serve with a salad and Arroz Blanco or Mexican rice
- With Calabacitas or Espagueti Verde
- They can be served as tacos with my Cilantro Lime Mexican Crema & Chile Guajillo Salsa …you heard that right, they taste amazing inside a tortilla!
MORE tasty…
Seafood Recipes To Try:
If you make this recipe be sure to leave a rating in the comments below. You can also tag me on Instagram at @anafriasb.
Print Recipe
Croquetas De Atún (Tuna Croquettes)
Equipment
- Frying pan
- Baking tray
- Or Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 5 oz cans solid white albacore tuna in water or your preferred can of tuna
- 1 large russet potato peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 cup bread crumbs or panko crumbs
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup avocado, grapeseed or vegetable oil add more oil if needed
- olive oil for coating tuna patties
Instructions
Make the croquettes
- Place the potatoes in a small sauce pan and cover with water. Cook on medium-high heat until potatoes are cook through. Drain when they're cooked.
- While the potatoes are cooking, add the egg in a shallow bowl and beat with a fork. In another bowl, add the bread crumbs and season with salt & pepper. Set both bowls aside.
- Drain the tuna and place in a medium bowl . Add the cooked potatoes, salt & pepper.
- Mix well and mash tuna & potatoes with a hand masher or a fork.
- Form the tuna patties by squeezing them first then forming into patties. You can make them in any shape you want!
- Pass thru the croquettes thru the egg mixture then coat with bread crumbs.
Cooking options:
- IN FRYING PAN: Heat oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the croquettes until golden browned on all sides. About 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels.
- IN OVEN: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the tuna patties on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray or brush the top of the tuna patties with olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning once, until golden browned on both sides.
- IN AIR FRYER: Preheat, arrange the tuna patties on surface. Spray or brush the top of the tuna patties with olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning once, until golden browned on both sides.
- Serve while warm.
Muy Delish Notes:
Add Your Own Private Notes
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Nutrition
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
I made this with gluten free panko I found at the market and it was delicious! Love these croquetas with some ketchup too lol
Hola, estaba por hacer estas croquetas en la freidora hoy mismo, pero desafortunadamente no hay mención de la temperatura de dicho aparato, ni de precalentar ni de cocinar ?
Delicious ? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Excelente post. Muchas gracias, Un saludo
Muchas gracias Croqueto! Igualmente!
I don’t eat a lot of tuna so was skeptical if I should try this. Glad I did. Very good!
Hey there 🙂
Your wordpress site is very sleek – hope you don’t mind me asking what theme you’re using?
(and don’t mind if I steal it? :P)
I just launched my site –also built in wordpress like yours– but the theme slows (!) the site
down quite a bit.
In case you have a minute, you can find it by searching for
“royal cbd” on Google (would appreciate any feedback) – it’s still in the works.
Keep up the good work– and hope you all take care of yourself during
the coronavirus scare!
These are my favorite! I actually eat them with ketchup lol! The recipe is perfect
Favoritas de mi familia!!!
Gracias Ana!!
I love this easy recipe! Can’t wait to make it again