Waffle Iron Tuna Cakes

Tuna cakes in a skillet are a little nerve-racking. They're soft, they stick, and the flip is where they break. A waffle iron solves all of it. It cooks both sides at once, and all those ridges turn into crisp edges you'd never get from a pan.

Everything depends on dry tuna

Press the tuna in the can with the lid, then squeeze it again in a fork or a strainer. It should look almost fluffy. Wet tuna makes a loose mix that oozes out the sides of the waffle iron and steams instead of crisping, and at that point the trick stops being useful.

Heads up

If the mix feels loose, add another spoonful of crushed pork rinds rather than more egg. They soak up moisture and help it hold.

Pork rinds as breadcrumbs

Crushed fine, pork rinds act like breadcrumbs with basically no carbs. They also bring salt, so go easy on added salt. A food processor gets them fine in seconds; a zip-top bag and a rolling pin works too. The waffle iron trick isn't only for dessert, either: it's the same tool as Easy Vanilla Low Carb Protein Waffles, just savory.

Try this

Reheating is where most crispy things go wrong. The Air Fryer Cheat Sheet has times for reheating leftovers without making them soggy.