Name: Thai Tuna Burgers with Papaya Salsa
Prep time: 16 min
Cook time: 8 min
Yield: 5 burgers
Ingredients: 4 serrano chili peppers; 3 cups papaya (seeded and chopped); 1 tbsp lime juice; 2 tbsp cilantro (chopped); 1/4 cup red onion (diced); 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs; 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest; 1/4 cup ginger (freshley grated); 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 pound sushi-grade yellowfin tuna steak (cut into 1/2-inch pieces); 1/4 cup basil (chopped); 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped); 5 whole wheat hamburger buns

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Thai Tuna Burgers with Papaya Salsa are made with bright, healthy, fresh flavors that will kick start your summer or brighten your winter.

I thought this day would never come – the day I can walk to work without a jacket. July 1 and it’s finally here! Chicago summers are notoriously short, so I’m not saying I’m surprised by our lack of sunny days thus far. But I don’t remember the warm weather starting quite this late in the season.

But because Chicago summers are short, I’m not wasting any more time lamenting. We can’t afford to! What we must do instead is celebrate! And every celebration requires delicious food. And if we’re celebrating the season, nothing says summer quite like a burger.

Thai Tuna Burgers with Papaya Salsa are the first of many burgers in this short-lived Chicago summer. These tuna burgers are better than conventional burgers and let me tell you why.

Thai Tuna Burgers > Conventional Burgers

Bright, healthy, fresh flavors. These burgers are smashed with lemon, ginger, basil, and cilantro. Papaya is marinated with spicy peppers, lime, red onion. In my humble opinion, this is better than ground beef and cheese. This is a burger you’re gonna feel good about eating.
And also, not that beef burgers don’t offer any nutritious value, but sushi-grade yellowfin tuna gives us a dose of healthy fats, not that unsaturated stuff. Plus all your vitamins and minerals in those brightly colored fruit and veggie toppings.
They are cool x2. They are pretty rad, but they are also cool in temperature. Unlike a burger, which let’s face it, is only excellent when it’s hot, Thai Tuna Burgers are excellent when hot and maybe even more so when not.
Let’s talk about the above for just a sec. I never thought about it before and it feels kind of like a revelation – leftover hamburgers are not good for breakfast. Leftover pizza, yes. Leftover Chinese, yes. Leftover hamburgers? … I think this puts hamburgers on a lower tier than both pizza and Chinese. But you know what food also belongs on that high tier? Yes, Thai Tuna Burgers with Papaya Salsa.

I made my Thai Tuna Burgers on the stove top because I don’t have a grill, but I’m sure you can easily prepare them outdoors. Remember to use sushi-grade tuna if you’ll be doing a rare or medium-rare sear – which I how I definitely recommend them!

Thai Tuna Burgers with Papaya Salsa

Thai Tuna Burgers with Papaya Salsa are made with bright, healthy, fresh flavors that will kick start your summer or brighten your winter.

Course Main

Cuisine American, Asian

Keyword grilling, seafood burger, summer, thai, tuna

Prep Time 16 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Servings 5 burgers

Calories 290 kcal

Ingredients

For the Salsa

4 serrano chili peppers
3 cups papaya seeded and chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp cilantro chopped
1/4 cup red onion diced

For the Burgers

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup ginger freshley grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound sushi-grade yellowfin tuna steak cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup basil chopped
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
5 whole wheat hamburger buns

Instructions

For the Salsa

Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Pan sear serrano chiles about 4 minutes or until charred on all sides. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 5 minutes. This will make the skin easy to peel off. Remove as much skin as possible from peppers, cut in half, remove seeds, and dice remaining flesh.
Transfer diced peppers to a medium bowl. Add papaya, lime juice, cilantro, and red onion. Toss to combine.

For the Burgers

Combine breadcrumbs, lemon zest, ginger, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until fine. Add tuna, basil, and cilantro. Pulse just until tuna is coarsely chopped — do not puree. Form into 4-ounce patties.
Prepare a large nonstick pan with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Sear burgers on each side until desired doneness, about 2 minutes per side for medium rare.
Place cooked tuna burger on bottom bun, top with ¼ cup papaya salsa and top of bun.