Canned tuna is like the patron saint of cheap food. You can stick it pasta, on a baked potato, in a sandwich, or mixed into a bit of couscous, and you have got yourself an easy, cheap and healthy meal. While fresh tuna has far greater benefits in terms of Omega 3, the much cheaper canned kind is still low in fat and a great source of protein, so as long as you go for the kind canned in spring water (as opposed to the brine or oil variety), you can’t go wrong with it when approaching budget cuisine.

Personally, I think that fish is most delicious when mixed with spicy, aromatic Asian flavours, so I have thrown classics such as chili, garlic, coconut and coriander (cilantro) into these to really to give them a deliciously exotic kick.

You can pick up a block of coconut cream for less than £1 in most supermarkets, and because it’s best used so sparingly, it will last you ages. As for coriander, fresh herbs might seem like something of an extravagance, but if you chop them up and put them in a Tupperware, you can keep them in the freezer for ages. Simply throw them into stir-fries and the like straight from frozen.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 can of ‘Dolphin Friendly’ tuna in spring water

2 baking potatoes, peeled

3 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped

½- 1 red chili (depending how hot you like it) deseeded and finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

50g coconut cream, grated

1 egg, beaten

Salt/pepper

Olive oil spray

2 tablespoons of plain flour

Directions

Peel, chop, boil and mash the potatoes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Drain tuna and combine with potatoes in a mixing bowl. Add spring onion, coriander, chili, garlic, coconut cream and egg to the tuna/potato mix, and squish together with hands until all is well combined.

Take Satsuma-sized handfuls of the mixture and squash into patties. Dip in flour to lightly coat and stick on a plate in the fridge for half an hour to get them nice and firm.

Spray a non-stick frying pan with a 100% Olive Oil spray and fry cakes on a medium heat for 5mins on each side until lightly golden.

Serve with salad and sweet chili dipping sauce.

Image via Taste.com.au