Tuna parsley fritters with mustard bechamel sauce

This was another impromptu dish I had to fix up in a hurry while not having my camera with me (which explains the poor quality of the pictures taken with a cell phone). But the dish had been planned in my mind for a long time before, and the final result did not fail me :). It was everything I imagined and more. Everyone was pleased, Miriam was happy, mission accomplished. Enjoy. :)

Last year: Tortellini and vegetable souffle.
Two years ago: Sprinkle butter cookies (Italian).
Three years ago: Chicken with cream and mushrooms, Singapore noodles with chicken and Mexican-style scrambled eggs.





Ingredients (serves 3):

• 130 g drained tuna from the can
• 2 bunches of fresh parsley (30 g)
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 50 g finely ground breadcrumbs
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• olive oil for frying

For the sauce:

• 1 rounded tablespoon flour
• 30 g butter
• 50 ml milk
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 rounded tablespoon grainy French mustard (or pickled mustard)

Flake the tuna in a bowl. Chop the parsley and add it. Also add the eggs, tomato sauce and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle salt and pepper.

Mix it well into a mass. Heat the oil in a frying pan and shape patties out of 1-2 tablespoons of tuna mix at a time. Fry them for about 4-5 minutes on each side, on low heat:

Remove them on a plate and keep warm. Repeat until all the tuna mix has been used.
Make the sauce: in a clean pan, melt the butter, then add the flour. Mix well for 1 minute until it looks slightly golden (but nowhere near brown). Add the milk, a little bit at a time, stirring continuously in the pan. When all the milk is incorporated, add the soy sauce and the mustard and mix well. Remove from the heat.
To serve, put a bit of sauce on each serving plate and top with some tuna fritters. It's done, dig in! :)