Fish cakes in general can fall apart, especially when turning them over. Here are some tips to avoid this.

Make sure your skillet is very hot, but on a medium heat. Use a wide spatula when transferring the cakes to the skillet. Once in the skillet, do not move the cakes until a crust forms on the bottom of the cakes. Turn them over, using a wide spatula underneath the cakes and another spatula on top to help.

A salad of corn mixed with pickled onions completes this quick and flavorful meal.

— You can use two 3.5-ounce cans of albacore (white) tuna packed in water instead of fresh tuna.

— Fresh tuna can be coarsely chopped in a food processor instead of by hand. Try not to overprocess.

— A quick way to defrost corn is to place the kernels in a colander and run warm tap water over them.

— Start tuna cakes cooking.

— While cakes cook, make corn salad.

To buy: 3/4 pound fresh tuna steaks, 1 small bottle Worcestershire sauce, 1 small bottle hot pepper sauce, 1 small jar Dijon mustard, 1 bunch scallions, 1 medium tomato, 1 bag washed-ready-to-eat salad greens, 1 container panko crumbs, 1 bottle olive oil spray, 1 package frozen corn kernels, 1 bottle pickled onions, 1 bottle reduced-fat mayonnaise, 1 bottle reduced-fat salad dressing.

Staples: eggs, salt and black peppercorns.

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FRESH TUNA CAKES

3/4 pound fresh tuna steaks

2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Several drops hot pepper sauce

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 scallions, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs

2 cups panko crumbs, divided use

Olive oil spray

Place tuna on a cutting board and coarsely chop with a knife and place in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, mustard and scallions and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Blend in egg and 1 cup panko crumbs. Mix well. Shape into 4 cakes about 4 inches in diameter. Place remaining 1 cup panko crumbs on a plate. Add tuna cakes to the crumbs making sure both sides are coated with crumbs. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add tuna cakes and cook 5 minutes. Carefully, turn (see note above) and cook 5 minutes. Place two tuna cakes each on two dinner plates.

Yield: 2 servings.

Per serving: 545 calories (20% from fat), 12.1 g fat (2.7 g saturated, 3.7 g monounsaturated), 264 mg cholesterol, 53.6 g protein, 50.2 g carbohydrates, 2.7 g fiber, 725 mg sodium.

CORN AND PICKLED ONION SALAD

2 cups frozen corn, defrosted

1 cup pickled onions

1 medium tomato cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons reduced-fat dressing

Several salad leaves from bag washed-ready-to-eat salad greens

Add corn and pickled onions to a small bowl. Add the tomato cubes and salad dressing. Place several salad leaves on the two dinner plates used for the tuna cakes. Spoon corn mixture over the leaves.

Yield: 2 servings.

Per serving: 131 calories (16% from fat), 2.3 g fat (0.3 g saturated, 0.7 g monounsaturated),1 mg cholesterol, 4.7 g protein, 27.5 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 28 mg sodium.

Linda Gassenheimer is the author of over 30 cookbooks, including her newest, “The 12-Week Diabetes Cookbook.”