Tuna burgers: food trend or culinary sacrilege?

Tuna burgers: the war between bread and fish

Making a burger at home with a can of tuna, a brioche bun and a bit of mayonnaise. The scene repeats itself in hundreds of kitchens, and the debate erupts: is that a burger or just a tuna sandwich? The difference is no trivial matter when the price of the base product, ground beef, tops 8 euros per kilo while a can of quality tuna runs around 2 euros.

Purists insist that a burger, by definition, is made with ground beef: veal, beef or a mix. Anything else, however neatly shaped and placed on a round bun, is a sandwich in disguise. Street cooks and fans of thrifty cooking, on the other hand, argue that if it looks like a burger, is cooked on the griddle and served with the same sides, it deserves the name. The cooking channel that popularized the recipe — a YouTuber who teaches one-pot dishes to English speakers — has racked up millions of views in just a few days.

The economic factor plays in favor of the tuna versions. A beef burger at a bar costs around 10-12 euros; the homemade tuna version, if you buy the can on sale (50% off at supermarkets like Ahorramas), can come in at under 2 euros each. That said, for defenders of the original product, the comparison is almost an insult: a roast chicken with a side dish is not the same as a frozen breaded cutlet from Lidl, they say. The quality of canned tuna matters too: light tuna in olive oil is not the same as chunks in escabeche marinade, and finding a good preserve is almost an art in itself.

Summer, with its quick meals and little patience for firing up the barbecue, sends fish "burger" recipes soaring. But the underlying debate remains open: is it a thrifty dish or an offense to tradition? Meanwhile, cans of tuna are flying off the shelves. The surprising figure: although the average price of canned tuna has risen 15% over the past year, it remains the cheapest protein in the supermarket.