This recipe is a lovechild between okonomiyaki and potato kugel (though it leans more toward the latter than the former).

Earlier this year, when Royce had been on a mini okonomiyaki kick for a few weeks in a row (no complaints!), I had what I thought was a brilliant idea: what if instead of making mini pancakes, we baked the same recipe in a tray and then cut it into squares? Okonomi-squares! I was sure they’d be just as tasty and the hands-off approach to cooking was very appealing as it would give us more time to chase Nicholas around the house. On my first test attempt, rather than following the okonomiyaki recipe, I ended up getting inspired by memories of potato kugel and ended up somewhere in between with these cabbage-potato-tuna squares. I know the name isn’t terribly exciting but they really are better than they sound (we promise!). In fact, they’ve found a place in our regular lunch rotation ever since.

These squares combine a base of shredded veggies and fish (canned usually, but fresh would be OK too), bound with a batter and baked. I usually do these in advance and then re-heat slices in the air-fryer to make them extra crispy. A major plus is that they make a pretty good meal for the small human too!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1-1/2 cups shredded potato
• 1-1/2 cup shredded vegetables (onion, carrots, …)
• 1 can tuna
• 1/4 cup flour (whole wheat)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dill

Tools Required:

• whisk/ spatula
• 1 – 8″ x 8″ square pan

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Using a box grater, in a large bowl, shred all the vegetables.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. Add mixture to the shredded vegetables and mix until combined.
4. Add canned fish and continue to mix.
5. In a separate bowl, add eggs and whisk.
6. Add egg into the shredded vegetable flour mixture, mix until combined.
7. Transfer mixture into an 8″ x 8″ pan, compress and flatten using a spatula.
8. Bake at 350F for one hour. Remove from oven and refrigerate until ready to eat.
9. For the sauce, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar and dill
10. To serve, cut into squares (we also like triangles), pan fry until crispy (or use the air fryer on high heat for approximately 5 minutes).

Variations:

We prefer having a base of cabbage and potatoes, but there is a lot of flexibility on the 1-1/2 cups of other shredded veggies. The only note we would add is that if you’re adding something with a high water content you’ll likely want to strain/press it a little in advance so that the batter doesn’t become too watery.