My daughter knows that in our family, food is an expression of love. The other night I made a stew, and she praised the meal between each spoonful. Her proclamations were almost comical, with long sighs as if she was experiencing new levels of flavor.

It was an entirely utilitarian stew, with soup too thin and carrots overcooked — nothing worth the lofty praise she bestowed.

This is why I take it personally when she doesn’t like something I’ve made. I give her long lectures about appreciating the food she has and why rude behavior offends the person who made dinner.

She views hunger as though it were a death sentence, so if I tell her there’s nothing else being served, she will eat her meal with a deeply offended face.

"But you love canned tuna!" I said a few weeks ago when I got "the face."

In fact, since she and I are the only ones in the family who love canned tuna, I had expected protests from my husband and son but not her.

I thought it was the perfect dinner for a warm night: tuna cakes, a sweet and savory salad of fruit and feta, and corn on the cob. But she added, "I don’t like cheese with sweet things. It tastes weird."

It was a meal wasted on unappreciative patrons.

You can’t please everyone all the time. So make these tuna cakes if that’s what you like, and please yourself.

TUNA CAKES WITH MANGO PAPAYA SALAD

» Salad:

1/2 cup mango
1/4 cup papaya
10 cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon mint leaves, very thinly sliced
Salt, to taste
2 teaspoons lime juice

» Tuna cakes:

1 can good quality, oil-packed tuna
1/4 cup almond flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
2 tablespoons onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Fresh pepper
Olive oil

To make salad, cut mango, papaya and tomatoes into small dice. In bowl, toss with rest of ingredients. Chill until ready to serve.

For tuna cakes: Drain can of tuna (if it’s olive oil, save for saute). In bowl, combine tuna, flour, egg, parsley, onion and lime. Sprinkle on the salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Stir with fork until well blended, tossing lightly. Form into small patties, about 2 inches across. It will be delicate, but a quick fry in the pan will stabilize it a bit.

Heat about 1 tablespoon oil in pan over medium-high.

When pan is hot, cook patties a few minutes on each side. Flip only once. Both sides should have a slight sear on them.

Serve immediately with salad. Serves 1 (with leftovers).

Approximate nutritional information, salad with 2 tuna cakes (not including salt to taste): 620 calories, 33 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 230 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,500 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 21 g sugar, 50 g protein

Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at www.thelittlefoodie.com.