Today we are talking about tuna and recipes with tuna. Who doesn’t have some tins or jars of tuna in oil in their pantry? I think we all have them at home and sometimes we do not use it because it is so natural and it is not very pleasing.
Tuna in oil has many beneficial properties: first of all it is fresh, light, ready to eat, with a long expiry date and being a food generally consumed cold very suitable in summertime. Moreover it is an economical source of omega 3 fatty acids, which help prevent cardiovascular diseases and keep blood pressure and triglycerides under control. Also as it is known, omega 3 has beneficial effects on memory and mood.
Therefore, here is a series of recipes to prepare tuna that everyone will love and will make you finally use all those cans.
Appetizers
Eggs stuffed with tuna
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon pickled capers
- 2 salted anchovies
- 150 grams of tuna in oil
- 50 grams of butter
- the rind of half a lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of eggs stuffed with tuna
First take the butter out of the fridge and let it soften at room temperature. Boil the eggs, let them cool, cut them in half and remove the red. Run the capers under running water to remove the salt, remove the bones from the anchovies. At this point you will need a mixer to obtain a homogeneous mixture. Then place the drained tuna in the mixer along with the anchovies, capers, and lemon zest. Blend everything together. Work the softened butter into a bowl and mix with the tuna, then add the hard-boiled egg yolks. Mix the ingredients very well until you have a mousse; add freshly ground pepper.
With this mixture fill the hollow of the hard-boiled eggs, which you can garnish with green salad, chives or capers. Refrigerate until ready to serve at table. The mixture with which we filled the hard-boiled eggs can be used for croutons and canapés, which will always be inviting.
Croutons with tuna mousse in oil
Ingredients for 4 people
- grams 180 of drained tuna in oil
- 100 grams of fresh ricotta cheese
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 1 teaspoon capers
- juice and zest of half a lemon
- enough oregano
- 8 toasted bread croutons
Preparation of croutons with tuna mousse in oil
Also in this recipe, use the mix to blend the ingredients. First, however, rinse the capers under running water to remove the salt, wash the anchovies well and remove the bones. Put the drained tuna, anchovies, capers, fresh ricotta, the juice and zest of half a lemon and a pinch of oregano in the mix. Blend everything well until a smooth and fluffy cream is obtained. Put the mousse in a bowl, cover with cling film and let it rest for at least half an hour in the fridge. At this point the mousse is ready to be spread on croutons for an inviting and delicious appetizer.
First dishes
Spaghetti with tuna and zucchini
Ingredients for 4 people
- grams 400 of spaghetti
- grams 250 of zucchini
- 200 grams of tuna fillets in oil
- a few 5 or 6 date tomatoes
- half a small onion
- salt, pepper and olive oil to taste
Preparation of spaghetti with tuna and zucchini
In a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil, sauté the finely chopped half onion. When golden, add the washed zucchini cut into thin slices and the cherry tomatoes cut in half. After a few minutes add the well drained tuna fillets. Adjust salt and pepper. Let everything cook for two or three minutes in order to amalgamate all the ingredients. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water. Remove them a moment before they are al dente and toss them in the pan with the sauce. If the sauce is a little dry, add a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water. This pasta dish can be served either hot or cold.
Pasta with Tuna Sauce
Ingredients for 4 people:
- grams 400 of pasta (to taste)
- 180 grams of tuna in oil
- 400 grams of chopped peeled tomatoes
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- 40 grams of olive oil
- a pinch of chilli pepper
Preparation of pasta with tuna sauce:
To start you can already put on the fire a pot with water to bring to a boil to cook the pasta, in fact the sauce is very quick to prepare. In a rather large pan put a drizzle of olive oil and the finely chopped clove of garlic. As soon as the garlic is golden brown, add the drained tuna in oil. Cook the tuna for about 5 minutes, then add the chopped peeled tomatoes. Let everything cook over low heat for about 10 minutes and add a little water from the pasta cooking if the sauce tends to get too dry. Finally, adjust the salt and pepper and add the chopped parsley. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and place it directly in the pan on the stove, allow it to take on flavor for one minute, stirring continuously and serve hot.
Pasta with tuna in white
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 400 grams of pasta (to taste)
- one medium onion
- 200 grams of tuna in oil
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- oil, salt, pepper and chopped parsley as needed
- 1 pinch of hot pepper
Preparation of pasta with tuna in white:
In a fairly large skillet sauté the onion, finely chopped with a drizzle of olive oil. As soon as the onion is golden, add the tuna, also finely chopped with a little of the tuna oil. Add the lemon juice and chilli pepper and cook for 5 minutes more. Adjust the salt and at the end of the cooking time add the chopped fresh parsley. Drain the pasta and toss it in the pan for a minute to mix well with the sauce, serve hot.
Second dishes
Tuna meatballs
Ingredients for 4 people
- grams 300 of tuna in oil drained
- 50 grams of bacon
- 1 tablespoon of capers
- 30 grams of grated parmesan cheese
- 100 ml of milk
- 1 egg
- 40 grams of breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- seed oil for frying
- salt, pepper to taste
Preparation of tuna meatballs:
First moisten the bacon with milk, when soaked, wring it out and shred it fine with your hands. Place in a large bowl with the tuna, chopped capers, grated Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley and breadcrumbs, leaving a little for the final coating. Check the salt, mix everything well until you get a homogeneous mixture. Form small balls and roll them in the breadcrumbs. In a frying pan, fry the seed oil and when it is very hot, cook the meatballs for a few minutes. Pass the meatballs on kitchen paper to remove excess oil and serve either hot or cold.
Potato and Tuna Salad
Ingredients for 4 people:
- grams 400 of potatoes
- 300 grams of tuna in oil
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- grams 200 of tomatoes
- 1 cucumber
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of the potato and tuna salad:
Boil the potatoes and when they are cooked, peel and cut into possibly equal pieces. Peel and slice the hard-boiled eggs, dice the tomatoes and chop the cucumber. In a bowl, place the drained tuna in oil and add all the ingredients, i.e. potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes and cucumber. Stir everything to make flavor, adjust salt and pepper and finish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Leave to rest in the fridge for at least half an hour. It lends itself very well to be prepared in advance, perhaps the day before and stored in the refrigerator. Ideal for picnics and summer dinners.
Zucchini stuffed with tuna in oil
Ingredients for 4 people
- three rather large zucchini
- 180 grams of tuna in oil
- 1 egg
- 50 grams of grated Parmesan cheese
- 50 grams of breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- salt, pepper and olive oil as needed
Preparation of zucchini stuffed with tuna in 0lio:
Wash and trim the ends of the zucchini. Divide each zucchini into 3 parts and use a knife to hollow out the inside. In a bowl, place the inside of the zucchini, finely chopped, together with the tuna in oil, Parmesan cheese, egg and chopped parsley. Add a drizzle of olive oil, adjust the salt and pepper and mix well throughout. Finally, add the breadcrumbs to make the mixture a little more compact. Fill the zucchini with it. Bake the zucchini in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. These zucchini thus prepared can also be cooked in a casserole with tomatoes. In this case you will need half a finely chopped onion to brown in a little olive oil. When cooked, add 400 grams of tomato puree, salt, pepper and a pinch of chopped parsley. Let the tomato cook for about 10 minutes and add the zucchini at this point. If the sauce shrinks too much add half a glass of water. Cook the zucchini in the tomato sauce for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally.
