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| Chunks of bacoreta (a blue fish related to tuna) cooked in fresh tomato sauce. |
At the beginning of summer, I wrote about the “summertime blues,” the wonderful tuna and other blue fish that are abundant in this season. I’m adding red—red as in fabulous ripe tomatoes—to finish the summer.
This recipe for tuna with tomatoes is traditional in Andalusia, especially in the provinces of Huelva and Cádiz where bluefin tuna is taken. In its original version, the lesser cuts of the big fish would be cut into chunks and braised slowly with not much more than olive oil and cut-up tomatoes. Nowadays, the dish is usually prepared with choice pieces from the loin, briefly browned in oil then finished in tomato sauce to cook only for three or four minutes. Cooked in this manner, the fish stays juicy and moist.
I bought a blue fish related to tuna that my local vendor called “alvacora,” but which I think is actually bacoreta or "little tunny" (Euthynnus alletteratus). Bacoreta is a popular game fish but, as I learned only after I had bought and cooked it, is not much appreciated as a food fish! I can assure you that cooked in this fresh tomato sauce, it was absolutely delicious. Use any of the tunas or tuna-adjacent blues (bonito del norte/albacore tuna; melva/frigate mackerel; listado/skipjack tuna, or bonito/bonito) for this recipe. Traditionally, the fish is soaked in cold water to lighten the color of the flesh. It’s ok to skip this step.
Tuna with tomato is usually served with patatas fritas, olive-oil fries. The following day, I cut up the remaining chunks of fish, reheated them in the sauce, and served it with elbow macaroni.
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| Chunks of tuna are first quickly browned, then added to the sauce to finish cooking. |
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| Atún con Tomate is usually served with "Spanish fries," potatoes fried in olive oil. The dish is also good with rice or pasta for soaking up the delicious fresh tomato sauce. |
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| Once cooked, the flesh of the little tunny is no longer bloody-red. |
Tuna with Tomato
Atún con Tomate
Use a mini food processor to finely chop the onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Alternatively, chop the ingredients coarsely and, after cooking, blend to a fairly smooth sauce.
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| Raw bacoreta is very red. |
Serves 4.
1 ½ pounds boneless tuna
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Flour or cornstarch for dusting fish
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cups finely chopped onion
½ cup finely chopped green pepper
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 ½ cups peeled and chopped tomatoes (3 large, about 1 ½ pounds)
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
Bay leaf
¼ cup chopped parsley
2-3 chopped mint leaves (optional)
Cut away all skin from the fish. Cut the fish into 1 ½-inch chunks. Place them in a bowl and cover with ice water. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
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| Tomatoes ready to peel. |
Easy way to peel tomatoes: Cut an X on the bottoms of the tomatoes, place them stem-side up on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave on High for 2 minutes. Carefully turn the tomatoes stems down and microwave until the skin easily pulls away from the flesh, 1 to 2 minutes more. When cool enough to handle, slip off the skins and cut out the cores.
To prepare the tomato sauce: Heat ¼ cup of oil on medium-high in a large pan. Sauté the onions, peppers, and garlic until softened and beginning to color, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, cumin, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat so the tomatoes bubble gently. Partially cover the pan and cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
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| Tuna is browned, then added to sauce. |
Drain the tuna well and pat the pieces dry with paper towels. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and dust them lightly with flour or cornstarch.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil on medium-high in a non-stick skillet and brown the pieces of tuna about 30 seconds on all sides. The tuna does not have to cook through. Remove.
Shortly before serving, with the tomato sauce bubbling gently, add the chunks of tuna and cook them, covered, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to stand 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and mint, if using.
More recipes for the blues:
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Why the flour/cornstarch dusting on the fish? What does this add to the fish, or to the dish in general? (I'm sure this is just a 'normal cooking technique' point, rather than something specific to this recipe.)
ReplyDeleteDavid: An excellent question. In fact, it is a useful but unnecessary step. The flour avoids splattering of oil and prevents the fish from sticking. In the traditional version the tuna is fried with the sofrito, not separately.
DeleteThat looks delicious, I will be cooking this and will pass the recipe on!
ReplyDeleteRelative to David's comment, the flour will thicken the sauce and adds something to the texture of the fish. It's not a common ingredient when frying meat or fish, which will then be added to a sauce or stew.
Mad Dog: Hope you enjoy it and thanks for the additional comment about flouring the fish. It is definitely not a traditional technique, but it makes for a slightly more refined finished dish. I once had a discussion with the great Paula Wolfert on this subject. She floured pieces of tuna before lightly frying them to incorporate in un arroz, or "paella." I objected, that a Spanish home cook wouldn't use flour. So, maybe Paula had improved the recipe---
DeleteSorry, somehow I mistyped the above - I did mean to say, it is often a common ingredient when frying meat or fish, which will then be added to a sauce or stew. I've never seen it done in an arroz or paella either, but I can see that it might be good. There's probably a slight Maillard reaction if the flour browns.
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