Tuna Puttanesca – By Anthony Davies

This is another take on Puttanesca, a pasta sauce traditionally used by Neapolitan streetworkers that uses ingredients that don’t require refrigeration; dried chillies, anchovies and capers etc. It’s a spicy, strong flavoured sauce, ideal for dark meat tunas like mackerel tuna, or the dark inner “barrel” from a light meat tuna that’s usually discarded or used as bait. Tuna can be dry when cooked, hence the non- traditional can of tomatoes for more moisture.

Ingredients

1 can anchovy fillets, chopped with can oil reserved

2 tablespoons capers

1 sachet tomato paste

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

handful of finely chopped red or green capsicum

dried chillis or sambal oelek chilli paste to taste

1 x 425g can diced tomatoes

300g dark tuna meat, cut into large 2cm dice

extra oil for cooking

dash of dry white wine

Add the anchovies and capers.

Method

Heat the anchovy can oil to medium in a large deep frying pan, you will need to add another slosh or two of olive oil. Fry the onion, chilli, capsicum and garlic until just starting to colour. Add the chopped anchovies and capers and fry for a few seconds.

Add the tomato paste to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Tomato paste “cooked” in this manner develops a richer flavour, but don’t let it burn.

Add the diced tomatoes. Increase the heat to bring back to the boil, then reduce to low, cover and simmer for at least 10 minutes.

Add the tuna last.

If the sauce seems too dry, add a dash of dry white wine. Add the diced tuna, cover and bring back to a medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until the fish pieces are just cooked through, do not overcook or the tuna will be dry. You shouldn’t need to add seasoning, the salty anchovies and capers will be enough.

serve with the pasta of your choice, topped with shaved Parmesan. Buon appetito!

Fry the garlic and onion till just coloured.