Fresh Tuna Pasta
Tuna and pasta are classic partners—this probably isn’t news to many of you who ate tuna casserole as kids. One of the reasons that dish was so popular was that making it took about as much time as opening a soup can and a tuna tin. The following dish does take a bit longer to make, but not by much. You can substitute canned tuna if you want but use one that is packed in oil, not water—it will be more flavorful. If you use fresh tuna (I used yellowtail), have everything chopped and ready to go before you start cooking because the fish cooks fast, and if overcooked the tuna will be tough. The recipe calls for a whole lemon, which may seem like a lot, but it reduces quickly and works well to tone down the stronger flavors of the olives and capers.
Photo by: Claudia Alexander
Serves 2 Adapted from Chez Panisse Pasta Pizza & Calzone
Ingredients:
½ lb. tuna filet
1/3 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1 tablespoon capers rinsed and dried
¼ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves peeled and sliced
1 lemon peeled, cut in quarters, then sliced and de-seeded
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
½ lb. linguini
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook the pasta al dente, according to package instructions, rinse, drain and set aside. I keep the cooked pasta in a bowl of room temp water, so it doesn’t dry out.
Cut the tuna into ¼” long slices and then into 1 ½-2” rectangles. Toss them with salt and pepper.
To a hot sauté pan add the oil, olives, capers, garlic, and lemon. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook for 3 minutes, taking care that the garlic doesn’t burn by shaking the pan occasionally. Add the tuna and cook for 2 minutes. Add the drained pasta, and parsley and toss again. Cook for another 2 minutes. You want the tuna to be slightly pink. If it starts to overcook pull it out with tongs and set aside until the pasta and sauce are warm, then add the tuna back to the pan and toss. Adjust the seasonings if necessary. Serve right away.
Photo by Claudia Alexander