Canned or Fresh, Tuna Revisited
Childhood is full of memories and for most of us those memories include foods that we just couldn’t stand eating. Whether your parents were generally good cooks like mine, or not so good, there was always something you just couldn’t stand eating.
Personally, aside from the evil potato, I just couldn’t stomach the texture of sauteed yellow squash and zucchini, both of which my mother loved. Friends of mine have shared horror stories of over-cooked carrots and Popeye-like slimy spinach. But it is the stories of the tuna casserole that are horrible enough to make even my stomach churn.
Although I grew up eating plenty of tuna fish from the can, I can’t say I ever remember having tuna casserole. Just looking at Tuna Helper in the rice aisle I find my face contorting into an involuntary grimace. No wonder I have heard so many horror stories, when most recipes for tuna casserole are some combination of canned and frozen food all topped with a generous portion of potato chips. Yes, if I was forced to eat that as a child I might never touch a can of tuna fish again.
Overall, I would say tuna gets a bad rap. And when I say tuna I am not talking about seared ahi served with wasabi sauce. I’m talking about good old albacore in all its forms: fresh, chunk light, solid white, packed in water, or packed in oil. Although I am generally opposed to the use of canned foods, tuna is one of those items in the safe list. Not only does it have versatility beyond the default tuna sandwich, it is perhaps the most readily available form of protein out there when you’re in a fix.
When thinking about tuna, it is right to start with the basics: the tuna sandwich. In most people’s minds this typically involves industrial sized deli vats of chunk light packed in water that has been drained and mixed with a another artery clogging vat of mayonnaise.
But I know that the tuna salad that ends up on one’s sandwich does not always have to be so fattening or predictable. For instance, if you really do like the creamy taste of mayo, try lightening it up by replacing a bit of the mayonnaise with low fat, creamy Greek yogurt. The yogurt adds a bit of tang but keeps the same creamy taste with a fraction of the fat. Or try swapping out the creamy dressing for vinaigrette, adding a little Dijon mustard for a spicy emulsion. Even better, pack your tuna salad with flavor with the addition of everything from corn, minced onion, capers, chopped gherkins, to green olives.
If you are even more anti-can than me, poaching fresh tuna will give you the same texture as the can while leaving you with more control over the quality and the freshness of the end product. Make a poaching liquid from white wine, butter, herbs such as thyme and parsley sprigs, plus salt and pepper and a lemon wedge. Add fresh albacore and bring the liquid to a simmer. For a pound of tuna, cook in the simmering liquid for about 8 minutes, turning the steak over once, until the flesh is opaque and beginning to flake. At that point remove the tuna from the poaching liquid and let cool before flaking it with a fork and using it as just as you would any tuna from the can.
As for the infamous tuna casserole, the combination of tuna and noodles does not have to be the thing of childhood nightmares. Again, the accessibility of canned tuna makes it the perfect protein addition to a meal when the refrigerator is empty and you don’t have time to run to the store. A pasta sauce made with white wine, canned sundried tomatoes, green olives, canned diced tomatoes, with some fresh garlic and some herbs on hand along with a couple of cans of tuna can practically be made straight from the cupboard. Even though it is made almost entirely with ingredients from cans and jars, the taste is fresh and the flavors are diverse.
After a childhood of gagging on overcooked sauteed zucchini, it wasn’t until well into my adulthood when I realized that, if I grill long, thick slices until they are crisp-tender or grate one and toss into al dente pasta, zucchini is not that bad after all. In fact, I might even like it. So for all those long suffering victims of tuna casserole crimes, now might be the time to reacquaint yourself with an old enemy and you might be surprised that under a creative and skilled hand that enemy might well become a friend. And you might actually grow to like tuna after all, with or without the casserole.
Made with sun-dried tomatoes, water, farfalle pasta, salt, anchovy fillets, garlic, olive oil, red chili flakes, olives, capers
Serves/Makes: 4
- 4 sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup hot water (from the tap)
- salt
- 3/4 pound farfalle pasta
- 3 anchovy fillets
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 6 olives such as kalamata, pitted
- 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes or Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 can (6 ounce size) tuna packed in oil (dolphin safe)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl and cover with the hot water. Let sit for 15 minutes to soften.
When large pot of water comes to a boil, salt the water and add farfalle. Cook till about 2 minutes shy of done. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water then drain pasta and set aside.
While pasta is cooking, heat a large saute pan over a medium flame with the olive oil. Mince garlic and rinse anchovies. Add garlic and anchovies to oil and cook for about two minutes, breaking up the anchovies in the oil to help it dissolve. Chop tomatoes if using fresh and chop olives roughly. Add tomatoes, olives, and capers to garlic along with chili flakes.
Remove sun-dried tomatoes from the soaking liquid and add half the liquid to the saute pan. Save the remaining liquid. Thinly slice sun-dried tomatoes and add to the sauce along with one half cup reserved pasta water. Drain tuna and break up lightly with a fork. Let pasta sauce simmer until reduced by half. Add tuna, pasta, and remaining pasta water along with pepper to taste. Let simmer for another two minutes until pasta is al dente, tuna is heated through, and ingredients are all nicely distributed. If the pasta looks too dry, add remaining sun-dried tomato liquid.
Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Made with black pepper, albacore tuna, butter, white wine, lemon, thyme, salt
Serves/Makes: 4
- 1 pound albacore tuna (can also work with swordfish, opah, or other dense white fish)
- 1/2 bottle white wine
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 lemon
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Season tuna on both sides with salt and pepper. Place fish in a pot not much wider than the steak. Add white wine, butter, and thyme. Cover pot with a lid and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 6-8 minutes turning fish over once during cooking. Fish is done when it is opaque and the flesh easily flakes. Remove from cooking liquid. Eat right away or cool then flake and use in other recipes.
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