Tuna Italiano Recipes

SICILIAN-STYLE GRILLED TUNA STEAKS

Steps:

• Brush the tuna with some oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the grill and brush the cooking grates with oil.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic for a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the wine and bring to a rapid boil for two minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except for the parsley and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and remove from heat.
• Sear the tuna steaks over high, direct heat for 1-2 minutes on each side. (For the best texture and to prevent becoming dried out tuna should be rare to medium rare on the inside.)
• Serve the tuna steaks immediately topped with the sauce.

ITALIAN TUNA SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk together the lemon juice, capers and Dijon mustard in a large bowl. While continuing to whisk, drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream. Whisk in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the beans to the dressing and mash gently with a spoon. Add the tuna, flaking it with a fork into bite-size pieces. Toss lightly to coat. Top the tuna mixture with the arugula, treviso, endive, shaved fennel, parsley leaves and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using your hands, toss the salad together, bringing the dressing up from the bottom of the bowl until everything is coated evenly.

SICILIAN-STYLE TUNA STEAKS (TONNO ALLA GHIOTTA)

Steps:

• 1. In a medium skillet over moderately high heat, warm the oil. Season the tuna with salt and pepper and sauté, turning once, until golden on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Remove the tuna and set aside. Do not clean the pan.
• 2. In the same pan over low heat, sauté the onion, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, capers, olives, raisins, and tomatoes, and continue cooking, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes. If the tomatoes don't release much juice, add the fish stock or water to give the sauce some body.
• 3. Return the tuna to the pan and cover it with a tight-fitting lid. Cook over moderate heat until the tuna reaches the desired doneness, 2 to 3 minutes for medium.
• 4. Add the parsley and basil and stir to incorporate, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the fish with the sauce spooned over the top; garnish with pine nuts.

ITALIAN-STYLE TUNA SANDWICH

Steps:

• Make the salsa verde: Whiz parsley leaves and 1/2 cup oil in a food processor or blender to a pesto-like consistency, then transfer to a small bowl. (Alternatively, chop parsley by hand and combine with oil.) Add garlic, chopped olives, anchovies, capers, lemon zest and red pepper to parsley mixture and stir well. Season with salt if necessary and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Thin with more oil as desired.
• Cut baguette crosswise into 4 equal pieces, then split each lengthwise with a serrated knife. (If using rolls, split each lengthwise.) For each sandwich, lay bread flat, crust side down. Spread cut sides with 2 tablespoons salsa verde. Put a few lettuce leaves on 1 piece of bread and arrange 2 ounces of tuna over lettuce. Top tuna with 1 egg, quartered. Season egg lightly with salt and pepper. Add sliced serrano chile, if using. Drizzle with a little more salsa verde, then press sandwich closed.

TUNA ITALIANO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to package directions (I find that 12 minutes is perfect, especially when using them in a casserole where there will be additional cooking).
• While the noodles are cooking, heat butter in medium frying pan and cook onions until tender but not brown.
• (Butter gives the recipe more taste but a non-stick spray can be used in place of butter. I don't recommend margarine- it doesn't melt properly.).
• Add soup, milk and cheese; heat and stir.
• Add tuna, mushrooms, olives, parsley and lemon juice.
• Stir well and heat through.
• Stir 1/2 of the cooked noodles into the tuna mixture. Mix well. Add more or all of the noodles as desired (the more noodles, the thicker the casserole consistency).
• Pour mixture into 2 qt casserole dish.
• (If doubling the recipe, use a 9"x13" pan.).
• Sprinkle top with remaining Parmesan cheese and the paprika.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
• (Watch that noodles don't burn-- may need to cook only 20 minutes depending on your oven).
• Before removing from oven, sprinkle top with onion rings and bake an additional 5 minutes.
• Watch that the onion rings don't burn.