CookEat Recipe
Oil-Packed Tuna with Bolognese Vegetable Sauce
Thin slices of oil-packed tuna gently layered with finely chopped vegetables, olive oil and butter, then heated and finished with lemon juice.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 150 g commercially prepared solid-pack tuna in oil, drained in one intact piece; choose canned light tuna if available; Half a small white onion slightly larger than a walnut, about 15 g; Quarter of a garlic clove; 2 pale celery ribs, each about a handspan long, about 80 g total; 60 g carrot; 1 generous handful parsley, about 15 g; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 30 g butter: 15 g for the sauce and 15 g for the layers; 60 ml water for the sauce, plus enough boiling water for three poaching baths; Juice of half a lemon.
Step 2
Open a sound commercial pack of solid tuna in oil and drain without breaking up the fish. Lower the intact piece into gently boiling water in a small pan. Simmer for a total of 30 minutes in three fresh hot-water baths of 10 minutes each: change the water at 10 and 20 minutes, then drain at 30 minutes. Lift with a broad slotted utensil to keep the tuna intact. This is a flavour and texture treatment, not a method for rescuing spoiled fish.
Step 3
Meanwhile finely chop together the small white onion, garlic, pale celery, carrot and parsley. Put in a pan with the olive oil and 15 g butter. Cook over moderate-low heat until beginning to colour, about 8–10 minutes. Add the 60 ml water and simmer for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the sauce remains moist.
Step 4
Cool the drained tuna promptly in a shallow clean container until firm enough to slice. If delaying preparation, refrigerate at 4°C or colder within 2 hours. Cut as thinly as practical with a sharp knife, supporting the piece so the slices do not crumble.
Step 5
In a small shallow pan, alternate thin layers of tuna and vegetable sauce, distributing the remaining 15 g butter in small pieces between them. Heat gently until the sauce begins to bubble, the butter has melted and the food reaches at least 74°C throughout. Squeeze the half-lemon juice over the hot dish and serve immediately as four small starter portions.
Step 6
Use within one continuous preparation session where possible, and do not repeatedly cool and reheat the fish. If using canned white albacore tuna, follow current advice for that product: Health Canada limits it to 300 g per week for people who are pregnant, may become pregnant or are breastfeeding, 150 g per week for children aged 5–11 and 75 g per week for children aged 1–4. These specific limits do not apply to canned light tuna.
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