I’m an addict. I admit it. My vice is
tuna fish. My youngest daughter used to say my house could run on white wine,
cottage cheese, tuna fish, and Paul Newman’s vinaigrette. I use tuna lots of
ways—several versions of salad, casseroles, individual dishes with rice or tiny
pasta. I have a recipe for crab/asparagus/cheese on toast (asparagus on toast
is a very British thing—my mom used to do it for my dad) but I’m thinking of
substituting tuna for the crab.
My current favorite tuna salad is a 7
oz. can albacore in water, drained and chunks broken up, plus juice of one
lemon (use one of those good juicers so you get it all), 1 scallion chopped, 1
stalk celery, chopped, a bit of Dijon mustard, and enough mayonnaise to bind—not
too soupy, please.
Another way I make it is to flake the
tuna in a small food processor, then add the lemon, scallion, a healthy squirt
of anchovy paste, and enough mayo to bind. Sometimes I make it with hard-boiled
egg, or pickle relish, or cilantro and canned chillies. Tuna offers unlimited
possibilities.
I don’t buy tuna at the grocery (I’ll
get to an exception in a minute). I order it, by the case, from the Pisces
cannery in Coos Bay, Oregon. They don’t fish with nets, so dolphins swim
alongside their boats. Their albacore is canned and then cooked, which means it
is only cooked once, instead of twice like most brands that are cooked, canned,
and cooked again. You can tell the difference in taste and texture both. Pisces
makes plain tuna, smoked tuna, salmon and smoked salmon, though the salmon is
seasonal and often hard to get. It has more to do with large canneries and politics
than supply and demand, but I love to get salmon when I can. Salmon cakes are
high on my list. Pisces fish is more expensive—I readily admit that—but to me
it’s so worth it.
I also order tuna salad a lot and I
can tell you my favorites—right now they’re Swiss Pastry Shop and McKinley’s. I
had a tuna sandwich recently somewhere else that was so juicy, it soaked
through the bread and made it hard to pick up. Usually I prefer a tuna salad
plate to a sandwich—get the taste of the tuna and avoid the bread.
Recently, I’ve discovered another tuna
that I love. (Forgive the blurry picture, please.)I don’t’ usually use this blog to tout a product but here goes: I
saw Tonino’s Tuna advertised in one of the food magazines I take and then found
it on the shelves at Central Market. It’s in a smallish jar—I doubt it’s seven
oz.—packed in olive oil and available in several flavors. I like it with
oregano or garlic. Don’t want to try the red pepper and can’t see much
advantage in the water packed. The texture is solid—great chunks of tuna—and the
flavor delicious. Because I’m a cottage cheese freak, I mix it with that but
you could drain and toss in a salad for a healthy and delicious meal. Or eat it
plain. Save it for occasions--it's not cheap. Today I'm going to a birthday party for a neighbor--he's getting a jar of Tonino Tuna with oregano for a gift. I consider it an introduction.
Remembers tuna casseroles? Did your
mom make them and now you can’t bear to think of them? Try this—the neat thing
is you can determine your own veggie, carb, and seasonings.
Ingredients"
1 cup white wine
Assorted herbs1 can mushroom soup
1 7 oz. can albacore tuna, drained and broken into chunks
Cooked or canned vegetable of your choice (I like green peas)
Cooked rice, noodles, whatever you want (I usually use egg noodles)
Season to taste
French’s French-fried onion rings or other crumbly topping—shredded sharp cheddar mixed with crumbled potato chips would be good
Directions:
Throw a bunch of herbs in white wine—parsley, thyme, sage,
rosemary, oregano, tarragon, whatever comes to mind; I’d avoid Mexican flavors
unless you deliberately want that taste. Boil wine hard until herbs are black.
Stir in remaining ingredients except topping. Season with
salt, pepper, a dash of Worcestershire if you wish, perhaps a big pinch of dry
mustard. Use your imagination.
Add topping and bake at 350o until casserole is
bubbly and topping browned. Should serve four.
