Tuna in Tortiera Sauce
In Italy, small tuna is called tonnetto or «Euthynnus Alletteratus in Latin. Tuna is a highly nutritious gourmet fish of the Scombridae family. It occurs in deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. Tune is a predator fish and feeds on smaller fish. Tuna available on the market varies in its weight from three to eight pounds (1.5-4 kg), and even more. Tuna flesh is very healthy due to Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids content. It also contains vitamins A, B1 and such mineral salts as calcium, iron, phosphorus and natrium. Tuna is rich in easily digested proteins. Tune flesh is reddish in color, oily and very tasty. Try this old Neapolitan recipe for tuna in tortiera sauce. Tortiera sauce comes only with the fishes of Scombridae family. All the ingredients of the sauce go well with the taste of fish, which creates an amazing flavor.
Ingredients for Tuna in Tortiera Sauce
3 lb (1.5 kg) tuna
½ (100 ml) Extra Virgin olive oil
2/3 cup (150 ml) wine vinegar (preferably white wine vinegar)
3-4 large garlic cloves
A couple of parsley stalks
Oregano, salt to taste
Recipe of Tuna in Tortiera Sauce
- Wash the fish in running water and scale.
- Wash again and pat dry.
- With a sharp knife, cut into about 1 inch thick slices.
Tuna Cut into 1 inch Slices
- Fix the edges of each slice to shape a round form to keep them from falling apart while cooking.
- Finely chop garlic and put inside the slices.
- Heat oil in a frying pan and put the fish slices close to each other.
- Top with oregano, chopped parsley, garlic and season with salt to taste.
- Sprinkle with vinegar and cover.
- Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, turning the slices over occasionally.
- Then increase the heat and simmer uncovered for additional 4-5 minutes to let the water evaporate a little bit but be careful not to evaporate all the sauce.
- Arrange tuna slices on a serving plate, garnish with greens and cucumbers. Pour the sauce over if desired.
Note: If you want to have more sauce, add 1/2 cup of white wine while cooking. In Italy, all dipping sauces are called brodetto and they love to dip small chunks of bread into these sauces.
Tuna in Tortiera Sauce
Note: In fact, dieticians argue that Mediterranean diet is very healthy because it traditionally includes daily consumption of fish. It is the fact that while people from Mediterranean countries have some excessive weight, they almost don’t suffer from cardiovascular diseases and even seniors can retain their sexual activity and live a full life.
