This fresh tuna stew with herbs is an easy and versatile recipe that can be consumed as a main or as the dressing of pasta.
Apart from the fresh tuna, which can be a bit pricey, the remaining ingredients are cheap and most likely already in your pantry.
Our fresh tuna stew recipe is quick to do and doesn’t require too many steps. However, it’s crucial that you pay attention when cooking the ingredients to avoid overcooking the tuna.
Adding a source of carbs will make this a complete dish and will enhance the already fantastic properties of wild-caught tuna such as omega-3 fatty acids essential for heart health and to strengthen the immune system overall, vitamin B12, potassium, iron, zinc, and selenium.
Fresh tuna stew with herbs ingredients – Tips
- Tuna. I’m not sure you can find farmed tuna, but in any case, I always buy wild-caught tuna because only the caught one has anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Tomatoes. In this tuna stew recipe, I used canned tomatoes, but if you have fresh ones, I suggest you use those. They should be ripe and you should peel them.
- Basil. For this fresh tuna stew dish, I like the basil fresh. If you don’t have it fresh, you can skip it. I don’t think dried basil gives the same result in this case.
- Mint. Fresh mint is better but we only had dried one and it was delicious, too.
- Olives. You can use whichever olives you prefer, either black or green. We opted for pitted olives because we have a toddler, but if you prefer to use the whole olives, they are great, too.
Fresh tuna stew with herbs instructions – Tips
- Cooking time. Pay close attention to each of the steps and especially the cooking time. Tuna cooks very quickly and if it’s overcooked, it becomes dry and stringy. For this fresh tuna stew, you want your fish to be cooked but still soft.
How to serve this fresh tuna stew
- With pasta. This tuna stew with tomatoes is perfect for seasoning pasta. For this recipe, I prefer to use short pasta such as paccheri or rigatoni like the one I use for my swordfish and cherry tomato sauce. Pieces of fish can get stuck and it’s perfect! But if you prefer spaghetti, it works, too.
- With cereal. My tuna stew is a fantastic protein source to complete a bowl with cereal such as wholegrain rice, barley, farro, buckwheat, and even cous cous.
- With bread. If you don’t have the time to cook pasta or cereal, you can serve this versatile and easy-to-make fresh tuna stew with toasted wholegrain bread.
Side dishes for this tuna stew
- Fresh salad. Fresh greens are always the solution when looking for a perfect side dish. A salad made with Romaine or fresh arugula is perfect to serve with our tuna stew.
- Potato salad. Boiled potatoes seasoned with some salt, olive oil, and fresh parsley are a warm and hearty side dish. If you serve it with our fresh tuna stew, it can be the source of carbs so you won’t need to add pasta or bread.
- Raw vegetables. Sticks of raw vegetables such as cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, and daikon are a great summer or spring side dish.
- Green bean salad. Boiled green beans with some fresh onion thrown in the boiling water at the last minute make for a perfect salad and side dish for our tuna stew.
- Steamed broccoli or cauliflower. Especially in winter, steamed broccoli and cauliflower is a fantastic side dish for many recipes and it combines very well with this fresh tuna stew.
You don’t fancy fish? Try our traditional Italian beef stew recipe!
Fresh tuna stew with herbs, olives, and capers
An easy and quick recipe of fresh tuna stew with herbs.
Equipment
- 1 Large pan with the lid
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Kitchen knife
Ingredients
- 4 tuna steaks
- 150 gr pitted black olives
- capers
- 1 can peeled tomatoes
- salt to taste
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion
- 50 ml white wine (dry)
- parsley
- mint (fresh is ideal but dried is also fine)
- basil (fresh)
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the tuna steaks in water with lemon and a small pinch of salt for some 15 minutes
- While the tuna is soaking, chop the onion and the garlic
- After 15 minutes, take the tuna out of the water and cut into large pieces
- Add the onion, and the garlic to brown over medium heat. We want it golden but not burned, so you will need to stir often. If you are not a fan of garlic, once it's golden, you can remove it. Otherwise, you can leave it.
- Once they are of a light brown color, add the tuna and stir often for some 2 to 3 minutes over medium to high fire.
- When the tuna has slightly changed color but is still quite raw, add the wine and increase the fire until it completely evaporates.
- Once the wine is fully evaporated, lower the fire again and add the peeled tomatoes. You can add them whole and roughly smash them with the spoon in the pan.
- Add the olives and the capers roughly chopped or even whole, leave the fire at medium, put the lid, and let cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the tomato is thickened. Keep in mind that the tuna cooks fast and by now it's already lightly cooked, so check often not to overcook it.
- Near the end, when it's almost done, add the chopped parsley, a few leaves of fresh basil, and a bit of mint.
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