Homemade Marinated Tuna in Olive Oil
Canned tuna is a staple in my kitchen—in one of the cupboards, there’s always a tall stack of colorful cans of excellent Italian tonno in olio di oliva. Tuna packed in olive oil is the only kind to have, in my opinion, and I make it the basis for many meals, sometimes some pasta for lunch or dinner, or a salad for myself, my mother, and Gianni, or sandwiches for the kids. But when I want the best marinated tuna, I make my own marinated tonno sott’olio: I poach thick tuna steaks gently for 15 minutes, let them cool and dry for a couple of hours, then pack the fish in jars in big chunks, submerged in extra-virgin olive oil. It is truly simple, as this recipe will show you. If you love tuna, then I know you will make this recipe your own. Just a chunk of it on a plate, with nothing more than a drizzle of the marinating oil, makes a great antipasto. Or dress it up with onion or tomatoes, as I suggest for Marinated Mackerel (pages 4 and 5). Use it in the colorful salad I give you here with cherry tomatoes, red onion, and scallions, or see how tonno sott’olio takes your own favorite tuna salad to a new level. And don’t miss the opportunity to make the outstanding pasta sauce with tomatoes on page 14. With this recipe you’ll have about 2 pounds of tuna, in jars or crocks of oil. Stored in the refrigerator, it will keep for a month or more, giving you plenty of time to try it in several different dishes. But I guarantee you’ll want more: to make larger batches, just multiply the ingredients and follow the basic procedures.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds, enough for several recipes
Ingredients
Recommended Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Set the pan on the stove and lay in the tuna steaks. Pour enough water over them just to cover them, then pour in the vinegar. Drop in the bay leaves and sprinkle on 2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat, shifting the fish a bit to keep it from sticking to the pan bottom.
Step 2
When it is boiling, partially cover the pan and adjust the heat to maintain a steady but gentle bubbling. Cook for 15 minutes or a little longer, until the steaks are cooked through. Test by inserting a toothpick: when the flesh is fully cooked, the toothpick will go all the way through, with only a little resistance.
Step 3
Turn off the heat and lift out each steak with tongs and a wide spatula, supporting it so it doesn’t break. Spill off excess water and lay the steaks on the wire rack. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt evenly over the tuna, and let the steaks cool and air-dry for about 2 hours, turning the pieces after an hour to facilitate drying. Meanwhile, remove the bay leaves from the poaching liquid, blot them on towels, and let them air-dry too; discard the poaching liquid.
Step 4
When dry, slice the steaks in half or into several pieces that will fit into your jars. Put the pieces in a shallow bowl pour some of the olive oil over them, and turn them so they are well coated with oil. Layer the pieces into jars one at a time, pouring a bit more oil over to make sure there’s a film of oil surrounding each piece.
Step 5
As you pack in the fish, divide the bay leaves and peppercorns among the containers. When you’ve put as many pieces in each jar as you want—you don’t have to fill them to the top—pour in more oil to cover the fish by at least 1/4 inch.
Step 6
Before refrigerating, tap repeatedly on the sides of the jars to shake loose air bubbles. You may also insert a table-knife blade down along the inside of the jar and slide it slowly all around the circumference, moving the contents very slightly to release trapped air. Now let the containers sit for 15 minutes or so, so the bubbles rise to the surface. Tap the jar gently on a hard surface so any remaining air bubbles will rise.
Step 7
Cover the jars with plastic wrap and/or jar lids and set them in the refrigerator. Marinate 2 days before opening. As you take fish and oil from the jar, pour in more extra-virgin olive oil if necessary so that any remaining fish is completely covered with a layer of oil.
Tips for the Best Homemade Tonno Sott’olio
Step 8
Tonno sott’olio needs time to marinate and develop flavor! Cook the tuna and put it in oil at least 2 days before you plan to serve it.
Step 9
Ask the fishmonger to cut all your tuna steaks 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick, for uniform cooking. And the slices should be no more than 7 inches across at the widest point, so you can just cut them in half for pieces that will fit neatly into wide-mouth storage jars. Larger pieces also tend to break apart after cooking.
Step 10
I like the ventresca, the belly part of the tuna, the best, and it is cheaper. Being the belly, it is a bit fattier, but, then, that is what makes it good. So you might want to ask your fishmonger for it and try it.
Step 11
Poach the tuna in a wide shallow pan, such as a straight-sided sauté pan—but use the smallest one you have in which the steaks will fit in one layer. This will minimize the amount of cooking liquid needed, and so reduce the loss of flavor. For 2 to 3 pounds of tuna, a 10- or 11-inch pan should do.
Step 12
If the fish is wet when it goes into the marinating oil, it can ferment and spoil. Allow 2 hours for the fish to cool, drain, and dry after poaching.
Step 13
Air trapped in the marinating jar will also hasten spoilage. To avoid this, coat the fish with oil before packing and rid the jar of air bubbles, as instructed.
