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Spain · Bluefin Tuna

Marmitako: Basque Tuna and Potato Stew

Marmitako

Basque tuna fishermen cooked this on board in the “marmita,” the ship’s pot: potatoes, peppers and onion simmered in a sweet pepper broth, with chunks of tuna added at the very end.

  • Prep 20 min
  • Cook 45 min
  • Serves 4–6
  • Level Easy
Photo: Núria Pueyo · CC BY-SA 2.5
Served with: Blistered Padrón Peppers ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the stew

For the tuna

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Make the base. Warm the olive oil in a wide pot and cook the onion and peppers over medium-low heat 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the choricero paste and tomato for 3 minutes.
  2. Crack the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into chunks by cutting partway and snapping them off with the knife. The rough edges release starch and thicken the broth.
  3. Simmer. Stir the potatoes into the base, add the stock and bay leaf and simmer 20–25 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Season with salt.
  4. Add the tuna. Salt the tuna and drop it into the pot. Take the pot off the heat right away, cover and let it sit 5 minutes; the heat of the broth cooks the tuna.
  5. Serve. Scatter with parsley and serve in bowls with bread and a plate of blistered peppers.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Galicia, Spain

Blistered Padrón Peppers

Pimientos de Padrón

Little green peppers fried in olive oil until blistered and showered with sea salt. As the Galicians say, some are hot and some are not.

  • Prep 5 min
  • Cook 5 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 8 oz (225 g) Padrón or shishito peppers
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Coarse or flaky sea salt

How to make it

  1. Dry the peppers. Rinse the peppers and pat them completely dry so the oil does not spatter.
  2. Blister. Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers in one layer and cook 3–4 minutes, tossing, until blistered all over and slightly softened.
  3. Salt and serve. Tip onto a plate, sprinkle generously with sea salt and serve right away. Eat them by the stem.

Photo: Gordito1869 · CC BY-SA 4.0

More ways to cook Bluefin Tuna

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Trapani, Sicily, ItalySicilian Sweet-and-Sour Tuna
Cojímar, CubaCuban Grilled Bluefin with Mojo
Santa Catarina, BrazilBrazilian Charcoal-Grilled Tuna