Marmitako
Basque Tuna and Potato Stew
A fishermen's stew of potatoes, peppers and onion, with tuna added at the last moment so that it barely cooks. The potatoes are broken, not cut, so that their starch thickens the broth. Get the timing of the fish right and everything else looks after itself.
The Spanish recipe read calls it the Basque stew above all others. It softens onion and green pepper, adds the pulp of dried choricero peppers and a little tomato, simmers the potatoes in fish stock for half an hour and then adds the bonito with the heat turned off, leaving it for five minutes.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 kg fresh tuna or albacore, skinned and cut into 3 cm chunks
- 1 kg waxy potatoes, peeled
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 long green peppers, deseeded and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tbsp choricero pepper paste (see substitutes)
- 2 tbsp passata
- 1 litre hot fish stock
- Fine sea salt
Method
- Soften the vegetables Heat the oil in a large casserole over a medium-low heat. Cook the onion, green peppers and garlic for 12 to 15 minutes until soft.
- Break the potatoes Push the point of a knife a little way into each potato and twist so that a chunk about 3 cm across snaps off with a rough edge. Add the pieces to the pan with the choricero paste and passata and stir for 2 minutes.
- Simmer Pour in the hot stock, add 1 tsp salt and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the broth has thickened slightly.
- Add the tuna Salt the tuna lightly. Turn off the heat, stir the fish into the stew, cover and leave for 5 minutes. The fish should be just opaque outside and still moist within. Serve at once in deep plates.
Tuna overcooks in a minute. Residual heat is enough.