I am from the Luo tribe in Kenya and fish is one if not the main staple of our community. A good number of us are settled by Lake Victoria with the rest scattered throughout the country. Growing up, our household mostly ate: Tilapia, Nile perch or Omena (also known as the lake Victoria sardine). Most fish recipes were either deep fried, battered, stewed or dried and smoked. Tuna was not a fish that made it to our table to which i slightly regret.
Ditching tilapia for tuna?
Well, that’s not really what happened. As a creature of habit, I hardly venture into unknown territory unless, curious, without another option or highly convinced otherwise. Fran decided it was time we shake things up with a pasta dish that didn’t include cheese or meat, so tuna it was.
The first time I saw tuna was in a can at the supermarket which was far from appealing, so you can only imagine how much I dreaded having that first spoonful.
The chilli sizzled in the frying pan drizzled with olive oil, then in went the tomato sauce- bubbling with 2 cloves of garlic that seemed like islands in a red puddle. This was then slowly reduced with the splintered tuna pieces to form a thick sauce that would soon wrap itself around the fusilli pasta.
What if I choose to…
Garlic: Add garlic to the sauce as an alternative, I have tried this and it did taste great but this recipe only uses garlic to infuse the oil. If you would like to add garlic to the sauce you can crush one clove, fry the chilli and when that is ready toss in the garlic to cook for about a minute before pouring in the passata.
“2 cloves of garlic that seemed like islands in a red puddle”.
Pasta: When cooking a thick and heavy sauce you want a type of pasta that will hold the sauce well. I opted for fusilli as I like how the sauce gets trapped between the folds- you could however use cannelloni or penne. I wouldn’t recommend spaghetti or long types of pasta for this recipe.
Chilli: If you have cooked with fresh red bird’s eye chilli before, you know how much of a pain they can be. Because you may think that one is enough but after adding in the tomato sauce, discover that it’s hardly spicy.
Solution? Use twice as much recommended chilli in this recipe then take out half of the fried portion before adding the tomato puree. I then taste the sauce for spiciness and if it’s not enough then incorporate more fried chilli bit by bit. You could also let everyone add some more for themselves should you have a few at the table with an itch for extra heat!
The sauce takes about 20 minutes to make so start cooking the pasta after the tomato sauce has been reduced to a thicker consistency.
Storage:
I never like to store already cooked pasta but you can get away with storing this for the next day. Just make sure it is al dente when cooked then store leftovers in the fridge for no more than a day.
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In the mood for more pasta?
Fusilli with a spicy tuna sauce
(+10 rating, 2 votes)
Loading...This recipe is a good excuse to ditch the tuna salad and opt for something warm. If pasta is a favourite and chilli a preference then this is a must try!
Ingredients
- 400g can of plum tomatoes
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 Red birds eye chillies
- Pasta of choice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 200g can of tuna (in sunflower oil)
Instructions
Empty tuna into a bowl and break it apart, set aside
Very finely chop the chilli and parsley, blend the canned plum tomatoes and in a large pot bring water for the pasta to a boil
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil with one clove of garlic over high heat by tilting the pan so the garlic is almost submerged in the oil. And turn it every few seconds then remove the garlic before it starts to turn brown.
Toss in the chilli and fry for no more than 2 minutes.
Take the frying pan off the fire, pour in the tomato puree (if you want to include crushed garlic into your recipe then fry it for a minute before pouring in the passata) and quickly stir (be careful as the sauce will bubble on first contact with the pan). Add in the tuna as well then reduce the heat to medium and put the sauce back on the fire while covered to simmer for about 10 minutes.
Water should be ready so add in the pasta to cook as per pack instructions, stir occasionally to make sure they aren’t sticking to each other
Drain the pasta and toss with the spicy tuna sauce, garnish with the parsley and leftover chilli.
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