This is a light and easy to make tapas dish. The idea came to me from my mom-in-law’s kitchen. She makes the traditional version with cod (pimiento con bacalao). I was looking for a stronger, more intense flavour and decided to try it with a tuna mix.
I have also created a vegetarian version of this dish, which I make with grated paneer ( Indian cheese). This can be spiced up to give it Indo-Spanish flavours.
I love the flavour of tuna mixed with garlic, olives and capers. I like to cook the tuna a bit to take the raw/tin taste away. The green peppercorns add a little zest. This is a great dish as a starter or accompaniment to a Mediterranean meal. It can eaten warm or cold.
Ingredients
1 can whole roasted red peppers (pimientos)
These are tinned red peppers you can get in Spanish shops. I recently saw them being sold in jars in supermarket here.
For the filling
- 1 tin tuna in oil, drained
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped. ( I tend to add more because I like it garlicky)
- 1 tin of tomato or ½ cup of passata
- 12-15 pitted black olives chopped
- 1 tsp of sherry vinegar or white vinegar
- 6-8 capers ( optional)
- 1 tablespoon green pepper corns ( preserved, optional)
- (Green chillies – optional for the brave hearted)
- Olive oil for cooking
- 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped ( final garnish)
- Olive oil – 1 Tablespoon
- Salt and pepper- seasoning
Method
- Heat oil in a pan
- Add chopped onion and garlic when the oil is hot.
- Stir and cook for 5 min until the mix is golden brown
- Add tomatoes and cook. Cook for another 5 min until the tomatoes changes colour (becomes a deeper red).
- Add tuna and mix well.
- (Add little water if you find the mix is sticking to the base of the pan)
- Then add chopped olives, capers and green peppers corns. Mix well.
- Add vinegar and salt.
- Cover and cook the mix on low heat for 4-5 min on
- Turn the cooker off. Add chopped parsley.
- Leave the mixture to cool.
- Stuff each individual red pepper with a spoonful of mix