Tuna-Stuffed Piquillo Peppers
Published June 10, 2020
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1(6- to 7-ounce) jar high-quality Spanish or Italian tuna
- 1tablespoon small capers or roughly chopped large capers
- 2tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1teaspoon chopped mint
- ¼cup celery, tender center stalks and leaves
- ½cup finely diced red onion or chopped scallions
- Salt and pepper
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1teaspoon lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 12piquillo peppers, from a jar
- Lettuce leaves, for garnish (optional)
- Hard-boiled eggs, cooked for 8 minutes, for garnish (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
149 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 681 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Drain the tuna and put it in a medium mixing bowl. Use a fork to break tuna into large flakes and push to one side of the bowl.
- Step 2
Put capers, parsley, mint, celery and onions on the other side of the bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add red-pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil, then stir the mixture to coat tuna well.
- Step 3
Use a teaspoon to fill each pepper with some of the tuna mixture.
- Step 4
Arrange stuffed peppers on lettuce leaves on a platter. Garnish with quartered or halved hard-cooked eggs sprinkled with salt. Serve at cool room temperature.
Private Notes
Comments
I love piquillo peppers and wish they were more widely available. I often make this recipe (more or less), and at times substitute crab meat for the tuna. For those not averse to cilantro, it makes a nice variation to parsley. When the peppers are plated, a lovely sauce consists of 1/2 mayo and 1/2 dry sherry, with a 1/4 teaspoon or so of smoked paprika (pimentón), which can be drizzled over the stuffed peppers. I like to serve on a bed of baby arugula.
Since I could not find piquillo peppers, I tossed fresh mini peppers with extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic power and dried oregano and broiled them until tender and just beginning to char, about 2 minutes on each side. I let them cool and then stuffed with the tuna filling exactly as directed. The peppers were FANTASTIC!. Highly recommended.
In my home state of Goa, India we use rich, less bony fish like mackerel etc. In a bit of olive oil cook any fish+onions+garlic+ cumin+black pepper and some hot chilies - green preferably to kill the strong smell. Cook for 10 min and then remove bones - mix well and add fresh cilantro. This is your base. You can make fish cakes (add an egg, form into round cakes, cover with panko/breading/semolina), fish pie (with boiled eggs) with a regular crust, stuff peppers like above- anything you wish
This has been a favorite since my youth, when I was traveling in Spain. FYI, DeLallo, a brand that many large supermarket chains carry in the ‘Italian specialty’ section, does in fact sell very excellent piquillo peppers in jars. Though beware, their ‘grilled peppers’ appear almost the same, spread carefully. Generally I find myself preferring pantry to panty meals, but that is just my take.
How much tuna?
Great recipe! I think using fresh ingredients means relying more on taste to get the right balance, and the recipe amounts a good starting place. Fresh ingredients' taste vary so much over the season. I used about 3 times the lemon juice/zest and mint indicated. I grow lovage in my herb garden. It looks like Italian parsley and tastes like great celery. I added in about 2 TBSP chopped along with the celery. If you find lovage starts at your nursery, give it a try!
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