Bucatini With Tuna

Name: Bucatini With Tuna
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: Salt; 1 pound bucatini (or penne); 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 clove garlic, smashed; 1 small shallot, minced; 2 large pinches chile flakes, or to taste; 1/2 cup pitted oil-cured black olives, sliced; 1/4 cup large salt-cured capers, well-rinsed; 1/2 cup canned chickpeas; 12 ounces imported canned solid tuna, drained; 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves; 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves; Freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 cup coarse, lightly toasted bread crumbs

Recipe from Barbuto

Adapted by Florence Fabricant

Updated May 23, 2024

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4(61)
Comments: Read comments

Bucatini is tossed with dense chunks of tuna poached in olive oil in this recipe from Barbuto in New York. Lynn McNeely, a sous-chef at the restaurant in 2005, bolstered the flavor with black olives, capers and chile flakes, and added complexity to the texture with chickpeas and a shower of bread crumbs. —Florence Fabricant

Featured in: PAIRING; Pasta That Resists the Fork Stands Up to Complex Reds

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

Salt
1pound bucatini (or penne)
5tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1clove garlic, smashed
1small shallot, minced
2large pinches chile flakes, or to taste
½cup pitted oil-cured black olives, sliced
¼cup large salt-cured capers, well-rinsed
½cup canned chickpeas
12ounces imported canned solid tuna, drained
¼cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
¼cup chopped mint leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
½cup coarse, lightly toasted bread crumbs

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook bucatini for about 8 minutes, until al dente.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a very large skillet if using bucatini, a large skillet for penne. Add garlic and shallots. Sauté until soft. Add chili flakes, olives, capers and chickpeas and cook another minute or so. Break up tuna in flakes and add. Cook until ingredients are warm. Remove from heat.
Step 3
Drain pasta, reserving about a cup water. Add pasta, parsley and mint to skillet. Return to low heat and toss well. Add remaining olive oil and pasta water to moisten ingredients. Season with salt, black pepper and more chili flakes if desired. Transfer to a warm serving bowl, top with bread crumbs and serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5

61 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

There aren’t any comments yet. Be the first to leave one.

Sandra1 month ago

Just made this for first time (I had bucatini on hand). Excellent, easy, tasty, healthy. I added more pasta water to keep it moist.

Floradar2 years ago

This is on heavy rotation in my kitchen! Love the flavors and it's a great excuse to break out the Zinfandel (as if you really need one). I don't overcook it once I've added the pasta water, don't always have mint on hand, substitute kalamata olives, but always use olive oil-packed tuna.

Luke2 years ago

I enjoyed this, but found it a bit dry - I added a little olive oil after cooking, which also helped prevent sticking for the leftovers. I think if I had had oil-packed tuna instead of water-packed this would've worked a little better, but it was still delicious!

Private comments are only visible to you.