Recipe: Marmitako

Recipe

Marmitako

Marmitako is a simple fisherman's dish, from the Basque provinces along the border of northern Spain, made using tuna or bonito. Serve with a crisp white wine, such as Portuguese vinho verde.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 plum tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1/4 cup drained capers
4 all-purpose potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 cups chicken broth
1 pound fresh tuna, cut into 4 pieces
Salt & black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium-size skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft. Stir in the capers.

Meanwhile, arrange the potato slices in the bottom of a 12-1/4-inch cazuela or other shallow heatproof dish, overlapping the slices.

Spread the tomato and onion mixture over the potatoes. Pour over the broth. Place the cazuela in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are almost cooked.Sprinkle the tuna slices lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Place on top of the potatoes and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until the tuna is opaque throughout. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 4

Recipe from:
The Best of Clay Pot Cooking
by Dana Jacobi
Photographs by Elizabeth Watt
HarperCollinsPublishers
September 28, 1995
$14.95/Hardcover
ISBN: 0-00-225051-9
Reprinted by permission of the publisher.