The boiled tuna meatloaf (sometimes also called tuna salami) is an ideal dish for the summer season, when you crave light dinners and fresh flavors and don’t feel like turning on the oven. The dough of this summer meatloaf is made up of simple ingredients, which we normally always have at home, but are full of flavor: canned tuna, potatoes, anchovies in oil, and capers.
The peculiarity of this tuna meatloaf lies entirely in its cooking, which is done in boiling water, after wrapping the meatloaf in a kind of foil made of parchment paper and aluminum foil. The result is a soft and flavorful meatloaf that almost melts in your mouth and must be served cold, after a few hours of resting in the fridge; it can be enjoyed as it is or accompanied by some mayonnaise or an emulsion of oil and lemon juice.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 338.56 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 32.61 (g) of which sugars 1.99 (g)
- Proteins 28.25 (g)
- Fat 10.19 (g) of which saturated 3.39 (g)of which unsaturated 6.04 (g)
- Fibers 3.44 (g)
- Sodium 580.98 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 220 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 1 Tuna and Potato Meatloaf
- 4 cups potatoes
- 1 cup canned tuna in oil (drained weight)
- 3 fillets anchovies in oil
- 1 oz grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- 2 oz breadcrumbs (gluten-free for me)
- 1 tbsp capers in salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 pinches salt
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Potato Ricer
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Fork
- 1 Pot large, shallow, and wide with lid
How to Prepare the Tuna Meatloaf
For the English version of this recipe click here!
To prepare the boiled tuna meatloaf, start by boiling the whole potatoes with their skin for about 40 minutes (20 minutes from the whistle if you use a pressure cooker). If you have a microwave, you can cook them without water using the method described here.
It’s important that the potatoes don’t absorb water during their cooking; otherwise, your tuna meatloaf will be too soft and difficult to knead, so choose the cooking method you prefer but DO NOT boil them in pieces and leave the skin on 😉
While the potatoes are cooling, rinse the salt off the capers under running water and chop them finely with a knife along with the anchovy fillets in oil (1). Also, finely chop the parsley.
In a large bowl, combine the drained tuna and the mix of chopped capers, anchovies, and parsley. Work it with a fork for about a minute, so that the tuna crumbles well and mixes with the other ingredients (2). Also, add the potatoes mashed with a potato ricer (3).
Add two generous pinches of salt and a grind of pepper and mix with a spoon until you get a homogeneous mixture. At this point, add the shelled eggs (4).
Work the tuna meatloaf mixture with a spoon to mix the eggs with the potatoes. Then add the Parmesan (5), if you like, and the breadcrumbs (6).
Continue to mix with a spoon for a minute or two until you get a homogeneous, rather firm, and slightly sticky mixture (7). If you find it too soft, you can add a little more breadcrumbs.
Now you just need to shape your tuna and potato meatloaf: on the work surface, place a sheet of aluminum foil and place a slightly smaller sheet of parchment paper on top. Pour the mixture onto it and, using your hands and the parchment paper, shape it into a cylinder (8), adjusting according to the size of the pot you will use to cook it.
Compact it well with your hands, then wrap it first in the parchment paper (9), folding the ends tightly.
Then flip it over so that the closure is downwards, and wrap it in aluminum foil, sealing all the closures well (10).
Bring plenty of water to a boil in a large pot, preferably shallow and wide, with a lid, then immerse the tuna meatloaf, making sure it remains perfectly horizontal in the pot and cover with a lid (11).
Cook the meatloaf for 30 minutes, turning it halfway through cooking, then drain it and let it cool. When the foil is no longer hot, open it and remove the aluminum and parchment paper (12).
If a little water got into the foil, it’s not a big deal, just briefly blot the meatloaf with a paper towel. Let the tuna meatloaf cool first at room temperature, then, when it’s no longer warm, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Serve the boiled tuna meatloaf as an appetizer or as a main course, on its own or garnished with a little mayonnaise.
Storage
You can store the tuna meatloaf in the fridge for a couple of days.
Tips and Variations
Compared to the baked tuna meatloaf, the boiled one is softer and moister, but it won’t have the crispy crust that forms with baking. Another alternative for a super tasty summer dish is the so-called “fake fish“: the ingredients are almost the same, but the mixture is not cooked and is held together by mayonnaise.
