Baked BREAD AND TUNA BALLS, an easy and quick main course perfect for using stale bread.
Tuna bread balls are also perfect to serve with an aperitif, accompanied by a good glass of white wine or for true connoisseurs, you can dare with a good glass of young red wine served chilled.
Bread and tuna balls are very quick to prepare and are perfect for both young and elderly people. Baking makes them lighter and more digestible compared to the fried version.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 16/18 balls
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for the baked bread and tuna balls:
- 250 g stale bread
- 2 packages tuna in oil (80 grams each)
- 1 medium egg
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- as needed milk (at room temperature)
- as needed chopped parsley
- as needed fine salt
- as needed black pepper
- as needed breadcrumbs
Tools for the baked bread and tuna balls:
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Fork
- 1 Bowl
Steps for preparing and cooking the baked bread and tuna balls:
Take the stale bread, cut it into small cubes, place it in a bowl and add milk at room temperature or slightly warm (about 3 cups), leave it for about ten minutes, then squeeze it well and after crumbling it with your hands, put it in a large bowl.
Drain the tuna from its conservation oil and break it into small pieces with a fork, then add it to the bread.
Mix the stale bread well with the tuna, add the egg and parsley, adjust the salt and pepper, I recommend tasting the mixture as tuna is already flavorful.
If you find the mixture too soft, add some breadcrumbs.
Form balls with the bread and tuna mixture, roll them in breadcrumbs, place them on a non-stick baking tray, then brush them with extra virgin olive oil, and bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for 15/20 minutes, until golden brown.
Other ways to cook bread and tuna balls:
– You can cook the balls in a pan with extra virgin olive oil, brown them on both sides, deglaze with a little white wine and continue cooking, if necessary add very little water, make sure to cook on a low flame and do not place the balls too close as they tend to swell during cooking.
– You can fry the bread balls in oil, dipping the breadcrumbs first in beaten egg with a pinch of salt, then in breadcrumbs again, and then cooked in seed oil (oil temperature about 338°F), until golden. With this type of cooking, the balls should be nice and compact and dry.
