Spaghetti with tuna belly, eggplant and cherry tomatoes, a richer and more refined version of canned tuna pasta and a savory seafood first course, colorful and original. The tuna belly is the noblest part of the tuna and can be used either preserved in oil or fresh to make stunning first courses, like the one I’m about to explain. Taken from the soft ventral sections of the fish, it is slightly fattier than the fillet and therefore more tender and full of flavour. Today, with summer approaching and cherry tomatoes and eggplants starting to shine, we will make it the star of a delicious dish: pasta with tuna belly, eggplant and cherry tomatoes! So if canned tuna pasta with cherry tomatoes is the typical dish for a quick lunch or dinner, pasta with tuna belly becomes a richer and more original recipe to bring an important first course to the table. Let’s go to the kitchen—you’ll see what a spectacular dish we’ll prepare together. But first, as always, if you want to stay updated on all my other recipes you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Expensive
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 5
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make pasta with tuna belly
- 14 oz spaghetti (bronze-drawn)
- 2 eggplants (medium)
- 18 oz cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tbsp pine nuts
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 3 oz Taggiasca olives
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp capers (desalted)
- 7 oz tuna belly (in oil or fresh)
- to taste salt
- to taste sunflower oil (for frying)
- to taste parsley
Preparation of pasta with tuna belly preserved in oil
For this recipe I decided to let the eggplants release some of their liquid, so I left them to rest for 30 minutes with salt before frying.
Peel the eggplants and cut them into cubes, place them in a colander, sprinkle with a little salt and wait for them to release some of their liquid.
After about 30 minutes, rinse them thoroughly with clean water or under running water to remove excess salt, squeeze them with your hands and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
Drop them into hot oil and cook until they are cooked through and nicely golden. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and let them drain a little. Meanwhile, lightly brown a clove of garlic in a drizzle of oil, add the raisins, the desalted capers, the pine nuts and the Taggiasca olives.
Let everything infuse, add the cherry tomatoes (rinsed and halved), season with salt and cook for about ten minutes over medium heat. Add the well-drained, dry eggplants, mix and finish with the drained and flaked tuna belly preserved in oil, which you will warm for a few seconds (if fresh, cook for a couple of minutes).
Drain the pasta al dente, add it to the sauce and toss over high heat, adding pasta cooking water as needed and a handful of chopped parsley. The pasta is ready—plate and serve immediately.
Storage notes and tips
Pasta with tuna belly, eggplant and cherry tomatoes should be enjoyed immediately, but if you have leftovers store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours and sauté in a pan over high heat with a little oil before eating. It won’t be as good as freshly made, but it will still be tasty. The sauce can be kept in the fridge in a sealed container for 24 hours.
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