Tuna marmitako: traditional recipe

El marmitako es un guiso tradicional vasco. Consumido, desde hace muchas generaciones, por los pescadores de esta región. Es un plato muy socorrido y, en alta mar, cuando las provisiones escaseaban, había que echar mano de lo que se podía. Además, al ser un plato caliente y consistente, es muy reconstituyente, en especial cuando hace frío. 

Marmitako recipe

Ingredients for 6 people

- 1 kg of longfin tuna

- 1 kg of potatoes

- 3 green peppers

- 2 spoonfuls of dried red pepper (pimiento choricero) 

- 1 onion

- 3 garlic cloves

- 2 ripe tomatoes

- Home-made fish stock

- ½ glass of white wine

- 1 heaped spoonful of sweet paprika

- 2 cayenne chillies

- Extra virgin olive oil

- Salt (to taste)

- A handful of fresh parsley (optional)

How to made:

1. Chop the green pepper and the tomato (after removing the skin and seeds) into medium-sized pieces. Cut the onion into small pieces or thin strips and chop the garlic cloves. Place these into the casserole, add the oil and sauté.  

2. While the above is being sautéed, cut the potatoes into medium-sized pieces, like those for a meat stew. 

3. When the onion is transparent, add the potatoes and stir.

4. Add a spoonful of sweet paprika and stir carefully so that it does not burn. 

5. Immediately after this, add the white wine and let it boil for 2 minutes so that the alcohol evaporates. 

6. Cover with the fish stock and cook on a low heat. Taste for seasoning and, if necessary, add salt to taste. 

7. At this point, add the flesh of the dried red peppers, leaving them to cook on the surface of the casserole without immersing them into the stock. Also add two cayenne chillies. Cover and cook on a low heat for 1 hour, keeping an eye on it in case the liquid evaporates, in which case, add more stock. 

8. During this process, stir the contents by shaking the casserole gently with your hands. Do not use a spoon to stir to avoid the potatoes being broken up. 

9. When the potatoes are soft, remove the chillies from the stew. 

10. Lastly, add the tuna cut into medium-sized cubes and let it cook for 5 minutes so that it remains tender and flavoursome. Then it is ready to enjoy. 

Don’t forget to have some bread at home to accompany this wonderful dish. If you can’t find longfin tuna or you prefer another fish, you can change this for tuna, salmon, grouper, hake or even, cod.