3 NEW WAYS WITH TINNED TUNA - A FENNEL AND CHILLI PASTA, CRUNCHY SPRING SALAD AND PICKLED JALAPEÑO TUNA CHEESE MELT

1 meaty can of fish, three new ways to transform it.

Hi all,

Welcome to back to The Good Home Cook!

Tinned tuna and I have a complex history. Up until recently we didn’t really get on, in fact we kind of loathed one another. But in recent years I’ve realised that I underestimated tuna. Gone are my associations with cold and claggy, mayonnaise heavy pasta salads and dry sweetcorn laden supermarket sarnies. I now think of it as one of the most versatile things you can have in your kitchen, so now I tend to keep a few jars on the shelf ready to add to midweek meals and weekend lunches.

A delicious tin of tuna can transform quick dinners, it can be piled on toasted crostini with olives, ripe tomatoes and basil when entertaining, stirred through pasta and tossed in big crunchy salads.

Today I’ve got three of my favourite ways to use a tin of tuna that are easy to make in the home kitchen and are all totally delicious, plus some extra ideas- as always!

Reach to the back of the cupboard and crack open a can!

Esther x

BEST BUYS - TUNA EDITION

A good quality tin of tuna is no more expensive than a pack of poor quality beef mince, and quality really does make all the difference. Don’t worry though, these recipes will all work well with a standard tin of tuna if thats what you have. Here just a few that I like. I tend to go for varieties in oil rather than a salty brine.

THE TOP TIER - ORTIZ BONITO TUNA FLAKES - £5.40

Ok its expensive. I bulk buy it when I see it on offer in the supermarket. Let me say, it really is the MOST delicious tuna. It converted me from a tuna hater to lover overnight. It has a delicate flavour, meaty, juicy flakes and doesn’t have that super ‘fishy’ smell. It feels fresh, it feels special. Buy it on a special occasion, but be warned its hard to go back once you’ve tasted this.

SAINSBURYS ALBACORE TUNA - £4.45

This is a really good tuna. It has a really robust texture that isn’t dry and I like the olive oil its marinated it. I think its a good price for its quality!

FISH 4 EVER AZORES SKIPJACK TUNA STEAKS - £3.95

Fish 4 ever make really nice tinned fish, I’m a fan of their anchovies too. This is a good all round tuna. Really nice in pastas with sharp flavours like lemon and capers.

OTHER WAYS WITH TUNA

• Mixed with mayonnaise, capers, olives, lemon zest, greek yoghurt and basil and piled into a sandwich or on a baked sweet potato.

• Marinate a tin of tuna in olive oil, lemon zest, herbs and coriander seeds over night then use in salads or pile on crostini

• Toss with spaghetti, lemon, chilli and capers and crunchy breadcrumbs

• Mix with white beans, roasted tomatoes, parsley and a vinegary dressing.

Crunchy tuna and asparagus salad with herby yoghurt dressing

PREP 15 mins COOK 5 mins SERVES 4

1 bunch asparagus, cut into 5cm spears

2 baby gem lettuce, shredded

3 celery sticks, finely sliced

1/2 red onion, very finely chopped

1 tbsp capers, drained

1 x 160g tin tuna in olive oil

Handful basil leaves

Handful dill leaves

For the dressing

150g greek yoghurt

2 tbsp mayonaise

1/2 lemon, juiced

Handful dill

Handful basil

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the asparagus and boil for 4 mins. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool down.

Arrange all the salad ingredients on your largest serving plate.

For the dressing blitz everything together in a high speed blender with 80ml water (I used a Nutri bullet but you could use a food processor) add a little more water if you feel it needs it - it should be a drizzle-able consistency.

When you’re ready to serve, drizzle over the dressing then toss everything together until well coated.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Boiling your asparagus then plunging it into cold water is called ‘blanching and refreshing’ it helps the asparagus to retain its crunch and vibrant green colour.

• I like to use a high speed blender for dressing and dips like hummus because you get a smoother, silkier texture.

• Want to add some protein to this salad? - a few soft boiled eggs wouldn’t go amiss.

• Swap out the herbs to your liking - dill could be relaced with mint or parsley which would delicious.

Rigatoni with tuna, tomatoes, fennel and chilli

PREP 10 MINS COOK 25 MINS SERVES 4