Pasta With Tuna, Capers and Scallions

By Melissa Clark

Published Nov. 11, 2022

Pasta With Tuna, Capers and Scallions
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. (Photography and Styling)
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(4,258)
Comments
Read comments

There are about a gazillion ways to cook pasta using other pantry staples — things like garlic, bread crumbs, pecorino, capers, olives and especially, canned fish. This recipe, pasta with tuna, anchovies and capers, showered with lots of green herbs and scallions, is one of my family’s household favorites. I like it with a long, thin, twirlable pasta — spaghetti, linguine or bucatini — but you can use whatever pasta you have on hand. Even macaroni works just fine and might even persuade your finicky kid to eat this dish (though, so far, mine abstains).

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Ingredients

Yield:3 to 4 servings
  • Salt
  • 12ounces long, thin pasta, such as bucatini, spaghetti or linguine
  • 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 3scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
  • 6 to 10anchovies, chopped
  • 3tablespoons drained capers
  • 1cup torn fresh herbs, such as parsley and dill, or celery leaves, plus more for serving (optional)
  • 1(5- or 6-ounce) can tuna, drained
  • Red-pepper flakes, for serving
  • Lemon wedges, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

504 calories; 13 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 30 grams protein; 656 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a well-salted pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, saving 1 cup pasta water.

  2. Step 2

    In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium. Add garlic and scallion whites, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add anchovies and capers and cook until anchovies melt and capers and garlic turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add ½ cup pasta water, let it reduce until there is just a little left in the pan, then add pasta and herbs and toss well to coat. Add tuna and toss well.

  3. Step 3

    Serve with red-pepper flakes on top, more herbs, scallion greens, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
4,258 user ratings
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Comments

ncm

This is very similar to a pasta that my friend, Cristina used to cook for us in Sardinia. She added a lemon rind, either julienned or zested, and had a different approach to cooking: In a bowl mix together the lemon rind,tuna,capers, olives and anchovies (or a dollop of anchovy paste) and set aside. Cook the pasta according to package directions and meantime, in a large frying pan cook the garlic and pepperoncino (red-pepper flakes) in olive oil till the garlic turns golden - don’t let it burn!

Jed

Nice, but double the garlic, double the scallions, and use the entire box of pasta - 16 ounces, which is how pasta is sold. Please, Melissa, write pasta recipes without weirdly oddball amounts of ingredients. Write for the way people shop and eat.

Diane from Philly

Great recipe, easily adapted, and most importantly, it follows Marcella Hazan's timeless advise to NOT COOK the canned tuna when used in such recipes. Makes a world of difference. Thanks!

In my opinion

I like exactly the way Melissa writes her recipes. she has obviously tested them and I trust she comes up with the perfect measurements. so there.

Mei

I love this recipe and make it frequently. I have a few small tweaks I have made over time. I use a full 16oz box of pasta, two tablespoons of olive oil from the anchovy can and add two more from my jar, give a rough chop to the capers so they stick to the pasta better, and use the full 50g can of anchovies, and then pretty much follow the recipe exactly as written but add lemon zest with the herbs. So delicious! Make sure to really salt your water or you might have to add a little salt at the end.

Susan Bass

So good! I heartily encourage the use of fresh tuna. I had a pound of it which I cut into 3/4 inch cubes and added to the fry pan with the pasta water and the zest of a lemon. I did bump up the garlic to 4 cloves because I like garlic.

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