Tuna Puttanesca
Published April 22, 2024
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal
1 pound long pasta, such as linguine, fettuccine or spaghetti
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup Kalamata or other black olives (pits or no pits; both fine)
4 to 6 large anchovy filets
4 large garlic cloves, smashed and coarsely chopped
1 medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons capers, drained
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
Black pepper
7 to 10 ounces canned or jarred tuna, drained
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
67 grams carbs; 19 milligrams cholesterol; 474 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 13 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 708 milligrams sodium; 23 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
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
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Set aside ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander and return it to the pot.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch) skillet, combine the olive oil, olives, anchovies, garlic, shallot, capers and crushed red pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are translucent and the garlic is lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens in color.
- Step 3
Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high, then reduce to low and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until the sauce is thick and chunky, about 15 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the tuna and parsley.
- Step 4
Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss well, adding a splash of cooking liquid if the pasta looks dry. Serve topped with parsley and more crushed red pepper, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
I love making this recipe, but I have a couple of tweaks I would add. First, I often use thinly sliced red onion instead of a shallot. I like the way the red onion holds up against the other flavors such as anchovy and capers. I always use capers preserved in salt, rather than brine. Rinse the salt off first. I like to chop my capers, anchovies, and olives together before I add them to the pan. I add the tuna at the end, but on a low heat. For me, I always use an Italian tuna, canned in oil. I want the sauce to infuse the tuna a little bit. I then put the pasta in the sauce, along with the parsley and perhaps a little bit of reserved pasta water, to meld the flavors together. Lastly, I grate a little lemon zest over it and toss it once I’ve taken it off the heat and placed it in a serving bowl.
May I suggest lemon zest to brighten the flavors?
I should have known better than to add the teaspoon of salt, what with the Kalamata olives and the capers. So I found it too salty as written. However, we enjoyed it and will make again, sans that teaspoon of salt.
Made this last night as a last minute decision so used pantry ingredients. Only had 1/2 lb. of pasta, so used 1/2 jar of Rao's marinara sauce in place of the tomato paste and tomatoes. Omitted the extra salt. It was delicious!!!
Forgot to mention that I also doubled the capers and the olives. I didn’t have Kalamata olives so I used some chopped Castelvetrano olives. Delicious
I doubled the garlic and the anchovy, and left out the shallot and the tomato paste, and increased the crushed red pepper flakes by half again. I used a couple of jars of fancy tuna, along with the oil. The result was simply delicious.