As a broke college student I am proud to say that this is my go to recipe! I love that I can keep everything on hand canned and not worry about it going bad.
Here in Tunisia we eat this dish a lot, as muslim country we don't use wine, so we just add water, also we usually add some pitted olive chunks to the capers, and try adding 2 or 3 bay leaves
Chef! I just made this for dinner and this turned out awesome!!! The Italian MSG, capers, and garlic reduced with white wine made amazing umami, and the final drizzle of olive oil from the tuna upped the whole dish into a different level of intense and wholesome tuna flavor. 10 out of 10!!! Favorite pasta recipe ever!!!
in italy we usually transfer the almost-cooked pasta in the sauce pan (not the pot) with the flame still on (usually med-high) and finish cooking it there while mixing. It covers it better, sauteés it a little bit and avoids losing sauce in the transfer from pan to pot ;)
It is the usual method but right now I have to cook two types of pasta (gluten free and regular) and one sauce, so I mix the sauce into pastas. All these dietary restrictions are not making my life easier :)
My big fat Italian mom would make this as part of the traditional Christmas Eve, no meat/all seafood dinner. This video brings back some nice memories.
I guess I could x3 It's not like there's anything stopping me. I've just been cooking other stuff. You know how it is, sometimes you get into a particular cuisine routine and you stick with it :3
It's 4 in the morning, I have class at 10am, but now Im going to watch Foodwishes videos from like 6 months ago until i fall asleep on my laptop. Thank you Chef John!
Just made it and I never expected it to be so good! That tuna-tomato sauce with the olive oil and the capers make such a nice combination, thanks so much!
This looks just like the tuna pasta I had at a restaurant yesterday, it's like you were there cooking it and read my mind John lol.... gotta make this now
My grandparents were from Italy and they would make this for all of us kids and it was excellent. Id forgotten how much i liked it and im glad to have this recipe ...
Hi from Swiss. Wonderfully done. Wonderfully told. I really enjoy your voice and way you deliver us your cooking tales each time. I am sure I could smell it. Thanks for your videos.
Thank you chef J for a great recipe. I used to order essentially the same dish every friday in a restaurant in Munich that was owned by a Serbian spesking family from Montenegro (!?) so I never got a clear picture as to which culture it was from. Now I know. I managed a reasonable recreation but yours is better. Its a new Friday night feature that even the kids enjoy.
This is one of my favorite pasta dishes. I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned and I use a bit more of the oil the tuna comes in to give it a bit more of that flavor. The only sauce I put capers in is when I make Puttanesca, so i'll have to try it in this dish. Yum.... sounds like a plan for dinner tonight! Cheers!
This is the best. If you get home late, you know you have all the ingredients. Takes 20 minutes and cost a fraction of what shitty takeout would cost and tastes fantastic.
As a student I make a sauce like this fairly often, one word of advice, if you're gonna skimp on ingredients, make sure it's not the tuna, the difference between good tuna and bad tuna is enormous in a sauce.
Looks great, Chef! Here in Rome, we also break up the tuna into small pieces, otherwise the chunks of tuna taste too dry when eaten with the sauce. Also, for those who like it, a bit of pepperoncino at the end adds a nice bit of spice. Grazie tanto!
10/10 :) As an Italian i can say it's perfect, i love pasta made this way, it's very good even cold, some says it's better. Parmesan with fish it's something that's considered "wrong" by most people here though.
Thank you so much Chef John! I follow only your recipes. The dish was amazing. I was skeptical watching the video but I wanted a no meat recipe. You have given me such motivation to become a better cook.
Yes! I make this all the time so I was excited to see ur recipe and it looks perfect. Sometimes I start with really finely sliced sautéed onions too which is maybe not traditional but I like the slight sweetness.
In Italy they add most of the times the pasta to the sauce directly from the boiling water. In that way you don't lose any sauce, the water adds a little moisture to the sauce and the pasta takes the sauce perfect. Just a tip, chef John. It's what I see in spaghettiland.
Excellent new recipe for many people, and it's perfect for the Lenten and Great Lenten seasons (which may have slightly different local and regional fasting restrictions).
Chef John's calling preserved anchovies "Italian MSG" is spot on. He knew exactly what he was talking about. Anchovies contain naturally occurring glutamates ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamate_flavoring ) -- superior to the artificial MSG -- that give a dish "umami" taste. I know that it may not be authentic ("non tradizionale"), but I would skip the tomato sauce altogether so that the natural flavors of the tuna and anchovies are not masked. Just add some diced tomatoes (not too much) if you want to have that acidic balance.
WOW! being an italian i was expecting a big mess, but i have to retreat that! just a few tips (or, at least, some i use): -sautè the tuna before adding the tomatoes, it really enhance the taste -instead of parsil, use fresh mint (or both), it's gonna be a whole new world of deliciousness -don't add parmesan... it's one of the basic rule of italian cousine... fish and chees don't get along
The fish and cheese rule is what my brother in law (who's Italian) always says too, and for the most part I would agree.... but with a tuna sauce.... it's yummy! I grate a lot on mine because it's just that good!! =]
Fish and cheese tastes fine together provided they're well matched. Though it seems like the more expensive the fish is, the less likely it will go well with cheese. Also, preserved fish(salted fish in particular) generally tastes terrible with cheese. The rule is that if you absolutely have to combine fish and cheese, the cheese is only an garnish or accent and is only added at the end.
I never would have tried this because I don’t liked canned tuna. But I know the quality canned tuna is good and I also know how aligned our tastes are so I am going to have to try this soon! Keeping an open mind!
John love you receipts as they are true to the Italian ones. Just one comment here, with fish if you want to add cheese it always as to be Pecorino never Parmeggiano!
My Grandmother's side of the family has Italian heritage and she made a much more "peasant-like" version of this sauce. It was always one of my favorite things to eat growing up. I never did get the exact recipe from her... unfortunately, by the time I was old enough to care, she was elderly and couldn't remember things very well... Also, she used Grandma measurements for the ingredients...i.e.: "enough, a little, a pinch, a bit"
Chef John has Italian heritage?? You sir just became twelve times more awesome (which is apparently approaching infinity cuz you're extremely awesome already) :D
I'm italian, so i watched the video just looking for mistakes to point out. But nah, i gotta admit this was perfect. (maybe no parmigian at the end, but that's upon your taste)
dear john love this video...love all of your videos actually i tried most of your recipes already and its always a huge success. i want to try something new tho....can you do a video on horse-steak? id love to try that best regards :)
chef i'm just wondering where do you film your videos? The stove you use is obviously commercial, but the table you set your food on ..seems like a table at home. It is really cool if you have a commercial stove at home though, really really cool
I love your narrative on your videos and your really yummy easy recipe!! I'm a subscriber now! Would this dish taste different if I decided to use wheat-based pasta?
Amazing dish. It really is very meaty as chef John mentioned. I do it without the wine, anchovies or capers and it always turns out delicious. I do add sugar though. ..
OMG is this good! Just had it for dinner tonight and even my 5 year old loved it. We made it non-spicy for her, and then added pepper flakes for us... I had thirds. "Italian MSG" LOL.
Thanks, I have found this wretched. I have been curious to try it at home. I don't find spaghetti good for most sauces, however -- I feel it is better for the oil and garlic kinda treatment with herbs and stuff. I like broader noodles or shells or something for sauces. Ma sono la capa d'il mio recetto! (I'm the boss of my sauce and other kitchen stuff!) The way you broke down the tuna, this could definitely work. Uprated. Excellent as usual!
When you let your sauce simmer for one or two hours, it gets incredibly amazing, when tomato sauce starts to reduce and lose water, somewhere magic happens. When I make Pizza, for example, I make the sauce around 10 or 11 to use it at 18 19 o clock. Letting it slowly reduce and cook for so long makes it amazing. It gets more creamy and all the spices start to mix, just wonderful, give it a try. :) Just make sure it's nothing in there, that can be cooked to disappear, add vegtables just like normal a few minutes before the end.
Hi Chef John, I've been a fan of tuna + spaghetti for a long time, but never thought to add capers (which I adore). I tired it tonight and the added acidity was nice, but it also added a slight bitterness. Any tips on how to counteract that? Thanks and keep up the good work!
ChefJohn! I bought raw Tuna steaks for this recipe but I did not know how to cook it. stupid me. I put them in a frying pan with some olive oil and the result was not too good. My question is: How do I cook it like the ones you used?
Wow, I made this and it's the first time the result matches the recipe. Probably helps to use the same ingredients rather than substituting half the list...
I'm honestly surprised by the complaints of the usage of wine in the recipe and requests for substitutes. For one, there is no alcohol left in the pasta once it reduces by 75%, so you can make this even if you dont drink, also what could you possibly use as a substitute for wine?
