Tuna Matalotta Style, or Tonnu a la Matalotta: This recipe for fresh tuna stewed with tomatoes is from the Favigiana area in Sicily.

See Also

About fresh tuna and many recipes

La Galleria Del pesce, the Fish Gallery

On Selecting Fish

Ingredients

• 6 nice 3/4-inch thick slices of fresh tuna
  
• 1 pound (500 g) ripe tomatoes (if you cannot find food sun-ripened tomatoes use canned instead),
• blanched, peeled and seeded
  
• 1/2 cup (50 g) bread crumbs
  
• 1/4 cup (35 g) capers (if you can find them use salted rather than pickled, rinsing well to remove salt)
  
• 2 ounces (50 g) green olives
  
• About a quarter cup (or to taste) minced fresh parsley and mint
  
• Olive oil
  
• Salt & Pepper

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes

• Total Time: 50 minutes

Preparation

You'll need a broad oven-proof skillet; arrange the tuna slices evenly over the bottom of the skillet and sprinkle them with the tomatoes, shredded by hand, the capers, and the olives. Add just enough water to cover the fish and cook over a brisk flame until the liquid is almost entirely evaporated.

In the meantime preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).

At this point sprinkle the bread crumbs and minced herbs over the fish, dribble a little oil over it, and bake it for about ten minutes.

Adjust seasoning, spoon the drippings over the fish, and serve it from the pan.

The wine? I'd be tempted to use a rosé -- either Leone De Castris's Five Roses (so-called because an American officer who ordered some in World War II wanted an English label) or Antinori's Scalabrone Bolgheri Rosato.

Yield: 6 servings Tuna Matalotta Style, With Tomatoes.