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5.0 from 6 votes

Causa Rellena

Causa rellena is an iconic recipe from Peru that combines lemony and spiced mashed potatoes with tuna or chicken or seafood and avocado.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
mins
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 441 kcal
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: South American , Peruvian

Ingredients

For the mashed potatoes
  • 3 lb potatoes (yellow flesh)
  • 2 tablespoons aji amarillo paste (or alternatively, 1 large orange or yellow hot pepper)
  • 3 limes , squeezed
  • 1 clove garlic , crushed
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • salt
  • pepper
For the filling
  • 10 oz. canned tuna
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or more to taste)
  • 1 scallion , finely chopped
  • 10 cilantro leaves , chopped
  • 2 avocados (ripe), peeled and cut into thin strips
  • 3 tablespoons cooked peas
  • 1 cooked carrot , diced
For the decoration
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs
  • A few black olives
  • 1 small red hot pepper
Equipment
  • food processor

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. If you do not have aji amarillo paste, you must first seed the fresh pepper, blanch it for 2 minutes in boiling water and drain before pureeing it in the blender.
  2. Peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water for 20 minutes. They should be cooked but still remain firm.
  3. Mash the potatoes with a potato ricer, then mash them by hand for about 10 minutes while gradually incorporating the lime juice, oil, aji pepper paste, garlic and mayonnaise.
  4. Add salt and pepper. Let cool.
  5. Mash the tuna with a fork and mix by incorporating olive oil, scallion, mayonnaise and chopped cilantro leaves.
  6. Use a cookie cutter circle and add the first layer of mashed potatoes. Place a layer of tuna filling, then another layer of mashed potatoes, then the thinly sliced avocados or mixing of peas and carrots, and end with a last layer of the potato mixture. (Or vice versa, starting first by the avocado or the peas / carrots and then tuna)
  7. Decorate the top with boiled eggs and black olives or little red pepper.
  8. Serve cold.