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Ecuadorian Tuna Fish Fanesca for Lent and Easter (Fanesca de Atún)
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Ecuadorian Tuna Fish Fanesca for Lent and Easter (Fanesca de Atún)

Tuna fish fanesca made canned tuna fish, zucchini squash, a mix of beans including white beans, red beans or pinto beans, corn, green beans, peas, onions, garlic, seasonings/spices, peanuts, milk, cream, and cheese.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 people
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: South American, American, Ecuadorian

Ingredients

  • 2 tuna fish about 500 grams, add more if desired, large cans
  • 3-4 tbs of oil use oil from tuna fish can if using tuna fish in oil
  • 1 tsp achiote also called annatto powder - can replace with sweet paprika (not spicy, not smoked
  • 1 cup white onion from about ½ medium white onion, diced
  • 1 cup red onion from about ½ medium red onion, diced
  • 3-4 garlic crushed, cloves
  • 1-2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1-2 tsp oregano dry
  • ¼ to ½ tsp black pepper ground
  • 800 grams sambo zucchini, about 3 medium sized zucchini - peeled and diced, or fresh squash
  • 4 cups water 4 cups = 1 ltr, add more if needed, or vegetable broth
  • 2 ¾ cups milk add more if needed
  • 2 tbs peanut butter
  • 2 cups white bean rinsed and drained, canned
  • 2 cups pinto bean rinsed and drained, canned, or red bean
  • ½ cup fava bean can use fresh or frozen - replace with lima beans or additional green beans if you can’t find fava beans, cooked and twice peeled
  • 1 cup green beans cut into bite size pieces and cooked
  • 1 cup corn can use fresh, canned or frozen corn, cooked
  • 1 cup green peas fresh, canned or frozen, cooked
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup queso fresco crumbled - can also use feta cheese as a substitute
  • 1-2 tbsp cilantro chopped, or parsley
  • salt to taste
Garnishes (pick and choose as many as you want):
  • tuna fish crispy fried
  • egg hardboiled, sliced
  • plantains fried, ripe
  • cheese empanada Ecuadorian fried style (Empanadas de viento
  • aji criollo hot sauce or hot peppers slices
  • onion see quick recipe in Notes below, in curtido salad
  • heart of palm see quick recipe in Notes below, in curtido salad
  • queso fresco diced, crumbled or sliced, aka feta; or quesillo (fresh mozzarella
  • avocado sliced or diced
  • smoked salmon

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat the oil and add the diced onions, garlic, tuna fish and condiments (cumin, salt, achiote/paprika), cook until the tuna starts to brown, about 10-15 minutes.
  2. Remove half of the crispy browned tuna mix to use as a garnish when serving the fanesca soup.
  3. Add the diced peeled zucchini squash and 4 cups of water or vegetable broth, plus a little bit of salt if using water. Cook until the zucchini is tender.
  4. In the meantime, soften the peanut butter in ¾ cup milk.
  5. Use a masher to help puree the zuchinni. You can also use an immersion blender for an extra smooth soup base.
  6. Add 2 cups of milk, the diluted peanut butter milk mix, the different beans, corn, green peas, green beans, fava beans. Stir in well and let simmer for about 30-40 minutes, stir frequently to avoid the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  7. About 5 to 10 minutes before serving add the heavy cream and the queso fresco, mix well and continue cooking on low heat.
  8. Mix in the chopped cilantro or parsley and stir well. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
  9. Serve the tuna fish fanesca topped with the reserved crispy tuna fish bits and your choice of additional garnishes such as fried ripe plantains, heart of palm and onion curtido salad, crumbled queso fresco (or feta as a replacement), fried cheese empanadas, avocado, and Ecuadorian hot sauce or slices of hot peppers. These can be added on top of the soup or on the side.

Notes

  • *For the Heart of Palm and Onion curtido salad:
  • To make this quick salad, start by soaking the red onion slices in cold water for 5 minutes. Then drain them and mix them with the rest of the ingredients. Let it marinate for about 20-30 minutes before serving. Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to serve.
  • 1 can or jar of hearts of palm, drained and sliced or diced
  • 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp of chopped fresh cilantro
  • Juice of 1 lime, add more to taste
  • 1/2 tbs of olive oil, adjust to taste
  • Salt to taste