Sicilian Fresh Tuna Meatballs with Pasta

Name: Sicilian Fresh Tuna Meatballs with Pasta
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4 serving
Ingredients: 400 g fresh tuna; 1 onion; 1 egg; 3-4 tablespoon breadcrumbs; 3-4 fresh mint leaves; 1 tablespoon pine nuts; extra virgin olive oil; salt; ground black pepper; 2 teaspoon lemon zest; all purpose flour; 500 g tomato passata (puree) or chopped tomatoes; 10 fresh basil leaves; 2 garlic cloves; salt; ground black pepper; 1-2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 400 g pasta tubes; salt

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Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings
4
Calories
670 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Mediterranean, Italian

Sicilian Fresh Tuna Meatballs with Pasta

Daisy Meyer

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These traditional Sicilian fresh tuna meatballs are easy to make and delicious with pasta, potatoes or just bread! Perfect main course for seafood and fish lovers.

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Ingredients

Servings

For the tuna meatballs

400 g fresh tuna
1 onion (medium size or half a large one) peeled and finely chopped.
1 egg
3-4 tablespoon breadcrumbs or grated pecorino
3-4 fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon pine nuts chopped
extra virgin olive oil for frying
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoon lemon zest (use an organic lemon)
all purpose flour to coat tuna meatballs

For tomato sauce

500 g tomato passata (puree) or chopped tomatoes (17oz) or 1.5 kg peeled sauce tomatoes (3.5 lbs)
10 fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves peeled
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Pasta

400 g pasta tubes (14oz) or spaghetti. I used genovesone from pastificio dei campi
salt for cooking water.

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Instructions

Make the fresh tuna meatballs

Peel and finely chop the onion. Wash and chop the mint leaves. Grate the lemon zest. Chop the pine nuts.
Cut the tuna first into slices (if it's one piece) and then into strips. Cut the strips into small pieces and then either mince in a food processor or chop with a knife like chopping parsley.
Once you have cut all the tuna into small pieces, place it in a bowl and knead it a little with the back of a spoon so as to crush it a little more. (This isn't necessary if you used a food processor) Add a little salt to the tuna, plus the chopped onion, chopped pine nuts, mint and the lemon zest.
Mix everything and then add the egg and breadcrumbs (or grated pecorino). Mix again.Best using your hands. Take a tablespoonful of tuna and work it with your hands into a round ball. Repeat until you have used up all the meatball mixture. The size isn't so important but try to make them all more or less the same for even cooking.
Once all the meatballs are ready, take a frying pan and pour in enough olive oil to cover the bottom and start to heat the oil. Put the flour on a plate, roll the tuna meatballs in the flour and then fry them in the pan with the oil. Turn them so they brown on all sides. They don't need to be cooked through just browned. In this way, the surface of the meatballs will seal and your meatballs will remain soft while cooking in the sauce. When the meatballs are all browned transfer them to drain on some kitchen paper.

Cook the pasta

Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring tothe boil again. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.

Make the tomato sauce

While the water is boiling and the pasta is cooking make the sauce. Put a tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet or frying pan, add the two peeled cloves of garlic. Once they start to soften add the peeled tomatoes or passata/polpa.
Dilute the tomato sauce with a cup of pasta cooking water, add the basil leaves and cook for about 5 minutes. (fresh peeled tomatoes make take longer to break down. passata or polpa are ready faster).
At this point, add the tuna meatballs and cook them in the sauce for another 10 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking.
Drain the pasta. Return it to the pan or put it in a warmed bowl. Mix it well with some of the tomato sauce. You want to coat the pasta with sauce. Then plate the pasta and add 2-3 fresh tuna meatballs and more sauce. Serve immediately.

Notes

These tuna meatballs can be made with swordfish instead or a mix of tuna and swordfish. You can use spaghetti or other types of pasta tubes such as penne, short ziti, paccheri or mezze maniche.
The nutritional info includes pasta.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 670kcal (34%) Carbohydrates 95g (32%) Protein 42g (84%) Fat 13g (20%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Monounsaturated Fat 5g Trans Fat 0.01g Cholesterol 79mg (26%) Sodium 152mg (6%) Potassium 1124mg (32%) Fiber 7g (28%) Sugar 11g (22%) Vitamin A 2966IU (59%) Vitamin C 17mg (19%) Calcium 86mg (9%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 670 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	670kcal	34%
Carbohydrates	95g	32%
Protein	42g	84%
Fat	13g	20%
Saturated Fat	3g	15%
Polyunsaturated Fat	4g	24%
Monounsaturated Fat	5g	25%
Trans Fat	0.01g	1%
Cholesterol	79mg	26%
Sodium	152mg	6%
Potassium	1124mg	24%
Fiber	7g	28%
Sugar	11g	22%
Vitamin A	2966IU	59%
Vitamin C	17mg	19%
Calcium	86mg	9%
Iron	5mg	28%