I didn’t realize until this morning that this dish is like a one dish fish cake! Fish cakes are like crab cakes that have potatoes in them, and probably the reason this is called Fabio’s Lazy Tuna is because you make it in one big dish instead of individuals cakes. Maybe I shouldn’t be drinking Dirty Martini’s when I’m eating dinner, these things would come to me sooner.
Anyways this dish comes from one of my favorite shows on the Cooking Channel, David Rocco. David and his wife live in Florence, Italy and sometimes he’s at home cooking or sometimes they are out road tripping and he’ll make a dish the is special to that region. I saw him make this this twice and thought it looked interesting, and it is.
I think this dish would be a great to entertain with, it’s easy, fresh, lighter than a traditional fish cake, delicious and something new and fun. I hope you’ll try it. Enjoy!
-Fabio’s Lazy Tuna-
6 potatoes, boiled, peeled and finely chopped (mine were organic, local cal whites, similar to russets)
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 T. chili peppers (I used dried)
bunch fresh Italian parsley, chopped (I used about 1/2 c.)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2c. olive oil
1 T. fennel seed, crushed (I used my mortar and pesol)
2 T. lemon rinds or zest
bunch of basil, torn (I know basil is not in season but I was able to find organic basil at the store)
8 peeled plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped (I used my own canned tomatoes, but I used a little less because I added 1/4 c. roasted red bell peppers as well)
1 1/2 lb. fresh tuna, thinly sliced (Lucky for me my buddy Dave owns a sushi restaurant- Sushi Groove, so I was able to get a pound of fresh ahi from him. But you can just hit up your favorite fish shop)
1 1/2 c. bread crumbs (I used a baguette that was leftover, I pulsed it into crumbs in the food processor and then toasted it for a minute in the oven to make them extra dry)
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, add potatoes, garlic, chili peppers, half the parsley, salt, pepper to taste. Add 3/4 c. olive oil and mix well. Spread the potato mixture on an ovenproof pan, packing the mixture so it serves as a solid bed for the tuna.
3. Spread half of the fennel seeds, lemon rinds, basil and pieces of the plum tomatoes sparingly (roasted bell peppers ,if using) on top of the potato mixture.
4. Add the tuna slices on top covering the baking dish.
5. Spread the remainder of the fennel seeds, lemon rinds, plum tomatoes (bell pepper, if using)
and the rest of the parsley on top of the tuna.
6. Generously sprinkle the bread crumbs, and drizzle the remaining olive oil on the top.
7. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. (Depending on how well you like your tuna) Serve!
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