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Atum de cebolada
Tuna in onion sauce
Atum de cebolada: Vila Real tuna steaks under a soft, vinegar-sharp onion sauce
From Vila Real de Santo António to Tavira, cebolada means a deep pan of onions cooked slowly in olive oil with garlic, bay and tomato, finished with a splash of vinegar, and tuna steaks laid in it to braise. Fishing families made it with the cheaper cuts from the tuna traps; restaurants still serve it on weekday lunch menus with boiled potatoes. Chef's tip: give the onions their full 25 minutes, so they turn sweet and jammy before the tuna goes in.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 tuna steaksabout 2 cm thick, 180 g each
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- 4 onionshalved and thinly sliced
- 4 garlic clovessliced
- 2 ripe tomatoespeeled and chopped
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Season 4 tuna steaks with 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp lemon juice, cover and leave in the fridge while you cook the onions.
Step 2: Warm ½ cup olive oil in a wide, heavy pan with a lid over a medium-low heat. Add 4 onions, 4 garlic cloves and 2 bay leaves with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, for 25 minutes until very soft and pale gold. A common mistake is turning the heat up to rush this: the onions catch and taste bitter instead of sweet.
25 minStep 3: Stir in 2 ripe tomatoes and 1 tsp sweet paprika and cook for 5 minutes until the tomato melts into the onions.
5 minStep 4: Add 2 tbsp white wine vinegar and ½ cup water and bring to a simmer.
Step 5: Nestle the tuna steaks into the onions and spoon some over the top. Cover and cook over a low heat for 8–10 minutes, turning once, until the tuna is opaque right through and flakes when pressed with a fork.
10 minStep 6: Rest for 2 minutes off the heat, then serve the steaks with plenty of onion sauce and a scattering of 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 13 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does atum de cebolada take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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