AI-generated image
Atún encebollado
Tuna stewed with onions
Atún encebollado: Barbate tuna stewed in a deep pile of slow-cooked onions
When the almadraba nets bring bluefin tuna ashore in Barbate and Zahara de los Atunes in May and June, households along the Cádiz coast make atún encebollado: chunks of tuna braised in a mountain of onions cooked down until sweet and golden, with bay, pepper and a splash of fino. Any good tuna steak works the rest of the year. This recipe uses wine; the alcohol-free option is in the ingredient note. Chef's tip: the onions take the time, the tuna does not; add it only for the last few minutes, or it turns dry and grey.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 ¼ lb onionshalved and thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlicsliced
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ½ cup fino sherry or dry white winealcohol-free: 100 ml water with 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 ½ lb tuna steakcut into 4 cm chunks
- 1 ½ tsp salt
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat ½ cup olive oil in a wide casserole over a medium-low heat. Add 2 ¼ lb onions, 4 cloves garlic, 2 bay leaves and 8 black peppercorns with half of ¾ tsp salt.
Step 2: Cook slowly, stirring every few minutes, for 35–40 minutes, until the onions have collapsed to about a third of their volume and are soft, sweet and pale gold. A common mistake is raising the heat to hurry them: they scorch and turn bitter before they turn sweet.
40 minStep 3: Stir in 1 tsp sweet paprika, then pour in ½ cup fino sherry or dry white wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes until the sharp smell of alcohol has gone.
2 minStep 4: Season 1 ½ lb tuna steak with the rest of ¾ tsp salt and nestle it into the onions. Cover and cook over a low heat for 6–8 minutes, turning the pieces once, until the tuna is just opaque all the way through and flakes when pressed.
8 minStep 5: Take off the heat and rest for 5 minutes, covered. Serve with bread or fried potatoes.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does atún encebollado take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 50 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 onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Moreton Bay bugsSlipper lobster with garlic butter
Moreton Bay bugs are the flat, shovel-nosed slipper lobsters caught off the Queensland coast around Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, and for Queenslanders they are a summer treat, split and grilled at the beach house. The tail meat is sweet and rich, somewhere between lobster and prawn. Buy them raw, frozen or fresh, from a fishmonger and ask them to halve them if you like. A common mistake is overcooking, which makes the meat rubbery; it is ready the moment it turns white. Chef's tip: grill flesh side down first to mark it, then turn and baste in the shell.
Australian
Midia saganakiMussels with tomato and feta
Thessaloniki is Greece's mussel capital, with farms in the Thermaic Gulf a few kilometres from the seafront ouzeries where this two-handled pan arrives, still bubbling, at the table. Mussels steam open in a quick sauce of peppers, tomato and chilli, and crumbled feta melts into the juices at the end. Bread is essential. The classic version adds a splash of ouzo; this one is alcohol-free, using a pinch of fennel seed for that aniseed note (add 2 tbsp ouzo with the tomatoes if you like). Common mistake: overcooking — take the pan off the heat as soon as the shells open. Chef's tip: buy mussels on the day and keep them in the fridge in a bowl covered with a damp cloth, never in water.
Greek
Arroz con pitu de caleyaSoupy rice with chicken
A pitu de caleya is a cockerel raised free in the lanes, or caleyas, of rural Asturias; its firm, flavourful meat needs long stewing, and families around Villaviciosa and Grado still cook it for feast days. The stew is often finished as a soupy rice, so the deep chicken juices go into every grain. Use the best free-range chicken you can find. The braise includes dry white wine; replace it with extra stock and a squeeze of lemon if you want it alcohol-free. Chef's tip: brown the chicken slowly and deeply; that colour is where the flavour of the whole pot comes from.