Spanish tuna pie

This Spanish Tuna Pie is absolutely delicious, and I really recommend you give it a try!

It’s a healthy, flavorful dish that’s surprisingly easy to make. While the preparation time is a bit longer due to the rising of the dough, I promise you—it’s worth every minute. The result is a perfectly golden, savory pie with a rich tuna filling that will impress both family and guests. It’s one of those comforting recipes you’ll want to make again and again.

Enjoy every bite! 😊

Ingredients: (for 8 portions)

• salt + pepper
• 650 g canned tuna, in oil (the quantity actually refers to the canned meat, so pay attention to the total weight of the can and the weight of the actual product)
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 large green bell pepper
• 3 onions
• 400 g of mashed tomatoes
• 1 sachet of yeast
• 1 cup of hot water
• 5 cloves of garlic
• a spoonful of sweet paprika + a spoonful of hot paprika
• 450 g flour
• 2 large spoons of sugar

Preparation:

Start by draining the oil from the canned tuna until you collect 240 ml. If the drained oil isn’t enough, top it up with sunflower oil to reach the required amount.

Peel the onion and slice it thinly. Remove the skin from the pepper and cut it into small cubes. Peel the garlic cloves and slice them.

Heat the drained oil from the can in a large frying pan. Once hot, add the sliced onion and sauté for 30–40 seconds. Add the diced pepper and continue to cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the spices, sliced garlic, and tomato juice, mixing everything well.

Let the mixture simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Stir in a tablespoon of sugar, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring everything to a gentle boil, add the tuna, and stir carefully to combine, being mindful not to break up the fish too much. Then, remove from the heat.

Allow the mixture to cool slightly while you prepare a strainer set over a bowl. Pour the entire mixture from the pan into the strainer and let it sit for a few minutes, until about 100 ml of liquid has drained into the bowl. This flavorful sauce will be used later in the dough. 🙂

Once you’ve collected 100 ml of sauce, transfer the mixture from the strainer into a pot—this way, it retains some of its natural juices and doesn’t dry out completely.

In a cup of warm water, dissolve the remaining tablespoon of sugar along with the packet of yeast. Stir well and let it sit for about 5 minutes until it becomes foamy.

In the bowl of a food processor (or in a large bowl using a hand mixer with dough hooks—or even by hand if needed), combine the flour, the drained sauce, a pinch of salt, and the yeast mixture. Mix everything thoroughly for a few minutes until the dough becomes smooth and cohesive.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with cling film, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1.5 hours, or until it has doubled—or nearly tripled—in size. Add a little extra flour if the dough feels too sticky.

We now have a beautifully colored dough with a lovely aroma and smooth texture. Preheat the oven to 200°C and allow it to heat up. Meanwhile, generously flour your work surface and place the dough on it. Sprinkle a bit of flour on top and knead it briefly. Continue adding flour as needed until the dough, which will be quite sticky at first, becomes easy to handle and no longer sticks to your hands. Once it’s ready, divide the dough into two equal portions.

Using a rolling pin, roll out one half of the dough until it’s large enough to cover the bottom and sides of your pan. To transfer it easily without tearing or losing its shape, wrap the dough around the rolling pin (as shown in the photo above), then gently unroll it over the pan. This method is quick, clean, and helps keep the dough intact.

Press the dough into the edges of the pan and prick it in several places with a fork to prevent bubbling. Next, add the tuna filling you prepared earlier, spreading it evenly.

Roll out the second half of the dough and place it on top to form a lid. Trim any excess dough with kitchen scissors, leaving a bit of an edge. Fold and seal this edge by rolling it together with the bottom layer of dough to close the pie. You can either prick the top with a fork or make small slits to allow steam to escape during baking.

I had a bit of extra dough, so I used it to make a few decorative shapes—totally optional, but a nice touch if you feel like it. Once everything was ready, I brushed the surface of the pie with a little oil and sprinkled some pepper on top for extra flavor.

Place the pie in a preheated oven at 180°C and bake for about 20 minutes, or until it turns a golden brown.

Delicious? That’s putting it lightly. Healthy? Absolutely. All that’s left is for you to try this tart—I promise, even though it might seem a bit complex, it’s actually easy to make, and the result is simply wow.

If you try the recipe, let me know how you liked it! 😊

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