When a great friend of mine in Germany shared that she had cooked an amazing dinner: a tuna pizza with egg and Parmesan, I had an image in my mind of a rustic pizza crust, topped with delectable European oil packed tuna (so much better than what we typically find here, stateside), a soft boiled or poached egg, freshly grated Parmesan, and possibly some cracked pepper. DELICIOUS.
Then, she sent me the photo:
Rike’s photography is astounding. She’s won multiple awards for her nature shots. And, this photo is no less appealing. Gorgeous, right? And, looks mouth watering – just not what I expected.
The actual PIZZA is and was made from tuna, eggs, and Parmesan.
This became my inspiration.
I combined my ideas and musings with her creativity to come up with Pizza Tonnato:
A tuna pizza topped with arugula and pine nuts – as well as “tonnato” sauce. (I actually came up with the name in my brain, googled it for fun, and discovered “tonnato” sauce is a real thing! It’s made with puréed tuna, capers, and lemon. PERFECT!
Enjoy this amazing, gourmet delight!
“Tonnato is a creamy and tangy sauce made with anchovies, capers, and canned tuna that tastes waaaaay better than it sounds.”
Pizza Tonnato
Pizza Tonnato
2 (5 oz.) cans wild tuna, in extra virgin olive oil (drained)
9 quail eggs (OR 2 large chicken eggs)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, finely chopped
sea salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh arugula
1/4 cup pine nuts
2-3 Tbs. Tonnato Sauce**
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Mix together (breaking the tuna into very fine pieces) the tuna, eggs, cheese, parsley, and salt and pepper.
Press into a parchment lined 9″ round cake pan.
Top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until beginning to brown and bubble.
Cool for several minutes.
Before slicing and serving, top with arugula and pine nuts and dress or drizzle with Tonnato Sauce.
**Tonnato Sauce:
1 (5oz.) can olive packed tuna, oil reserved
2/3 cup mayonnaise
6 oil packed anchovy filets
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. capers, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pinch cayenne pepper
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Blend tuna with reserved oil, mayonnaise, anchovies, olive oil, lemon juice, capers, and garlic together in a blender until completely smooth. Season with cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
