Ricette di Sicilia
Cibo, cultura e tradizioni siciliane
Sicilian Stuffed Tuna (Tonno Ammuttunatu): A Sun-Soaked Mediterranean Classic
A vibrant Sicilian tuna dish gently simmered in tomato and scented with garlic, mint and white wine - perfect for long summer lunches.
🛒 Ingredients
- ✓ 800 g fresh tuna in one whole piece
- ✓ 700 ml tomato sauce
- ✓ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ✓ ½ glass dry white wine
- ✓ 8 garlic cloves
- ✓ about 10 fresh mint leaves
- ✓ salt
- ✓ freshly ground black pepper
- ✓ extra-virgin olive oil
📊 Nutritional Information
There are some dishes that feel like postcards from the Mediterranean - warm, bright, and wonderfully inviting - and tonno ammuttunatu is exactly that. It’s a traditional Sicilian recipe where fresh tuna is carefully slit and “stuffed” with garlic, mint, salt and pepper, allowing the flavours to seep slowly into the fish as it cooks.
This is coastal cooking at its most soulful: simple ingredients treated with respect, a gentle simmer in rich tomato sauce, and the unmistakable fragrance of mint drifting through the kitchen. Every bite recalls long summer afternoons by the sea, when meals are shared lazily with friends and family.
Serve it at a relaxed summer lunch, ideally outdoors, with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the sauce - and perhaps a good glass of Sicilian wine for company.
👨🍳 Preparation
- 1
Soak the tuna in a bowl of water for a couple of hours to draw out any excess blood, then pat it dry gently.
- 2
Mix salt and pepper together, then finely chop the mint leaves. Peel the garlic, keeping two cloves aside for the sauce, and slice the rest into thin crescents.
- 3
Make small incisions all over the tuna and tuck in pieces of garlic, mint and the salt-and-pepper mix.
- 4
Warm a little olive oil in a pan and gently brown the two reserved garlic cloves. Sear the tuna on all sides.
- 5
Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Cook over a low heat for about 40 minutes, turning the tuna occasionally.
- 6
Slice the tuna, arrange it on a serving plate and spoon over the cooking sauce.
💡 Tips and Variations
For a bolder, brinier flavour, slip a few capers into the stuffing. If you enjoy a bit of heat, add a pinch of chilli to the sauce as it simmers.
📦 Storage
- • Keep the stuffed tuna in the fridge for up to 2–3 days.
- • You can freeze the cooked dish for up to 1 month; wrap it well in cling film.
- • Reheat in the oven at 160°C for 10 minutes before serving.
🍷 Pairing
This dish is wonderful with a glass of Nero d’Avola - a full-bodied Sicilian red whose fruity, spicy notes complement the richness of the tuna beautifully.
Tonno ammuttunatu is more than a recipe; it’s a vibrant taste of Sicily and all the warmth that comes with it. Try it at home and let its simplicity and charm win you over.
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