Ecuadorian Tuna Fish Fanesca for Lent and Easter (Fanesca de Atún)
Tuna fish fanesca made canned tuna fish, zucchini squash, a mix of beans including white beans, red beans or pinto beans, corn, green beans, peas, onions, garlic, seasonings/spices, peanuts, milk, cream, and cheese.
Servings 8 to 10 people
Ingredients
- 2 large cans of tuna fish about 500 grams, add more if desired
- 3-4 tbs of oil use oil from tuna fish can if using tuna fish in oil
- 1 tsp of achiote also called annatto powder – can replace with sweet paprika (not spicy, not smoked)
- 1 cup of diced white onion from about ½ medium white onion
- 1 cup of diced red onion from about ½ medium red onion
- 3-4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1-2 tsp of ground cumin
- 1-2 tsp of dry oregano
- ¼ to ½ tsp of ground pepper
- 800 grams of sambo or fresh squash zucchini, about 3 medium sized zucchini – peeled and diced
- 4 cups water or vegetable broth 4 cups = 1 ltr, add more if needed
- 2 ¾ cups of milk add more if needed
- 2 tbs of peanut butter
- 2 cups of canned white beans rinsed and drained
- 2 cups of canned pinto or red beans rinsed and drained
- ½ cup of cooked and twice peeled fava beans can use fresh or frozen – replace with lima beans or additional green beans if you can’t find fava beans
- 1 cup of green beans cut into bite size pieces and cooked
- 1 cup of cooked corn can use fresh, canned or frozen corn
- 1 cup of cooked green peas fresh, canned or frozen
- ½ cup of heavy cream
- 1 cup of queso fresco crumbled – can also use feta cheese as a substitute
- 1-2 tbsp of chopped cilantro or parsley
- Salt to taste
Garnishes (pick and choose as many as you want):
- Crispy fried tuna fish
- Hardboiled egg slices
- Fried ripe plantains
- Empanadas de viento: Ecuadorian fried cheese empanadas
- Aji criollo hot sauce or hot peppers slices
- Heart of palms and onion curtido salad *see quick recipe in Notes below
- Extra queso fresco (use feta) or quesillo (fresh mozzarella) diced, crumbled or sliced
- Avocado sliced or diced
- Smoked salmon
Instructions
- Heat the oil and add the diced onions, garlic, tuna fish and condiments (cumin, salt, achiote/paprika), cook until the tuna starts to brown, about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove half of the crispy browned tuna mix to use as a garnish when serving the fanesca soup.
- Add the diced peeled zucchini squash and 4 cups of water or vegetable broth, plus a little bit of salt if using water. Cook until the zucchini is tender.
- In the meantime, soften the peanut butter in ¾ cup milk.
- Use a masher to help puree the zuchinni. You can also use an immersion blender for an extra smooth soup base.
- Add 2 cups of milk, the diluted peanut butter milk mix, the different beans, corn, green peas, green beans, fava beans. Stir in well and let simmer for about 30-40 minutes, stir frequently to avoid the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- About 5 to 10 minutes before serving add the heavy cream and the queso fresco, mix well and continue cooking on low heat.
- Mix in the chopped cilantro or parsley and stir well. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve the tuna fish fanesca topped with the reserved crispy tuna fish bits and your choice of additional garnishes such as fried ripe plantains, heart of palm and onion curtido salad, crumbled queso fresco (or feta as a replacement), fried cheese empanadas, avocado, and Ecuadorian hot sauce or slices of hot peppers. These can be added on top of the soup or on the side.
Notes
*For the Heart of Palm and Onion curtido salad:
- 1 can or jar of hearts of palm, drained and sliced or diced
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp of chopped fresh cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime, add more to taste
- 1/2 tbs of olive oil, adjust to taste
- Salt to taste