ONE always has at least one can of tuna in their pantry, so it’s easy to overlook. Celebrity chef JP Anglo, who has presented at Madrid Fusion Manila, and is the man behind familiar restaurant Sarsa, has an interesting proposition: turning the staple into holiday favorites.

During a webinar early this month, Mega Tuna tapped its brand ambassador, Mr. Anglo, to demonstrate how to transform four variants — Hot and Spicy, Sweet and Spicy, Flakes in Oil, and Spanish style — into salads (of course), but also soba noodles and arroz caldo (rice porridge). The two recipes are at the bottom of this story.

Mr. Anglo used the Spanish-style tuna for the arroz caldo, and displays a preference for the Spanish-style variant, saying, “That’s the beauty of this variant. It’s so versatile. You can do so many things with it.”

Mega Tuna Brand Manager Adelle Catalla told guests at the webinar that their brand prides itself on not using extenders. “It’s really healthy, it’s delicious, it’s convenient, and it fits every lifestyle. At Mega Tuna, we believe that wellness should be at the forefront of one’s life, especially during this time. Our primary goal is to continue to provide food that will complement anyone’s journey to health and wealth.”

Tuna Arroz Caldo using Spanish-style Tuna

Ingredients:

350 gm of cooked white or brown rice

150 gms of chicharon (pork cracklings) — Mr. Anglo deep-fried some tuna flakes to substitute for the chicharon

20 gms fresh garlic

50 gms ginger

30 gms fried garlic

30 gms spring onion

5 gms black pepper

20 ml patis (fish sauce)

4 pcs calamansi (local citrus)

4 tbsp cooking oil

Procedure:

In a pot, add some oil, then add the oil of the tuna, then saute onions, ginger, and garlic (making sure to add garlic last).

Add about a liter of water and then add cooked rice, half of the tuna, and bring to a boil. Keep stirring the pot and cook for 20-30 minutes.

Add the patis.

To plate, pour the arroz caldo in a bowl, add the other half of the tuna on top, sprinkle with spring onions, fried garlic, chicharon and black pepper.

Add hard boiled egg (optional).

Tuna Soba Noodles using Sweet and Spicy tuna

Ingredients:

500 gms soba noodles

30 ml sesame oil

20 gms sesame seeds

60 ml oyster sauce

5 gms Salt

3 fried eggs

chilli garlic (optional)

Procedure:

Cook the soba noodles in hot water. Make sure not to overcook them.

Toss the rest of the ingredients with the noodles, reserving half of the tuna and some of the oil for later.

To plate, top with the remaining tuna, fried garljc, spring onions, and fried egg.

Spicy Tuna Salad using Hot and Spicy tuna

Ingredients:

5 gms. chili powder

250 gms Japanese mayonnaise

20 gms fresh garlic

100 gms grilled cherry tomatoes

leftover salad (or you can just make it fresh; a leftover Salad Nicoise sounds like a perfect candidate)

5 gms salt

Procedure:

Mix everything together in a bowl then transfer to a plate.

Garnish with chili leaves and spring onion (optional) or nori flakes (optional).

Tuna Egg Sandwich using Flakes in Oil

Ingredients:

bread

4 hard boiled eggs

250 gms Japanese mayonnaise

100 gms Parmesan cheese

10 gms curry powder

5 gms white sugar

5 gms white pepper

100 gms red onion

100 gms chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp butter

Procedure:

In a bowl, mix tuna, tomato, red onion.

In another bowl, mix all other ingredients (except bread).

Smear butter on bread and cook on a pan or toast in the toaster/ oven.

To assemble, mix egg first and then tuna on top. You can add some lettuce leaves or arugula (optional).  — Joseph L. Garcia

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR