Spicy Tuna Pasta

What you’ll need:

Serves 3 people

• 2 5oz cans of Wild Planet Albacore Wild Tuna

• 1 small shallot, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 anchovy fillets 

• 1 tbsp chopped Calabrian chili peppers

• 9 oz of canned cherry tomatoes

• 1/2 jar passata ( about 12 oz)

• 2-3 tbsp capers

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Chopped parsley , as much or a little as you like

• About 1 1/2 cups reserved pasta water

• Just under 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• Zest of 1/2 a lemon or more to taste

• 10 oz rigatoni

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the anchovies and cook, stirring, until they melt completely into the oil.

2. Add the minced shallot and sauté for about 1 minute, until slightly softened.

3. Add the garlic and chopped Calabrian chilies and sauté for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown.

4. Immediately add the cherry tomatoes. Cook on medium heat for 5–10 minutes, pressing down on the tomatoes with a spoon so they burst and release their juices.

5. Add the canned tuna and use a spoon to break it up. You want the tuna crushed into smaller pieces and evenly incorporated into the sauce.

6. Stir in the capers and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Pour in the passata and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes.

7. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as needed keeping it slightly under-seasoned since you’ll be adding salted pasta water. Once the sauce is exactly where you want it, turn off the heat. 

8. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni until al dente. Reserve about 1½ cups of pasta water before draining.

9. Add the cooked pasta directly to the skillet with the sauce. Pour in the reserved pasta water a little at a time, tossing continuously, until the sauce becomes silky and clings to the noodles.

10. Finish with fresh parsley and the zest of half a lemon. Add more lemon zest if you want it brighter. Serve immediately and ENJOY!