Across Italy · No.80 / 103
Tuna and Lemon Pasta
Tuna and Lemon Pasta
Short pasta with briefly cooked tuna, lemon juice, fresh zest and basil.
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Meet the dish
A modern Italian home pasta using preserved tuna and citrus
Oil-packed tuna is cooked briefly with garlic and fresh chilli, then loosened with lemon juice. Add al dente sedanini and a little pasta water before finishing off the heat. Fresh oil, lemon zest and basil lift the richness of the canned fish.
Pasta shapes to use
- sedanini
- penne
Key ingredients
- oil-packed tuna
- lemon
- fresh chilli
- basil
Follow the cooking scenes
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Step 1: Warm the aromatics
Gently heat garlic and fresh chilli in olive oil.
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Step 2: Loosen the tuna
Cook drained tuna over high heat for one minute, then add lemon juice for two minutes.
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Step 3: Combine with pasta
Add al dente pasta and a splash of pasta water, then turn off the heat.
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Step 4: Lift with citrus
Finish with fresh oil, lemon zest and basil.
What to watch for
- Grate only the yellow zest; the white pith tastes bitter.
- Do not simmer the tuna for long, and leave a few flakes intact.
What sets it apart
Compared with tomato-based tuna pasta, this version leads with acidity and fragrance, using juice during cooking and zest at the finish.