Pasta al Tonno: The Other Tuna Pasta

There are two completely different dishes that go by "tuna pasta" in most people's minds, and only one of them is any good. The British version — a baked dish of pasta, tinned tuna, sweetcorn, and a thick cheese sauce — has its place, but it is not what Italians mean by pasta al tonno. The Italian version is lighter, faster, and built around the tuna rather than burying it: tomatoes, garlic, a little chilli, and a good tin of tuna, finished in the time it takes the pasta to cook.

The tuna

This is a dish where the tuna needs to hold its shape rather than dissolve, which means a good oil-packed tin matters more than usual. Açor and José Gourmet both produce tuna from Portugal's Atlantic coast packed in proper olive oil — firm enough to break into large flakes rather than falling apart into mush. Either works well here. If you want to elevate the dish further, a tin of ventresca — the prized belly cut, from either producer — turns this from a weeknight dinner into something closer to a proper occasion.

The full tuna collection is here.

The recipe

Cook spaghetti or linguine in well-salted water until al dente, reserving a mug of the pasta water before draining.

While the pasta cooks, warm a generous pour of olive oil in a wide pan over a low heat. Add two garlic cloves, sliced thin, and a pinch of dried chilli flakes. Cook gently until the garlic softens — do not let it colour.

Add a tin of good chopped tomatoes, season well with salt, and simmer for eight to ten minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Break the tuna into large flakes and stir it through gently in the final two minutes — just long enough to warm through. Overcooking the tuna at this stage is the main way to ruin the dish; it should still hold some texture rather than disintegrating into the sauce.

Add the drained pasta directly to the pan along with a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss to combine, finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a handful of roughly torn flat-leaf parsley.

What makes it work

The tomato sauce should be simple and not overly reduced — it is there to support the tuna, not compete with it. A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens the whole dish if the tomatoes are slightly flat. Resist the urge to add cream, which turns this back into the dish it is specifically not trying to be.

On parmesan

As with most Italian fish pasta, the traditional position is no cheese. The dish has enough richness from the olive oil and tuna without it. If you want something to finish with instead, a few extra torn basil leaves or a scattering of toasted breadcrumbs add texture without working against the fish.

One variation worth knowing

A handful of black olives and a tablespoon of capers added with the tomatoes shifts this toward a puttanesca-adjacent version — bolder and saltier, good if your tin of tuna is on the milder side.

The tin makes the difference

A dish this simple has nowhere for a poor tin to hide. Good Portuguese tuna in proper olive oil is what turns this from an ordinary midweek pasta into something worth making again. Browse the tuna collection to find the tin that suits what you're making.