Tuna Meatballs

Makes 10 Meatballs; serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb fresh ahi tuna, diced
  • ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
  • salt for seasoning
  • ¼ cup dried currants, soaked 1 hour in ¼ cup white wine
  • ¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped
  • 2 tbsp scallion whites, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup Wondra (quick-mixing) flour for dredging

Sauce

  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • olive oil to cover the bottom of a small saucepan
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1½ cups of your favorite tomato sauce recipe

How-to

  1. Mix all meatball ingredients together except for Wondra and ⅓ cup olive oil. Set aside
  2. Heat remaining olive oil for meatballs in small sauté pan over medium-high heat
  3. Form meatballs into ovals, using about 3 tbsp of tuna mixture per meatball. Dredge on all sides in Wondra
  4. Sear in small batches, 30-60 second per side (until golden brown). The centers should still be rare. Remove to a plate and set aside while assembling sauce
  5. Cover bottom of small saucepan with olive oil, and heat over medium-high. Add the onions and capers, cook 5 minutes. Tip: if the onions are cooking too fast instead of caramelizing, add a dash of water to the pan to slow down the cooking process
  6. Add the tomato sauce, brown sugar and vinegar, season with salt and pepper
  7. Simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, but do not thicken
  8. For plating, spoon sauce on bottom of dish and rest meatballs on top