from Sea Salt
This wonderful Mediterranean-inspired spread can easily be made using pantry staples. When friends raft up for appetizers, duck below deck and whip up to serve on crostini, a bunch of crunchy radishes with butter and sea salt flakes – a classic French combination – rounds out the platter. We like to use a Canadian albacore tuna processed at St. Jean’s Cannery in Nanaimo. Leftovers are great for sandwiches the next day, especially if you have access to fresh artisanal bread.
Ingredients
1/3 cup (80 mL) mascarpone cheese
3 Tbsp (45 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for crostini
1 Tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp (5 mL) anchovy paste
1 clove garlic, finely minced
3 Tbsp (45 mL) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ cup (125 mL) pitted and finely chopped black olives
1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped capers
1 tsp (5 mL) pepper
1 x 5.3 oz (150 g) can solid albacore tuna, drained
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
1 baguette, sliced into 1-in (2.5 cm) rounds
Radishes (optional)
Butter (optional)
Sea salt flakes (optional)
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, olive oil, mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, anchovy paste and garlic. Fold in parsley, black olives, capers and pepper. Using a fork, break tuna into chunks and tip it into the mascarpone mixture. Combine gently to retain the tuna’s chunky texture. At this point, taste the tapenade to check for seasoning. Because some olives and capers are saltier than others, the amount of additional salt required will vary. If additional salt is needed add a pinch. Set aside to allow flavours to marry while the bread is toasting.
Brush the tops of the baguette rounds with olive oil. Toast until golden under the broiler or on the barbecue about 2 to 3 minutes each side.
Serve tapenade with crostini (and radishes, butter and sea salt flakes, if you wish).
Nada’s Tips & Tricks: Change up the flavour by adding different seasonings like Mediterranean and north African spice blends, and chopped green olives, celery or chives. Switch the tuna for canned baby shrimp, salmon or crab. Have fun playing with the recipe to come up with your favourite.
Tuna Tapenadefrom Sea Salt: Recipes from the West Coast Galley, Alison Malone Eathorne, Christina Symons, Hilary Malone, Lorna Malone, 2013, Harbour Publishing. Reprinted with permission from the publisher. Sea Salt : Recipes from the West Coast Galley – Harbour Publishing