General Santos City (or Gen San) prides itself as the Tuna Capital of the Philippines. As of last year alone, more than 5,031, 866 kilos of tuna have been harvested and dispatched locally or in foreign markets such as Japan, Europe and North America. This is also one of the many reasons why I am enjoying my stay  here as a new resident. As I’ve mentioned earlier, I shifted crops from rice to maize and changed residence as well. I have a new kitchen, too! After weeks of staying in the hotel, I finally found a place to stay and there are so many dishes I want to cook! One of the easiest to whip up is probably tuna pasta in tomato sauce. There are several options where to buy tuna, in the market or in shops which specialize in frozen cut tunas. I haven’t been to the market yet, to buy fresh seafoods. There are three shops that sell tuna in all forms (fresh and processed) – Citra Mina, Rdex and Pacific Seas. I have yet to compare which is the best though. There might be a cook-off in the offing to determine which has the best quality… There several cuts of tuna you can get depending on what you will cook -cubed, crazy cut, sashimi. You can also get tuna roe, belly or panga (tuna collar). Just take your pick. The crazy cut tuna I bought seems like scrap tuna slices and come in different shapes. It’s cheaper that tuna cubes, too, but nevertheless lends itself well to any concoction you can think of.

crazy-cut-tuna-pasta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crazy Cut Tuna Pasta

300 g frozen crazy cut tuna
1 can whole tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 tbsp pesto
1/2 tsp rosemary
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
chili flakes (optional)
220g elbow macaroni, cooked al dente

Thaw frozen tuna then chop into smaller pieces. Chop coarsely the whole tomatoes, garlic and onion. Heat olive oil in a pan and saute garlic and onion. Add the tuna and continue to stir till tuna is cooked. Add the rosemary, pesto and anchovy fillets and saute some more. Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer till sauce is thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Add some chili flakes if desired. Top over cooked macaroni.

This is such a simple dish to make, made memorable by the fact that this is the first pasta dish I’ve cooked in my kitchen here in Gen San. Perfect for sharing with Presto Pasta Night’s 100th edition! Congratulations, Ruth!!!

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