Ok! I’ll give that a try! Thanks!
That sounds really good - care to share the recipe?
I’m planning Buffalo wings, queso con chorizo and pork belly burnt ends. Will probably add some crudités for freshness (that will just as probably be ignored 
).
1 Like
It has always been a “depends what I have on hand” kinda thing. You “need” tuna, pickled jalapenos, mayo, and onions.
In a perfect world I would have:
Tonnino’s tuna in olive oil (lets me use less mayo as I only loosely drain it)
Mayo
Cilantro (finely chopped)
Shallots or green onion (minced)
Pickled jalapeños (finely chopped)
Dash of the brine from above
Dollop of sour cream and/or fresh lemon juice
Dash of Worcestershire (not a deal breaker if you don’t have it)
Good pinch of freshly cracked black pepper or cayenne (prefer cayenne)
Combine the first 5 ingredients to the texture of your choice, and then season to taste using any of the remaining ingredients. It never really comes out the same way twice as I sometimes have to use white onion, and rarely have sour cream on hand, but those first 5 are what really matter. Pickled jalapenos can vary quite a bit as to spicyness and sweetness, so use however much you like and balance the heat with cayenne and sweetness with sour cream/lemon juice.
6 Likes
Not that far off from the way I make tuna salad, although I imagine you use a larger proportion of mayo and brine to make it dippable. Sounds delicious! Have you ever tried heating it? I could imagine it topped with swiss as sort of a tuna melt dip…
Never tried heating it, but I think it would be great… maybe with some melted/browned oaxaca and finished with crumbled cotija. Might even try lightly browning the onions/shallots with maybe a clove or two of garlic in OO before throwing it all together.
Or maybe skipping the mayo/sour cream, and do an onion/garlic roux, finishing it up with milk/cream and some of the cheese for a cheesy bechamel before adding the tuna, cilantro, and jalapenos. How does that sound?
Edit: and make nachos out of it with crumbled cheese, some sliced jalapeno, and coarsely chopped green onions and cilantro, and maybe even finely diced tomato and avocado.
Edit 2: OK… that is exactly what I am gonna do instead of cold tuna dip. Guessing it won’t last long enough to have to worry about keeping it warm.
3 Likes
That sounds FABULOUS- do report back! I will have to try it when I have guests who would appreciate it (DH is not a tuna fan)!
1 Like
Goals achieved! Probably should have had people over to eat all this. But ya gotta have a cheese football, and steamed crabs are perfect for a long game, ‘cause they take forever to eat. Side note: I asked my crabmonger whether steaming or boiling would be less traumatic - for me and the crabs - and he said it’s the same. Wasn’t too bad.
11 Likes
The tuna nachos were a big hit. Folks were not only surprised by tuna nachos, they were gone in record time (way before the other chips and guac/salsa). Here is what I did (measurements are approximate - so you, do you):
2 Tblsp unsalted butter
Lightly browned about a half small white onion (minced) in above (wished I had shallots)
Added 2 “small” cloves of garlic (minced) for a minute or so.
2 Tblsp flour and cooked a couple/few minutes.
About a cup and a half cold milk, stir 'till very warm, with texture of melted ice cream.
About a cup+ of shredded oaxaca, stirring 'till melted.
Stirred in two jars shredded Tonnino’s tuna (well drained).
Stirred in about 1/2+ cup pickled jalapeno (drained, minced).
Couple of shakes of cayenne, and kosher salt to taste.
Finely mince (or process) 1/4 cup cilantro, add a splash of olive oil and fresh lime juice, then toss diced tomato and avocado to coat.
Pour cheese sauce over hot tortilla chips, top with cilantro/tomato/avocado mixture, sliced jalapeno, and crumbled cotija.
Definitely a keeper!
7 Likes
Better late than never, as they say… had a great time and good eats on Sunday, with the 2 DD’s, SIL, and 3 doggies. Spent Saturday afternoon cooking and doing prep. Made a quintuple batch of pork chile verde, so lots of cutting, chopping, roasting and browning. I was the sous chef. It was fun, with old rock n roll and plenty of wine.
This is how things played out on Sunday. Pre-game was chips, pics de gallo, guacamole, a tasty nut & snack mix with bacon, and pistachios, with assorted libations, but we all stuck to wine, beer, and/or seltzers.
Oh SIL made corn tortillas from maseca & all else was housemade except the tortilla chips.
At halftime we had the chile verde, corn tortillas, ranch style pintos, cilantro lime rice, including limes, cilantro, cheese and other salsas/condiments. Since we had both January and February birthdays in the family, SIL made a yellow cake and chocolate cream cheese frosting from Dessert Person cookbook. He did a great job, and it was delicious. We shared leftovers, had some for ourselves, and have 4 containers of the chile verde in the freezer. I only got a couple pictures, it was a busy day in the kitchen.
8 Likes
