You reach out and grasp the cold metal handle. As you slowly open the door, the hinges give off a creepy horror movie squeak. The door is now wide open, revealing the everlasting darkness of your… food pantry! Oh, the great mysterious food pantry and the surprising things we all find in there. I am totally guilty of an unorganized food pantry. What is one of the most common things Paleo folks keep in their kitchen cabinets? Canned tuna. Why? It’s affordable, it’s wild caught, it’s convenient and it’s pure unadulterated protein. I’m going to be totally honest, canned tuna is not the first thing I reach for when I’m hungry. They just don’t taste all that great by themselves. That being said, we are going to amend those notions this week and make this absolutely delicious Paleo Tuna Cake Fettuccine.
Tuna Cake Fettuccine?? Dev was definitely questioning the combination until she had it. This dish has a lot of Cajun influence. Cajun food always reminds me of my visits to Birmingham during my brother’s residency in Alabama. I LOVE Cajun cuisine because of the spices and the complexity of the flavor. The only draw back is that it can be a bit heavy. Unlike your traditional Cajun foods, this recipe is appetizing, light and refreshing. It is the perfect summer pasta dish. Are you ready? Let’s get cooking!
Paleo Tuna Cake Fettuccine:
Tuna Cakes:
3 – 5oz cans of Safe Catch Elite Canned Tuna (Drained)
¼ Cup – Red and Green Bell Peppers (Finely Diced)
2 Cloves – Garlic (Minced)
1 stalk – Green Onion (Finely Diced)
½ Cup – Otto’s Natural Cassava Flour
1 Cup – Gari (Grated Cassava)¹
¼ Cup – Primal Kitchen Mayo
1 Tbsp – Southwestern Mustard
1 Tbsp – Hot Sauce
1 Tsp – Worcestershire Sauce
2 – Handsome Brook Farm Pasture Raised Eggs
½ Tsp – Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ Tsp – Creole Seasoning
Epic Pork Lard – Enough for Cooking
Pasta:
1 Pack – Cappello’s Fettuccine
¼ to ½ Cup – Red and Green Bell Peppers (Rough Diced)
3 Cloves – Garlic (Minced)
4 To 5 – Cherry Tomatoes (Halved)
1 Stalks – Green Onions (Finely Sliced) more for garnish
2 Tbsp – Kasandrinos Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp – Gold Nugget Ghee
½ Tsp – Creole Seasoning
¼ Tsp – Smoked Paprika
½ Cup – Grass Fed Grated Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
Note¹ – Feel Free to use Paleo Breadcrumb of your choice.
Alright my loves, I’m actually going to keep this post fairly short and sweet today. Let’s start by discussing the ingredients for our Tuna Cake Fettuccine. Feel free to substitute any of the ingredients to your liking. The reason I use a lot of the ingredients I have is because I love the quality of the product. One of the main goals of being Paleo is to feed your body the best ingredients that your budget allows. One thing I will stand firm on in this recipe is to find the freshest bell peppers you can get your hands on. The next is to use a good quality canned tuna. Some brands of canned tuna are extra fishy and they don’t yield a very tasty final product. In case you don’t know, you can also sub the tuna with canned salmon or crab meat. As for the Gari goes, I spoke about it in this previous article. That really sums it up, let’s get cooking!
Tuna Cake Instructions:
It is super easy to make the tuna cakes for the Tuna Cake Fettuccine. After all, you can’t have a Tuna Cake Fettuccine without the tuna cakes. I would start by preheating your oven to 350ºF. In a large mixing bowl, mix all of your tuna cakes ingredients except for ¾ Cup of Gari and ¼ Cup of cassava flour. In a pie dish, mix the ¾ Cup of Gari and ¼ Cup of cassava flour with a pinch of creole seasoning for dredging. I like to make miniature tuna cakes, but you can make them any size you want. I use a tablespoon measuring spoon/mini cookie scoop to create consistent sized tuna cakes. Roll each tablespoon of tuna into a ball. Dredge the ball in the flour and gari mixture. Slightly press down onto the ball to form them into patties. Pan fry the tuna cakes in a skillet until both sides are golden brown. Remove the tuna cakes from the heat onto a cookie sheet. After all the tuna cakes are golden brown, pop them in the oven for 10 minutes to ensure the insides are cooked. Let’s move on to the pasta for the Tuna Cake Fettuccine.
Pasta Instruction:
We also cannot have Tuna Cake Fettuccine without the fettuccine. Luckily for us Paleo folks, we have Cappello’s to help curb our cravings! Cappello’s has the perfect instruction on how to cook the fettuccine into a perfect al dente, so I highly suggest following it to the T. Because the cook time on the fettuccine is so sensitive, you want to have everything all lined up. First, we will start with the bell peppers. I like to use a half and half portion of olive oil and ghee because it creates a nutty yet buttery flavor without the overly oily feeling. In a skillet on medium heat, lightly sauteed the bell peppers, garlic, green onions, creole seasoning and smoked paprika. Do not cook it all the way through or else you will ruin the Tuna Cake Fettuccine’s refreshing flavor. Pour the bell pepper mixture, along with the oil, into a large pasta bowl. Cook the Cappello’s until al dente, drain and toss it with the bell pepper mixture in the salad bowl along with the grass-fed parmesan cheese. The heat from the fettuccine will slightly melt the cheese. After it cools, right before serving, mix in the cherry tomatoes and fresh sliced green onions. Viola! Serve it with the previously made tuna cakes and you have my delicious and refreshing Paleo Tuna Cake Fettuccine. There you have it and, until next time, eat up my friends!
