The recipe for marmitako, whether it be tuna or bonito, originated from Basque fishermen whose cook on the boat used the food he had on hand to prepare dishes for the crew. The name comes from the word marmita, the container where they prepared this delicious recipe. In places like Cantabria and Asturias we also find this dish with the name of cazuela, marmita or caldeirada de bonito. In any case, and whatever it is called, it is a delicious dish, easy to make and perfect in any season. Shall we start?
Ingredients for the Marmitako Recipe
- 1 kg of bonito (tuna)
- 2 roasted and peeled red peppers
- 2 green peppers
- A couple of tomatoes
- 2 onions
- 1 kg of potatoes
How to Make the Marmitako
- The first thing will be to clean the bonito of your marmitako. Remove the bones, the skin and the darkest parts. Add these remains to a pan with half a litre of water and leave on a low heat for 30 minutes. In this way you will get a fish stock.
- On the other hand, cut the bonito into more or less large square pieces. Once cut, add salt and pepper and seal the pieces in a frying pan with a little oil. Once it has been sautéed, take it out of the frying pan and set it aside.
- In another pan, add a good dash of oil and add the finely chopped onion and green pepper. Leave to poach for about 20 minutes.
- When it has poached, add the peeled tomato, cut into small pieces.
- Once the tomato is done, add the peeled and cracked potatoes in medium pieces. Salt and poach for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.
- Cover with the water strained from the cooking that you had in the other casserole. If necessary, add more water until the potatoes are well covered. Add the chopped red peppers too.
- When the potatoes are almost done (after about 15 minutes), add the sliced bonito on top.
- Then cover the pan and keep cooking it gently until the potatoes are done and the bonito is ready. There you have your marmitako!
