Tuna Empanadas

Tuna Empanadas Recipe

These Tuna Empanadas remind me of those hot summer days on the beach in my hometown of Tampico. Along come memories of the roaming food vendors selling all sorts of tasty seafood fare, and the visitors that spent hours under the “palapas” (palm roofs), enjoying the ocean breeze. I haven’t been to a beach in 3 or 4 years, but that doesn’t stop me from treating myself to some delicious seafood dishes, like these Tuna Empanadas (“Empanadas de Atún”).

What I like about this recipe is that you can prepare the tuna filling a couple of days in advance and keep it in the fridge for when you’re ready to form the empanadas. They are great to serve as an appetizer or as a main dish for a dinner with friends. You can also make these empanadas out of fish, simply substitute the tuna for any steamed fish of your choice.

In this case, I added some Chile Ancho salsa to the dough in order to give the empanadas some color, but you can skip this step if you want, they will still come out delicious! In Mexico, we have many types of empanadas: some are sweet and others are savory, and some are made with corn masa (like in this recipe) while others are made with wheat flour.

How to make Tuna Empanadas Recipe

JUMP TO FULL INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE CANNED TUNA STUFFING:

• Heat the oil in a medium size pan over medium heat, then add the onion and fry until transparent. Add the garlic and continue to cook. (Please check the ingredients list below)
• Stir in the tomato and cook thoroughly until its juices have been reduced.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the drained tuna and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

TO FORM THE EMPANADAS:

• Mix the masa, salt, and water together in a large bowl. Knead dough until smooth and manageable.

• Divide the dough into 12 small balls. Using a tortilla maker, form a “tortilla”.
• Remove the top plastic sheet. and then place about 1 tablespoon of the tuna filling on top of the tortilla. Next, slowly fold the tortilla in half and close the edges together, starting from the middle.

• Place the formed empanadas on a tray and cover them with a wet paper towel. Once they are all formed, cook them in the hot oil for 2 minutes per side.

Serve with a spicy salsa, radishes, and thinly sliced cabbage.

5 from 1 vote

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TUNA EMPANADAS

These Tuna Empanadas remind me of those hot summer days on the beach in my hometown of Tampico. Along come memories of the roaming food vendors selling all sorts of tasty seafood fare, and the visitors that spent hours under the “palapas” (palm roofs), enjoying the ocean breeze.

Category dish type: Antojitos

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 12 Empanadas

Author: Mely Martínez – Mexico in my Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2/3 cups white onion finely diced
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 1½ cup diced tomato
• 2 small cans of tuna
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

MASA DOUGH (masa):

• 2 cups masa harina
• 1½ cups warm water*
• 1 chile ancho pepper soaked in hot water for 25 minutes
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

FOR THE CANNED TUNA STUFFING:

1. Heat the oil in a medium size pan at medium heat, then add the onion and fry until transparent. Add the garlic and continue to cook for one minute.

2. Stir in the tomato and cook thoroughly until its juices have been reduced. This will take about 8-10 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in the drained tuna and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

TO FORM THE EMPANADAS:

1. To make the dough, mix the masa, salt, and water together in a large bowl. If using the ancho pepper salsa, add 2½ tablespoons of the salsa to the dough before kneading. Knead dough until smooth and manageable.
2. Divide the dough into 12 small balls and cover them with some wet paper towels. Using a tortilla maker, form a “tortilla” by pressing down on each dough ball, using two sheets of plastic between the dough and the tortilla maker.

3. Remove the top plastic sheet. and then place about 1 tablespoon of the tuna filling on top of the tortilla. Next, slowly fold the tortilla in half and close the edges together, starting from the middle. Make sure the edges are sealed together because if the filling leaks out when frying the empanada, it will cause the oil to splatter.

4. Place the formed empanadas on a tray and cover them with a wet paper towel. Once they are all formed, cook them in the hot oil for 2 minutes per side (cooking time may vary depending on the temperature of the oil). Once you finish cooking the empanadas, let them rest for a couple of minutes in order to let them cool a little.

Serve with a spicy salsa, radishes, and thinly sliced cabbage.

Recipe Notes

*Add more water to the dough is needed. It is not necessary to use the chile ancho in the masa, but it is common in some areas of Mexico to add the pepper suace in order to add some color to it. As a matter of fact, there are some regions in Mexico where the ancho chile is known as “chile color”, because it is primarily used to add color to dishes, and not to add spiciness. For this recipe, the peppers are soaked in water and then processed in a blender along with 2½ tablespoons of the soaking water. This processed salsa is then added to the masa.

Buen provecho!

Mely,

Other Recipes using Tuna: Tuna Ceviche Tostadas  and Chipotle – Tuna Sandwich

Receta en español Empanadas de atún