Marmitako: a hearty, rustic Basque tuna and potato soup

Created by Basque tuna fishermen, this simple one-pot soup is a satisfying meal on its own. Recipe below.

CERTAIN WORDS ATTACHED TO FOOD JUST CATCH OUR EYE. RUSTIC IS ONE OF THEM. When we saw it attached to a tuna and potato soup, we were ready to make it right then. Marmitako is billed as comforting cold weather fare, but its quick, one-pot cooking also makes it a good, simple summer meal.

Marmitako is a Basque soup—or stew—that leans into the Spanish side of the region’s cuisine. It was first cooked as a hearty meal on tuna fishing boats in the Cantabrian Sea, the coastal sea of the Atlantic where the borders of Spain and France meet.

Besides the tuna and potatoes, this soup features a Basque kitchen mainstay, bell peppers. You can use green or red or a combination of the two. The remaining ingredients, you probably have on hand or can get easily: yellow onion, garlic, paprika, parsley, and clam juice or fish broth (more about this in Kitchen Notes). Serve it with a crusty bread and you’ve got a quick, satisfying rustic meal.

A quick note about the potatoes. Some recipes tell you not to simply slice the potatoes, but to roughly break them up with your knife—a traditional technique favored by Spanish cooks. By “cracking” the potatoes, you expose more surface to allow the starch to slightly thicken the broth. We went for expediency, but have used this method in the past cooking a lively sausage and potato meal based on one by renowned chef and humanitarian José Andrés. You can see how to crack potatoes and find that recipe here.

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Marmitako (Basque Tuna and Potato Soup)

Created by Basque tuna fishermen, this simple one-pot soup is a satisfying meal on its own.

Course One-pan meal, Soup

Cuisine Basque

Servings 2 to 3, as a meal

Ingredients

• 8 – 12 ounces raw tuna (see Kitchen Notes)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped (see Kitchen Notes)
• 1 pound yellow potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon each smoked and sweet paprika (see Kitchen Notes)
• 1 cup clam juice (see Kitchen Notes)
• 2 cups water
• coarsely chopped Italian parsley, for garnish

Instructions

• Cut the tuna into cubes, 3/4-inch or so. Season with salt, put in a bowl and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium flame. Add the onion and bell pepper and stir to coat with oil. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent browning.
• Stir in the potatoes and cook another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic and paprika and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 45 seconds.
• Stir in clam juice and water, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
• NOTE: While the soup is simmering, get everything ready to serve—the bowls, chopped parsley and bread. When you add the tuna, it will cook quickly. You need to serve the soup promptly or it will overcook and become tough and chewy.
• When the potatoes are cooked, stir in the tuna pieces, cover the pot and cook just 1 to 2 minutes, then serve immediately, topping servings with chopped parsley. (Honestly, some recipes have you turn off the heat, letting the tuna cook in the warmed broth for 1 to 2 minutes with the pan covered.)

Kitchen Notes

How much tuna? Our local market sells small tuna steaks about an inch thick. Two of those generally weigh 8 to 12 ounces. Approximate is okay.

What color peppers? Recipes call for either green or red or a combination. We prefer the sweeter taste of red bell peppers, so we go with that.

What kind of paprika? Most recipes call for smoked paprika. We find it can take over a dish, so we do 1/2 teaspoon each of smoked and sweet. You can certainly use 1 teaspoon of either.

Clam juice? It’s not really a juice, but a broth that comes from steaming clams; you can buy it bottled in stores. And it adds a nice, briny quality to fish soups like this one. You can also substitute fish broth or chicken broth or just plain water.