The Getaria fleet carries out four main campaigns throughout the year. Summer is the height of the tuna season and, traditionally, many local families gather at the fish markets in the port to bottle this recently-arrived tuna, so that they can enjoy it all year round.
It is true that doing it at home requires time and dedication, but it is worth it, especially if the raw material is of excellent quality and we have a small infrastructure to cook it. Of course… once it’s done, it’s worth doing it in quantity!
Below, we will show you how you can make it at home, step by step, and we will tell you our tips for making it easy and tasty.
At Maisor we have been making artisan canned fish preserves for 20 years with the fish caught by the local fleet. We work with the four species that the boats from Getaria bring in throughout the year and we transform them into delicious, healthy preserves, so that we can enjoy these species out of season.
<< Download the Basque fleet’s fishing season calendar for free >>
Difference between bonito and tuna
Both White Tuna (thunnus alalunga), also called Albacore Tuna, and Yellowfin Tuna belong to the same family, the tuna family. Both are highly prized species worldwide. However, there are significant differences between the two.
White tuna represents the top of the tuna range. It is distinguished above all by its exquisite flavour, smooth texture and white tone. Yellowfin tuna, however, has a more reddish colour and although its texture is not as fine as that of white tuna, it retains a very pleasant flavour for the palate.
It is also differentiated by its size, with the pieces of white tuna being smaller, around 10 kilos, and therefore more fatty.
It is in the summer that the bonito enter the waters of the Bay of Biscay. The Basque fleet fishes each piece one by one, using traditional selective and environmentally sustainable methods. This optimal treatment of each piece guarantees the quality and freshness of the tuna.
Its nutritional characteristics make it a very healthy food:
- It provides around 140 kilo calories per 100 gr.
- Although it contains fat, it is a healthy fat because it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, such as Omega 3, which have the capacity to reduce the levels of “bad cholesterol”, as well as reducing the viscosity of the blood and inhibiting the formation of thrombi.
- It is an important source of minerals and vitamins such as B12 and folic acid; and also of minerals such as phosphorus, a constituent of bones and teeth, magnesium and iodine (in smaller proportions).
The most common way of consuming tuna is canned; but the recipes we can prepare with tuna are endless: smoked, onioned, with tomato, in marmitako, grilled, in batter…
At MAISOR we make it canned with olive oil and smoked. If you want to know more about it, a few months ago, we told you in detail in a post how we make our smoked fish using traditional techniques.
Canned white tuna, step by step
Now that we know all the characteristics of white tuna and how good it is for our health, we can get down to work! To do so, we have prepared a step-by-step guide so that you can discover how to easily can your own white tuna at home.
It is important to know that bottling bonito requires time and dedication. But it is worth it if it is done in quantity, as you will be able to enjoy this work all year round.
Getting the preparation right is very important; but, above all, make sure you buy the raw material properly. We recommend you go to your local fishmonger to make sure it is fresh tuna from the Cantabrian Sea. Once purchased, it is important to keep it refrigerated, clean and consume it or make the preserve within 48 hours of purchase.
Ingredients:
- Bonito tuna
- Salt
- Oil
- Glass jars and lids
Preparation:
- Clean and cut the tuna
- Season and bottle
- Cover with oil and seal the jars
- Cook in a bain-marie
Download the guide to canning tuna, step by step, at home.(spanish)
Good luck and we hope it tastes delicious!