“Red Wine With Fish” was a best-selling book that helped erase the myth that one should serve only a white wine when the main course was a fish dish.
The pairing spotlighted in the book was salmon and Pinot Noir.
Ever since, creative chefs have tossed out the old cookbooks and taken an “anything goes” approach to food preparation. And sommeliers have joined them in recommending complementary, often under-the-radar wines — regardless of their hue.
With that in mind, here’s a recipe for a dish that pairs well with either white wine (Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc) or red wine (Sangiovese). This recipe yields 4 servings.
ITALIAN TUNA BALLS
Ingredients
- 2 cans (160g) tuna in olive oil, drained (reserve a little oil)
- Small handful of pine nuts
- Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
- Small handful parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 50g fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- 400g spaghetti
- 500g jar pasta sauce
Preparation
- Flake the tuna into a bowl, then tip in the pine nuts, lemon zest, parsley, breadcrumbs and egg. Season and mix together with your hands until completely combined.
- Roll the mix into 12 walnut-size balls.
- Put a large pan of salted water on to boil, then cook the spaghetti according to package instructions.
- Heat a little of the tuna oil in a large non-stick frying pan, then fry the tuna balls for 5 minutes, turning every minute or so until completely golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
- Heat the tomato sauce, then toss together with the pasta and tuna balls.
