Tuna bake with Vegetables
Creamy tuna bake with vegetables - canned tuna with carrots, potatoes, peas and mayonnaise with a cheesy herb encrusted sauce. It's a meal that everyone loves.
WELCOME TO AUTUMN 2021 and a season when the weather is cooling down and my family longs for a substantial meal of Tuna Bake with Vegetables for dinner with that special grained sourdough warm and crusty garlic bread.
Baked fish, grilled fish, steamed fish, fried fish, canned fish and smoked fish have been my thing from the time I remember. From time to time I try fish in different ways and we as a family enjoy eating fish in varied ways.
When we first arrived in Australia, we met a young couple and they at once took to us. They invited us to their place for dinner soon after and they had a big spread on their dining table. There was fish lasagne, fish curry, pork vindaloo, pulao, a couple of delicious vegetarian dishes and a delicious bake. I looked at the baked tray and asked Rose politely what that dish was. She replied by saying that it was a tuna bake. I helped myself to a good serving, went back to my seat and the first mouthful tasted rather delicious. The bake had a delicious crust on the top and the bottom layer had a delicious creamy sauce and what was right below the creamy sauce were delicious morsels of baked tuna combined with vegetables, herbs and spices. The bake had a beautiful savoury taste and I still remember the taste of that baked dish.
After a few weeks of visiting them, I felt like making this tuna bake. I rang her for the recipe and she very graciously shared her recipe with me. She also went through the recipe step by step and I got a good idea how to prepare this bake. Life got busy and I never ended up making the bake, however after many years, when I started blogging, I was certain that this was one of the recipes I would love to have on my website. I contacted her once again, and Rose very patiently walked me through the recipe. Inspired by Rose is this recipe that is tried and tested several times by me and according to me it tastes really good. I am deeply grateful to Rose for sharing her beautiful tuna bake recipe with me.
On numerous occasions, I have photographed the bake, but tuna bakes are rather difficult to photograph. Tuna does not photograph well particularly, when it is not a whole fish for example in this recipe, it is mixed with a handful of different ingredients. My photograph was not satisfactory to my committee of critiques and hence this recipe did not make to my website even after a few goes of trying to perfect it and photograph it.
Now I am taking a big dive and posting this rustic looking, crusty, creamy and tasty tuna bake because I just love it. If you happen to try this recipe, I would love to hear from you. Please note, the crust softens once the dish has cooled. My suggestion is, eat it hot and you will have many textures in your mouth. You can also eat it at room temperature.
Start this recipe a day earlier and finish off the next day by making the sauce and the crust. Pour the Bechamel sauce over the tuna mixture and top it with the breadcrumb topping just before baking. Bake and enjoy. You will have some leftovers for your lunchbox.
Tuna bake with Vegetables
Ingredients
For the Tuna Bake
- 425 g chunk style tuna in olive oil
- 2 tsp. lemon juice and 1 tbsp. extra
- 4 medium eggs hard boiled and chopped
- 3 medium potatoes boiled till tender and cubed
- 6 small-medium carrots boiled and cut into 1cm rounds
- 1 cup frozen peas defrosted
- 1 cup. whole egg mayonnaise or to taste
- 2 tsp. white pepper powder
- ½ tsp. turmeric powder optional
- 4 tbsp. chopped dill
For the Bechamel Sauce
- 60 g butter
- 2 tbsp. chopped dill
- 50 g plain flour
- 600 mL full cream milk
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. ground fennell seeds
- 1 tsp. pepper powder or to taste
- ½ tsp. salt or to taste
For the Breadcrumb Topping
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp. melted butter
- 2 tbsp. chopped dill
- ¾ cup grated tasty cheese
Instructions
Method for Tuna Bake
- Preheat oven to 220°C.
- Drain and flake the tuna and add to a large glass bowl. Sprinkle 2 tsp. lemon juice and give it a quick stir.
- Add eggs, potatoes, carrots and peas. Add mayonnaise, powders, chopped dill and the reserved lemon juice. Stir well to combine. Add more mayonnaise if required, but ensure that the mixture is not too wet. Season with salt to taste, if required.
- Spread the mixture evenly in a lightly greased square, oval, rectangular or round baking dish. Top with the prepared Bechamel sauce. Then the breadcrumb topping and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden. Rest for 15 minutes.
- Enjoy with crusty bread for lunch or for dinner.
Method for Bechamel Sauce
- Melt butter in a medium size saucepan over low to medium heat. Add dill and combine quickly. Add flour gradually and cook stirring continuously for 1 minute. Stir in milk gradually and whisk continuously to remove lumps, if any. The sauce needs to be creamy and free of all lumps.
- Bring to the boil. Add nutmeg, ground fennell, pepper and salt. Stir from time to time and cook till the mixture has thickened (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
Method for the Breadcrumb Topping
- Combine all ingredients and set aside.
Notes
- As the ovens vary, you must watch the bake closely once it starts browing.
- Cook the potatoes to your liking. I like them cubed however you can cut them into smaller pieces if you like them cut into smaller size pieces.
Hi, I’m Catherine!
I’m all about creating tasty Indian dishes with whatever’s on hand, even when I’m short on time or budget. I love turning simple ingredients into flavorful delights. Join me on this culinary adventure where we’ll explore the magic of Indian cuisine, one delicious dish at a time!
My Favourites
Love the concept of a one pot meal and this Tuna bake with Vegetables is very apt, complete with taste and nutrition. Kids loved the meal and it turned out delicious and plentiful. Definitely one for the seafood favourites section.
Thanks Catherine, its a pleasure reading and trying out your recipes.
Thank you so much Astria. I am happy to hear that you and your kids love my Tuna bake with Vegetables. Thank you for your feedback.