Appetizers » Tuna Meatballs
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 lb fresh ahi tuna, diced
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- salt for seasoning
- ¼ cup dried currants, soaked 1 hour in ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp scallion whites, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 cup Wondra (quick-mixing) flour for dredging
Sauce
- 1 red onion, chopped
- olive oil to cover the bottom of a small saucepan
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1½ cups of your favorite tomato sauce recipe
How-to
- Mix all meatball ingredients together except for Wondra and ⅓ cup olive oil. Set aside
- Heat remaining olive oil for meatballs in small sauté pan over medium-high heat
- Form meatballs into ovals, using about 3 tbsp of tuna mixture per meatball. Dredge on all sides in Wondra
- Sear in small batches, 30-60 second per side (until golden brown). The centers should still be rare. Remove to a plate and set aside while assembling sauce
- Cover bottom of small saucepan with olive oil, and heat over medium-high. Add the onions and capers, cook 5 minutes. Tip: if the onions are cooking too fast instead of caramelizing, add a dash of water to the pan to slow down the cooking process
- Add the tomato sauce, brown sugar and vinegar, season with salt and pepper
- Simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, but do not thicken
- For plating, spoon sauce on bottom of dish and rest meatballs on top
Damien DiPaola
Over 40 years ago Damien’s family opened Caffe Dello Sport at 307 Hanover Street – the current site of Damiano’s. It was here that Damien learned at an early age the fine art of barista– brewing espresso, waiting on tables, and serving the burgeoning caffe clientele. Damien opened his first restaurant, Carmelina’s Ristorante, while a junior at UMass-Amherst. His first menu featured all of the dishes cooked by his mother and father during his childhood years in the North End. Those dishes to this day remain an influence on all of his menus. His education at the UMass and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris laid the groundwork for his professionalism in the ownership and operation of eight restaurants from Massachusetts to California. Now he has come full circle, back to Boston’s North End, with the creation of Ristorante Damiano.
Damien DiPaola of Ristorante Damiano in Boston's North End creates high-quality tuna meatballs served with a sweet and tangy sauce. Damien combines sushi-grade ahi tuna with dried, soaked currents, pine nuts and a salty cheese blend. The meatballs are seared over high heat to yield a golden, crispy outside, but rare interior. Serve with Damien's agrodolce (Italian for "sour and sweet") sauce of tomato, vinegar, tangy capers, with sweet brown sugar and red onions.
Damien DiPaola
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