Peruvian Causa de Atún Recipe
Peruvian causa de atún is a Peruvian household classic. It's made quite easily and it feeds lots of people. The base mainly has Peruvian yellow potato and ají amarillo (yellow chilli) paste.
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Servings: 6 people in a 21x13cm / 8x4in pan
Ingredients
For the yellow chilli paste*
- 250 g Peruvian yellow chilli fresh or frozen
For the potato base
- 500 g Peruvian yellow potato or Yukon gold potatoes or russet potatoes
- 2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 90 g yellow chilli paste from above
- salt and pepper to taste
For the tuna layer
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ red onion finely diced
- 2 small tuna cans (5oz) drained
- 100 g mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the avocado
- 1 avocado sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
To garnish
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Olives
- Parsley leaves
Instructions
Yellow chilli paste
- Cut off the head of the chillies and cut them in half lengthwise.
- Using a small knife, remove the seeds and veins.
- Place a pot with cold water and boil for 10-15min or until you can easily peel the skin off. You should be able to rub the skin at a corner and it should easily peel by pulling.
- Remove the chillies from the water, peel and blend. If your blender needs a bit of liquid, add a drizzle of vegetable oil, just the minimum amount to help your blender.
- Reserve what you need for the recipe and you can freeze the rest for up to 6 months.
For the potato base
- If you're using Peruvian yellow potatoes (ideal) or Yukon Gold then peel them and remove the eyes. Cook in salted cold water over medium heat. Don't let it go on to a rolling boil or the outside will disintegrate before the centre cooks. We take them out once you can easily pierce them with a knife. Don't let them overcook or they will start to disintegrate. If you're using another type of potato such as Russet, cook it in the oven with the skin on at 200°C/400°F for 1 hour - 1.5 hours or until really tender. We do it this way so the final product is as dry as the yellow potato.
- Pass the potato through a potato ricer while it's still hot (it gets tough when it's cold!).
- Add all the other ingredients and mix until homogeneous. Taste and adjust the salt level if necessary.
For the tuna layer
- Preheat a small pan to medium heat. Add the oil and onion and sauté it until it becomes translucent. This is optional, a more classic preparation would be to add the onion raw.
- Mix the tuna, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and onion.
Assembly
- Line a 21x13cm/8x4in pan with cling film or baking paper. You can also use individual rings.
- Flatten half of the potato mix on the base.
- Then, make a layer with the tuna and flatten it.
- On top, layer the avocados and season with salt and pepper.
- Finish with another layer of potato. Cover in cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours if you're going to unmould it onto a plate.
- Garnish on top however you like. I used hard-boiled eggs, olives and parsley leaves.
Notes
*You can replace this with the store-bought version (usually easily found online) and the difference is that store-bought is spicy but the homemade version is not.
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