Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (52 page)

You may not normally associate canned fish with sweet potatoes and jalapeño peppers, but these hot ’n spicy tuna cakes are a revelation. They’re tender and sweet, but with a wickedly peppery bite that sneaks up on you. Eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner—or whip up an extra-big batch for your next dinner party.

1. P
   reheat the oven to
   350
   °F with the rack in the middle position, and use a brush or paper towel to grease a
   12
   -cup regular-sized muffin tin with
   1
   tablespoon of melted ghee.
   
2. I
   n a large bowl, mix together the tuna, scallions, and cilantro. Add the mashed sweet potato to the tuna mixture, and gently combine. Then, mix in the eggs, remaining
   2
   tablespoons melted ghee, jalapeño, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. Don’t overwork the ingredients—keep the chunks of fish intact as much as possible. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
3. S
   coop a quarter cup of the mixture into each greased muffin tin cup, and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake the tuna cakes for
   20
   to
   25
   minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
   
4. T
   ransfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool. (The easiest way I’ve found to get them out is to put the wire rack on top of the muffin tin, flip them upside down, and tap them gently on the counter.)
   
5. S
   erve with lemon wedges. They’re fantastic right out of the oven, but you can also pan-fry them in some melted fat in a skillet over medium heat to crisp the edges and impart some extra crunch.
   

I had my first bite of branzino over a decade ago, after Henry and I had slowly eaten our way from the Tuscan countryside up to Venice. We lost ourselves for hours each day, exploring every nook and cranny of the vibrant City of Bridges, from the quiet streets of Giudecca to the crowded center of San Marco. No two corners were the same, but at every restaurant we visited, I insisted on ordering whole roasted branzino.

A prized catch in Northern Italy, branzino—also known as Mediterranean seabass or
loup de mer
—is now booming in popularity in restaurants throughout North America, and it’s not hard to see why. Branzino isn’t expensive, and it’s among one of the most eco-friendly seafood choices on the market. Most important (to me, anyway), its flesh is deliciously tender and flavorful, with mildly sweet and nutty notes.

Yes, the prospect of whole-roasting a fish—especially one nicknamed the “wolf of the sea”—can be a bit daunting. But just for you, I’ve come up with quick, foolproof method that’ll dirty just one pan. Ready?