Tuna Stew (Marmitako)

"Marmitako" is a traditional dish from the Basque Country. The name comes from the word marmita (pot) and the suffix ko (from), so it means from the pot. It traditionally made with tuna but today salmon is also used. This is the food that was elaborated in a pot on the tuna fishing boats. A dish that the fisherman ate and still eat, but now it has passed along to everyone's kitchen and it is not exclusive of the fishermen. In Cantabria, a region bordering the Basque Country, it is also known as marmita or sorropotún. 
Marmitako is a very popular dish and in many towns and cities they have cooking competitions. Many men compete and there is a reason for this. In the Basque Country it is very typical that  groups of male friends organize themselves in what it is called txokos -  gastronomical societies where no women are allowed. The txoko is a place where men get together to cook and experiment in the kitchen. They have had a big influence in maintaining and promoting Basque cuisine.

Ingredients:

1 pound tuna (1 thick tuna steak) cut in bite size cubes

1 onion finely chopped

1 green bell pepper finely chopped

6 large yukon gold potatoes in chunks (tear off the pieces with a knife instead of cutting so you expose the starch)

1 dry choricero dried pepper or dried chile ancho

1/4 tablespoon sweet Spanish smoked paprika (I add a bit more because we like the smoky flavor)

1/4 tablespoon  picante Spanish smoked paprika

1 cup white wine

fish broth or water to cover the ingredients

Salt and pepper to taste

In a pot or "marmita" put a tablespoon of olive oil and cook the onion and green pepper until the onion gets translucent. Add the potatoes, stirring them well. Then add the paprika and stir well for a couple of minutes but be careful not to burn it. Otherwise it will give a bitter flavor. Season with salt and pepper.Add the glass of wine let it reduce. Then add the fish broth or water to cover the potatoes and then add the seedless dried pepper cut in half lengthwise to rehydrate. Cook everything on a medium to low heat. After an hour remove the dried pepper and spoon the meat out of the skin with a spoon, putting the meat back in the pot. When the potatoes are done, add the tuna cubes and turn off the heat.

Serve in a soup bowl or plate, add some homemade croutons or fried bread croutons, and some crunchy micro greens.