I dashed down the road to Marks and Spencer’s this afternoon, and was delighted to discover that tuna steaks were on special offer. Too good to pass up. So I swiftly ditched my previous plans and made a few tweaks to the old Cajun-Creole Jambalaya recipe.

Obviously you can substitute pretty much any other kind of fish or seafood. Shrimp work great if you’ve just had a pay rise. Or whatever is on special offer. But in general, fragile fish will tend to disintegrate, so it’s probably best avoided. Stick to something that will hold together well. Pre-frying it and adding it at the end, stirring gently as described below, will help you avoid bashing the fish around too much.

Serves 8-10.

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken thighs, boned (use the bones for stock, obviously)
  • 100g chorizo sausage (or any other spicy sausage)
  • Splash of olive oil for frying
  • 400g tuna steaks (that’s about 4 small ones)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 bell peppers, chopped into 1-inch chunks (a mixture of red and yellow will look best)
  • 3 sticks of celery
  • 500g American long-grain rice
  • 2 tsp mixed herbs
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • (Optional extra spices if you want a little more punch: cayenne pepper, chilli sauce, ground chillis, fresh chopped chillies, or whatever else you like – to taste.)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsb coarse ground black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 800g (2 cans) chopped tomatoes
  • Splash of white wine if you like (about half a cup if you bother to measure such things)
  • 2 pints chicken stock

Method

  1. Vitally important first step: click the video above for an appropriate soundtrack.
  2. Brown the chicken thighs and chorizo in a large, over-proof pan using the olive oil. (This is the only pan you’re going to need today.) Brown the meat thoroughly – flabby meat is such a missed opportunity. Remember the Maillard reaction, and do the job properly. Browned meat should look brown. Remove from pan and set to one side.
  3. Fry the onion, bell peppers, and celery gently until slightly tender – probably about 10 minutes. (It’s at about this moment that you start to wonder why anyone would ever eat celery raw, except for health reasons.) Don’t overdo it – the Maillard reaction isn’t such a big deal here. (Sorry – no more chemistry.) Add garlic, salt, pepper, mixed herbs, and paprika with about 1 minute to go. If you want a more spicy jambalaya, now’s the time to add the extra spices. Remove and set aside.
  4. Lightly fry the tuna steaks in a little olive oil. Don’t go overboard – it should still be slightly tender in the middle. Overcooked tuna has the texture of tinned tuna – not something to aim for. A couple of minutes on each side should do it.
  5. Remove tuna from pan and break into finger-sized pieces once it’s cool enough to handle. Don’t chop it; you’ll destroy the texture. Flake it apart with your fingers – it should break apart naturally.
  6. Return chicken, chorizo, and all the stuff you fried in step 3 to the pan. Heat for a minute or so, then add rice and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Then add broth, wine (if you’re so inclined), bay leaves, and tinned tomatoes. Stir thoroughly, making sure you get all the rice out of the edges of the pan.
  7. At this stage, if you’ve never done jambalaya before (or paella, which behaves similarly), you’ll probably be panicking slightly, since the pan will appear to be a runny, watery mess with bits of meat and vegetables floating around in it. Have patience, my Padawan, and bring the pan to the boil. You’re about to discover just how much water rice absorbs during cooking. (Incidentally, notice at this stage that all the brown bits on the meat have magically disappeared, and the crunchy bits all look tender again. All that wondrous chemistry is now in the sauce, creating the unmistakable mix of flavours your guests are about to enjoy.)
  8. Add the spring onions and tuna, and stir in gently. Nobody likes mashed tuna.
  9. Cover and cook for 30 minutes at 180C (about 350F), or until the rice is cooked. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Serve with salad and/or bread, and enjoy.