Tuna-Stuffed Tomatoes
The cold starter of Argentine December parties — Christmas there falls in high summer, which is why it comes to the table cold. Fresh, generous, and they can be made hours in advance.
The step almost everyone skips: the hollowed-out tomatoes are salted inside and stood upside down on kitchen paper. In a quarter of an hour they give up the water that would otherwise dilute the filling.
They can be finished half a day ahead, which makes them workable for a big table.
Ingredients
- 6 firm, evenly sized round tomatoes
- 2 tins of tuna, drained (240 g)
- 1 cup cooked, cooled rice
- 150 g mayonnaise
- 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
- 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley or chives
- Salt, pepper and olives to garnish
Method
- 1
Cut a lid off each tomato and hollow them out with a teaspoon without piercing the walls. Keep the flesh for a sauce.
- 2
Salt the inside of the tomatoes and stand them upside down on kitchen paper for 15 minutes: they release the water that would make the filling watery.
- 3
Mix the flaked tuna with the cooled rice, the mayonnaise, the hard-boiled egg, the pepper and the parsley. Season.
- 4
Fill the tomatoes with the mixture, heaped, and crown each with an olive.
- 5
Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving, on their own or on a bed of lettuce. Once filled they keep half a day in the fridge.