The first time I tried a tuna empanada, I was extremely disappointed. I’d recently moved to Spain and still had loving memories of the empanadas I’d enjoyed while living in Argentina– baked and served piping hot, filled with oozing meat, cheese, corn… The brick-like chunk of greasy dough and smelly tuna that was plopped down on my plate (cold) didn’t quite compare. I took a couple of bites and proceeded to pass on the empanadas de atún for the next year or so. Little did I know I was missing out on a delicious Spanish snack.
As it often seemed to happen the first years I lived here, it was at my mother-in-law’s house where I finally fell in love with the empanada de atún. Obligated to take a slice, I begrudgingly helped myself with forced enthusiasm. And it was good– really good. But it’s not that her tuna empanada recipe is anything to write home about; in fact, she uses pre-made dough and prepares the whole thing in less than 15 minutes. But it was light years ahead of what I’d tried in that sketchy tapas bar!
I’d been wanting to make a homemade tuna empanada since then, but kept making excuses. It was one of those recipes that intimidated me. It sounded like a lot of work, and a long time to spend in the kitchen! But as usual, I was wrong. I used the baked tuna empanada recipe from my favorite Spanish cookbook, and made some adjustments.
The result was a slight twist on the classic Galician empanada recipe that will be a highlight of my personal Spanish recipe collection for years to come. Easy and delicious, my husband swore it was the best he’d ever tried (and I’d wholeheartedly agree). We still have to explore the empanadas in Galicia one day, but until then this will do!
Baked Tuna Empanada Recipe (Empanada de Atún)
Ingredients
Empanada Dough
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup Spanish hard cider a dry cider or a dry white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups of flour you may need more to roll the dough later
- 1 egg separated
Empanada Filling
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 cup of roasted red peppers drained and roughly chopped
- 1.5 cups of tomate frito a homemade tomato sauce made with sautéed tomato, garlic, onion and pepper that is pureed with a bit of sugar -- you can substitute diced tomatoes and one tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 14 ounces of canned tuna drained
- 24 chopped green olives the manzanilla variety if buying in Spain
- 2 hard boiled eggs chopped
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or anchovy paste you can always mash up a cured anchovy here
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- To make the pastry dough, beat the egg in a large bowl and add in the baking soda, olive oil, wine or cider and salt.
- Add in the flour, little by little, and when it gets too difficult to continue mixing with a fork, use your hands. It should be a soft dough (but not sticky). Make it into a ball and cover in plastic wrap for one hour at room temperature.
- To make the filling, heat about two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy frying pan and cook the onions until soft and starting to caramelize. Add in the roasted red peppers and fry for another two minutes or so, and then add the tomato sauce.
- Lower the heat to a slow simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often.
- Add in the tuna, chopped olives, chopped eggs, Worcestershire sauce (or anchovy paste), honey and paprika. Taste and adjust the salt.
- Preheat the over to 350°F (175°C) and divide the dough in half, with one half slightly bigger than the other. Grease an 11 inch pan with oil and roll out the larger half of the dough so that will completely cover the bottom of the pan and the edges.
- Using your rolling pin, transfer the dough to the pan and gently mold it to fit the pan without stretching the dough. Trim the edges if necessary.
- Beat the egg white and brush over the the dough.
- Bake the base for 10 minutes and then remove and let cool.
- Once cool enough (10 to 15 minutes) cover with the tuna filling.
- Roll the other half of the dough large enough the cover the top of the empanada and make sure the edges meet.
- Brush the empanada with the beaten egg yolk mixed with one teaspoon of water.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes and serve hot or cold.
Nutrition
It may seem like a lot of work, but I promise you this is the easiest tuna empanada recipe I’ve found where the dough is made from scratch. The longest part is waiting the 40 minutes for the empanada to finish cooking! It’s especially difficult because it smells so good…
If you liked my baked tuna empanada recipe, you’ll probably love:
- Homemade ham croquettes recipe
- The perfect Spanish tortilla recipe
- Traditional red wine sangria recipe
What’s your favorite empanada filling?
Renu
One great recipe that is a big hit with my hubby from Spain as well as my son!
Instead of roasted pepper, I added chopped fresh red pepper with onion and fried it really well before adding the tomatoes, awesome!
Candy
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. The pastry was easy to prepare and the filling was delicious. It was perfect for a rainy cold Canadian fall day.
Rob Heath
I made this whilst bored on covid19 lockdown. A great recipe, it was much better than any I have had in Spain. The pastry is easy to make and delicious and the filling very tasty.
Thanks for recipe!
Lauren Aloise
Happy to hear it!
Heather
My husband is from Galicia and we eat a lot of Spanish food. I made this last night and it was delicious. Everyone loved it. My husband said that I have to add this to our tapas night. I was a little skeptical of the dough, but it was amazing!! The only thing I added was raisins because I remember the empanadas in Galicia always had raisins in it. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Alexa
Excellent recipe! I made it for a family gathering and everyone loved it. I used a store bought pie pastry dough and made it in a pie dish. It worked very well and saved me a lot of time. I also replaced the egg with capers (also to save time) and that woked well. Thanks for the recipe!
Meesh
I made this for a house warming party. (I have to admit I used premade pastry though ;-() I invited a friend who is originally from Galicia. She loved the empanada. She said it reminded her of home. Thanks for the recipe. It is great for making ahead of time and having ready for snacks.
Susan
What kind of tuna do you use – is it the kind in oil?
Lauren Aloise
I usually buy mine packed in water, but the oil-packed ones work too! Just drain well first.
Abbi Gutiérrez
I made this recipe and my Spanish housemates rated it very highly! Yum!
Gloria
I remember my first empanada nearly 60 years ago cooked by my Spanish mother who made wonderful pastry. Unlike most modern recipes they were deep fried and meltingly rich because that was the way she had always made them. Delicious but very unhealthy. Oven baking was not on offer when she learnt to cook as homes did not have the facilities. Your recipe is delicious bu I still hanker after mamacitas!
Lauren Aloise
Mmm sounds delicious!
Andrea
A great recipe to make on a cloudy day in the canaries as it uses ingredients I usually have in my cupboard. Thank you for sharing.
Francisco
Thanks for the recipe. I made it and its authentic. Reminded us of our days in Madrid going to the local bakery and having it for breakfast. It never made it to lunch. Delicious!!
Muchas gracias por la receta. Yo la hice y es auténtica. Me recordaron nuestros días en Madrid yendo a la pastelería y comiéndola para el desayuno. Nunca duro al almuerzo. Deliciosa!!
Maureen
Wow! What a deliciously looking empanada! I love the flavors you used for the filling. Especially the combination of Worcestershire sauce and honey. I have to try this! Thanks for sharing this! 🙂
Trevor Huxham
The recipe might be a little complicated but the ingredients in the dough sound like they will do the trick—I tried to make empanada once my first year in Spain and the dough turned out all hard and crunchy :/ I bet the baking soda & egg would do the trick.
I like the addition of cumin, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and honey to the filling; those flavors would combine really nicely with the onions and tomato.
When y’all come to Galicia this summer be sure to try bacalao con pasas…it will blow your mind with the simplicity and the sweet-savory flavor combinations! In Santiago de Compostela I recommend Pastelería Las Colonias (just north of Praza de Galicia in the old town) for your empanada fix 😉
Lauren Aloise
Thank you so much for the recommendation! I can’t wait to taste the true Galician empanadas!