Tomatoes Stuffed with Tuna (Marcella Hazan)
Tuna salad is a familiar recipe and one that I especially enjoy in the heat of the summer. Traditionally, I’ll eat it on its own, on a bed of greens, or in a sandwich. I was delighted when I came across this recipe from Marcella Hazan, which changes up the familiar flavors of tuna salad just a bit, then serves it inside a tomato.
With the summer heat still going, this refreshing meal was an instant classic in our house, and we wondered how we had never thought to combine the two before. Using homemade mayonnaise really set the tuna salad apart, adding a lightness and subtle tanginess that store-bought mayonnaise couldn’t replicate.
Now that we have this in our regular rotation, we’re getting curious about what other fillings we can add to hollowed-out tomatoes. That has been a consistent takeaway from Marcella’s recipes. She gives a clear and straightforward baseline, and it gets your imagination going about variations on the theme.
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About this Recipe
Marcella’s tomatoes stuffed with tuna take the familiar flavors of tuna salad and turn them into a simple summer meal. The filling combines tuna with capers, mustard, and mayonnaise, then is spooned into hollowed-out fresh tomatoes.
The capers and mustard give the tuna more sharpness than the tuna salad I usually make, while the tomato adds a fresh, juicy contrast to the creamy filling. I used Marcella’s homemade mayonnaise here, which she specifically recommends, and its lighter flavor worked especially well with the other ingredients.
There’s no cooking required, which makes this an especially nice meal for the summer heat. The tomatoes are simply hollowed out and filled with the tuna mixture before serving.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes
- Tuna
- Homemade mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Capers
- Salt
Ingredient Notes
1. Tuna
Marcella recommends imported Italian tuna packed in olive oil for this recipe. I used good-quality canned tuna from my grocery store instead and was perfectly happy with the result. Use a tuna you already enjoy eating and drain it well before making the filling.
2. Tomatoes
Marcella suggests hollowing out the tomatoes while leaving three or four sections of the inner flesh intact. I found that those sections made the tomatoes difficult to fill, so I removed all of the interior instead. This gave me more room for the tuna filling while also removing the firmer core.
3. Capers
The capers add a salty, briny bite that works especially well with the tuna and mayonnaise. Mine were quite small, so I left them whole. If yours are larger, you may want to roughly chop them before adding them to the filling.
The Recipe
Tomatoes Stuffed with Tuna
Ingredients
- 6 tomatoes, large, round, and ripe
- 2 7 oz cans of tuna, drained
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1½ tbsp capers, drained
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- salt
Instructions
- Slice the tops off the tomatoes and hollow out the centers, removing the seeds, pulp, and firm core.
- Lightly salt the insides of the tomatoes, then turn them cut-side down to drain while you prepare the filling.
- Place the tuna in a bowl and break it apart into small pieces with a fork.
- Add the mustard, mayonnaise, capers, and salt and mix until well combined.
- Taste the tuna mixture and adjust the salt, mustard, or mayonnaise as desired.
- Spoon the tuna mixture into the hollowed-out tomatoes, dividing it evenly among them.
- Top with a little additional mayonnaise and garnish with parsley. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Preparation Tip: Salt and Drain the Tomatoes
After hollowing them out, lightly salt the inside of each tomato and turn them cut-side down on the cutting board for a few minutes.
This seasons the tomatoes while allowing some of the excess juice to drain before you add the tuna filling. It also helps keep any extra moisture from mixing into the filling once the tomatoes are assembled.
Serve With
- Crusty Italian bread or focaccia
- A simple green salad
- Fresh summer fruit
- Orange and Cucumber Salad
Wine Pairing: Verdicchio
Verdicchio is an especially nice pairing with these tuna-stuffed tomatoes. Its bright acidity works well with the fresh tomato and cuts through the creamy mayonnaise, while its savory, slightly herbal character complements the tuna and capers.
The wine also has enough body to stand up to the tuna without making this light summer dish feel heavy. I especially liked the contrast between the crisp Verdicchio and the creamy tuna filling.
Serve chilled, around 45–50°F. About two hours in the refrigerator should bring it to the right temperature.
To learn more about Verdicchio, including tasting notes, serving tips, and food pairings, visit the full guide below.
I was pleasantly surprised by how this dish took a familiar favorite and elevated both the flavor and presentation while still keeping the recipe simple.
The Dijon mustard and capers were new additions for me, as was the homemade mayonnaise, which was certainly worth making for its fresh, light flavor.
Serving the tuna salad inside a tomato made a simple lunch feel a little more special while also giving us another way to enjoy late-summer tomatoes. With great flavor and no cooking required, this is one we’ll continue to come back to when it’s simply too hot to cook.
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About Stephanie
I’m cooking through classic cookbooks one recipe at a time, sharing what works, what surprises me, and what I learn along the way. Every recipe is cooked and tested in my home kitchen, with a wine pairing to enjoy alongside it.
