Jules Verne, the French novelist, in his novel "20000 Leagues Under the Sea" described the underwater world in details. Pierre Aronnax, the main character, narrator, and protagonist of this novel, scientist and professor of Marine Biology describes many species also tuna:
"I would have been deeply interested in visiting this long, 360-league reef, against which the ever-surging sea broke with the fearsome intensity of thunderclaps. But just then the Nautilus's slanting fins took us to great depths, and I could see nothing of those high coral walls. I had to rest content with the various specimens of fish brought up by our nets. Among others I noted some long-finned albacore, a species in the genus Scomber, as big as tuna, bluish on the flanks, and streaked with crosswise stripes that disappear when the animal dies. These fish followed us in schools and supplied our table with very dainty flesh. We also caught a large number of yellow-green gilthead, half a decimeter long and tasting like dorado, plus some flying gurnards, authentic underwater swallows that, on dark nights, alternately streak air and water with their phosphorescent glimmers. Among mollusks and zoophytes, I found in our trawl's meshes various species of alcyonarian coral, sea urchins, hammer shells, spurred-star shells, wentletrap snails, horn shells, glass snails. The local flora was represented by fine floating algae: sea tangle, and kelp from the genus Macrocystis, saturated with the mucilage their pores perspire, from which I selected a wonderful Nemastoma geliniaroidea, classifying it with the natural curiosities in the museum."
Jules Verne, "20000 Leagues Under the Sea"
Total Time: 40 min
Prep: 10 min
Baking: 25-30 min
Makes: 12 pieces
Level: Easy
Ingredients:
Prep: 10 min
Baking: 25-30 min
Makes: 12 pieces
Level: Easy
Ingredients:
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Tarte crust
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Filling
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Directions:
Shells:
Filling:
Shells:
- To make the crust, mix flour and salt in a bowl.
- Dice the cold butter and add into flour.
- Work until it resembles coarse sand with a few pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.
- Sprinkle the water evenly over the mixture and toss gently a few times, just until it forms a dough that holds together.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes in the freezer before working with it.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Roll out the dough and transfer to prepared muffin pan.
- Prick the sides and the bottom of the pastry generously with a fork to prevent it from shrinking.
- Bake the shells for about 20 minutes or until firm.
- Place once again the pan into oven and bake for about 5 minutes.
Filling:
- To make a filling, cut off the thick stems of the spinach and discard.
- Clean the spinach by filling up your sink with water and soaking the spinach to loosen any sand or dirt. Put the spinach in a salad spinner to remove any excess moisture.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat.
- Add shallots or onion.
- When onion turn translucent and loose crispiness, add the spinach. Turn it over in the pan so you coat more of it with olive oil and onion. Cover for 1 minute. Uncover and turn the spinach over again.
- Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Strain the mixture (if necessary) and set aside to cool.
- Add incorporate tuna with spinach.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a bowl whisk the eggs, cream. Incorporate cheese.
- Spread the spinach and tuna mixture over the baked shells. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pour the egg mixture over spinach and tuna mixture.
- Bake for about 15 minutes until the center of the tarte has set or the knife inserted comes out clean.
- Place on a wire rack to cool slightly.
- Remove from the tarte pan and enjoy.
