Basque Tuna and Potato Stew (Marmitako)
A rustic one-pot stew from the Basque fishing boats, with chunks of fresh tuna and potatoes simmered in a deep red broth of peppers, tomato and sweet paprika. Simple, warming and full of sea flavor.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Prepare the peppers
Soak the dried peppers in warm water for 20 minutes until soft. Scrape the flesh off the skins with a spoon and discard the skins and seeds; set the pulp aside. If using paste, skip this soak.
- 2 dried peppers
✅ Done when: the peppers are soft and the flesh scrapes away easily
Make the sofrito
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over low heat. Add the onion, garlic and green peppers with a pinch of salt, and cook gently, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent but not browned.
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 green peppers
✅ Done when: the vegetables are soft, pale and smell sweet, with no raw onion edge
Add tomato and paprika
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Add potatoes and stock
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Add the tuna
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Serve
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Prepare the peppers
Soak the dried peppers in warm water for 20 minutes until soft. Scrape the flesh off the skins with a spoon and discard the skins and seeds; set the pulp aside. If using paste, skip this soak.
- 2 dried peppers
✅ Done when: the peppers are soft and the flesh scrapes away easily
Make the sofrito
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over low heat. Add the onion, garlic and green peppers with a pinch of salt, and cook gently, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent but not browned.
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 green peppers
✅ Done when: the vegetables are soft, pale and smell sweet, with no raw onion edge
Add tomato and paprika
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Add potatoes and stock
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Add the tuna
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Marmitako takes its name from the marmita, the heavy pot carried on Basque fishing boats hunting albacore tuna, or bonito del norte, through the summer months. Crews cooked whatever was at hand with the day's catch: potatoes, onions, dried peppers and the fish itself, simmered together in one pot to feed a hungry crew with few ingredients.
The dish moved from boat decks into Basque kitchens, where it remains a summer favorite tied closely to the short bonito season, served in homes and taverns alike along the coast.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It turns humble ingredients into a deeply savory, naturally thick stew where tender tuna and starchy potatoes carry a bright red, paprika-tinted broth.
💡 Fun Fact
The potatoes are traditionally broken by hand rather than cut cleanly, so the ragged edges release starch and thicken the broth without needing flour.
Basque Country, northern Spain
43.26°N, -2.94°W
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