Marie Galante Tuna Flakes

Émietté de Thon Marie Galante. White tuna, lime, coconut, red pepper.

Émietté de Thon Marie Galante is flaked white tuna by la belle-iloise in extra virgin olive oil with lime, coconut, red pepper and roasted onions. No smooth paste, no tuna in brine, no solid fillet and no can for guests expecting fish without fruity notes.

Émietté de Thon Marie Galante is a tuna can by la belle-iloise from Quiberon, named after a small island in the Antilles. Among the house's Émiettés, it is the fruitiest. The Émietté in olive oil remains pure, the Luzienne relies on tomato and pepper, the Zanzibar on spices and prune. Marie Galante heads towards the Caribbean: lime at the front, coconut behind, pepper for color and sweetness. Those who know the range will find the brightest, sunniest voice here.

Lime and coconut in a fish that carries both

White tuna is mild, light and flaky, and that is exactly why it tolerates lime and coconut without disappearing underneath. The first impression is acidity, sharper and more bitter than lemon, with the typical scent of lime peel. Then follows the coconut, soft and slightly sweet, which rounds off the acidity.

The red pepper brings color and a mild vegetable sweetness, the roasted onions a dark, almost caramel-like depth. Raisins add occasional sweet points. The olive oil holds everything together and gives the mixture a fruity base.

The fish itself remains recognizable in pieces. Its fibers separate into layers, are tender and juicy, and they take in the seasoning from all sides, because between the pieces there is room for oil and vegetables.

Compared to the Zanzibar from the same range, Marie Galante is lighter and more acidic, while the Zanzibar turns out darker, spicier and sweeter. Both work with fruit, but one with lime, the other with prune. Those who try both understand the range of this style.

Those who expect classic tuna with nothing but oil and salt will find this can too sweet and too fruity. It is not suitable for a tuna sandwich with mayonnaise, because the lime works against the mayonnaise.

On blinis, in rice, in avocado

An Émietté with lime and coconut fits best with neutral carriers that absorb its seasoning instead of competing with it. Spread the contents over eight lukewarm blinis or on slices of toasted white bread, and the aperitif for four people is on the table without further preparation.

For a rice bowl, cook 150 grams of basmati rice, let it cool lukewarm and fold in the contents of one can with the oil. Fresh coriander, a few cucumber cubes and a splash of lime juice on top make a lunch for one person.

Halve a ripe avocado, remove the pit and fill the hollows with the Émietté. A little Fleur de Sel and black pepper, this appetizer needs nothing more. The coconut of the can and the fat of the avocado complement each other without becoming heavy.

For a quick salad, mix one can with a handful of arugula, half a mango in cubes and a few roasted cashews. One spoon of the oil from the can is enough as a dressing, you do not need vinegar, the lime takes over that.

The can also works as a filling for corn tortillas with white cabbage and lime, then for two people. In warm dishes with a long cooking time, however, it has nothing lost: The lime becomes bitter, and the fine pieces of fish fall apart.

Good to know: Open the can fifteen minutes before eating and stir the contents once. The oil collects at the top during storage, the vegetable pieces at the bottom. Only after stirring has every bite fish, pepper and coconut at the same time.

A fish from the Bay of Biscay, a name from the Antilles

The white tuna, called Germon in France, is caught in the summer by Breton boats in the Bay of Biscay. Among connoisseurs, it is considered the finest type of tuna. Its meat is lighter and milder than that of yellowfin tuna and falls apart when cooked into large, soft flakes. For an Émietté, this is the ideal base.

Émietté means crumbled, and the term describes a style of preparation that la belle-iloise has refined over decades. Instead of whole fillets, the cooked pieces of tuna are put in the can with vegetables, fruits and oil. The seasoning penetrates the fish from all sides because of this, and not just on the surface.

Marie-Galante lies southeast of Guadeloupe and is one of the quietest islands in the Antilles, known for sugar cane, windmills and rum. Coconut, lime and pepper are everyday ingredients there. La belle-iloise chose the island as a namesake because the ingredient list of this can reads like a menu from there.

The Germon is cooked after being caught, freed by hand from skin and bones and flaked into pieces. Only then are vegetables, lime juice, coconut and olive oil added. This order is important because the fish only takes in the seasoning if it is already cooked and open-fibered.

The can itself is made like all the house's preserves in Quiberon. After filling, it is sealed and sterilized, whereby the oil, juice and fish combine and the preserve lasts several years without refrigeration. The lime loses nothing of its freshness, because the can remains airtight.

The can for guests who think tuna is boring

Within the Émietté range, Marie Galante is the recipe with the clearest signature, because lime and coconut are immediately recognizable. It is suitable for people who have associated tuna cans with brine and the canteen so far and want to be taught otherwise.

At an aperitif with several cans, it belongs at the beginning, because its acidity opens the palate and stronger sardines come across better afterwards. Those who put it at the end take away its effect.

As a gift, it fits with a bottle of white wine with fruit, such as a Riesling or a Chenin Blanc from the Loire. A dry rosé also suits it well. Red wine and beer tolerate the lime less.

With 80 grams, the can is deliberately small and is enough for two open-faced sandwiches or a portion of rice. Unopened, it stores for several years, opened leftovers are covered and put in the refrigerator and last there one to two days.

A tuna that tastes like an island and nevertheless comes from the Atlantic.