Tuna and White Bean Stew

In Maldives, we get tuna fresh from the surrounding sea and although we make it into curries and smoke them, I wanted to make something different. I saw this recipe, via Pinterest where some white fish is cooked with white beans in tomato sauce and flavored with basil.  I decided to use tuna instead and basil can be easily found in the Maldives, White beans is not, especially in the islands. So the second time I did this recipe I used a can of baked beans.
I drained (yes I can hear a few gasps) the tomato sauce and used just the beans instead. I used a chilli to give a bit of heat . It was a delicious dish and great to go with bread and takes little time to make too.

Recipe  Tuna and Bean Stew  recipe inspired from Garlic Basil  Baramundi stew recipe from Pinch of Yum.

Serves 4

4 (1/2 inch) slices of  tuna ( about 200g?)
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 can 400g)  peeled tomatoes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 red or green chilli ( or even 1/4 piece of scotch bonnet) , slit in half (optional)
1/2 cup  vegetable or chicken or fish stock or water ( or use 1/2 cup water and dissolve a vegetable/chicken stock cube)
1 can butter bean or white beans or baked beans  drained
handful of basil leaves.
2-3 tbsp olive oil or corn oil
salt to taste

Heat oil in a large deep frying pan. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Place in the hot oil and pan fry both sides till golden but not cooked all the way through. Remove to a kitchen paper and let it drain any excess oil , set aside.

Now in the same pan, add a little more oil if there isn't any oil, say 1 tbsp and saute' the garlic for a few seconds till it releases its smell then add the canned tomatoes ( make sure you crush the tomatoes in a bowl before adding them.).  Add a little water to the can of tomatoes, swirl it around and add the contents into the pan.  Add 1/2 tsp sugar,  season with a tiny pinch of salt and add chilli flakes, and ground pepper. Don't forget to add the chilli if using. Add the mentioned amount of water or stock.

Let the sauce come to a boil then let it simmer for a few minutes.  Taste, add salt and then add the beans, and stir.  Return the tuna into the pan, and add a little water as it needs to be a thin sauce, not a thick sauce.  Finally, finely slice the basil, making sure you don't bruise it. Add into the pan and cook for an extra minute and then switch off.

Serve with some bread or even rice and a green salad.

Enjoy!