Adam Liaw's tuna mornay is a classic budget-friendly family favorite, but it's not without its challenges. In this article, we delve into the secrets of this dish, exploring why it's so popular and how to elevate it to new heights. We'll also address a common misconception about tuna mornay and provide tips for making it even better.
The Secret to a Better Mornay
Mornay is a classic French sauce that starts with a bechamel, a smooth base made by whisking milk into a blond roux of equal parts butter and flour. From this base, grated cheese is added to create a creamy, cheesy sauce. Traditionally, mornay uses a mix of gruyere and parmesan, with gruyere providing body and texture, and parmesan adding strength and savoriness.
However, Australian tuna mornays often use tasty cheese, a mild cheddar, which lacks the strength of parmesan. This results in a creamy, cheesy sauce that is lacking in savoriness. To fix this, Adam suggests adding grated parmesan, but a more affordable and easier solution is to use a teaspoon or two of vegetable stock powder. This simple adjustment can significantly enhance the flavor of your tuna mornay.
The Dumbest Rule in Cooking
One common misconception about tuna mornay is the idea that it's wrong to mix seafood and cheese. This is simply not true. Seafood and cheese are paired in almost every cuisine that has access to both. From lobster thermidor in France to tuna melts in the US, and from prawn saganaki in Greece to a classic salmon and cream cheese bagel, seafood and cheese are a winning combination. Even in Italy, coastal cuisines like Sicily and Venice feature dishes like swordfish involtini and cozze gratinate that combine seafood and cheese.
Tuna mornay is the most popular combination of seafood, cheese, and pasta, and it's a delicious and perfectly acceptable dish. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
Saving Your Pasta from Drying Out
For any al forno pastas or pasta bakes, the classic Italian trick is to undercook the pasta by a few minutes so it's well short of al dente. Then, add a splash of the starchy pasta water to the mix before it goes into the oven. This gives the pasta the extra liquid it needs to finish cooking perfectly, without drawing all the moisture out of your sauce and leaving the dish dry.
Spinning It Your Own Way
This basic tuna mornay recipe is just the beginning. You can experiment with different cheeses, such as sharp mature cheddar or a classic French mix of gruyere and parmesan. If you want to change things up, canned salmon is a great alternative to tuna. For a green twist, replace the cheese with cooked spinach for a Florentine-style bake, or simply add the spinach alongside the cheese. For a truly luxurious experience, turn it into a proper seafood mornay by adding diced ling, prawns, or a good-quality marinara mix.
Say No to Soggy Crumbs
Texture is key to taking your tuna mornay from average to excellent. A crisp breadcrumb topping is the perfect finish. However, it's best to cook the breadcrumbs separately. If you bake them together with the pasta, some of the breadcrumbs will absorb the mornay sauce and become soggy. Instead, fry coarse crumbs or small cubes of bread in a mix of butter, olive oil, and garlic to create deliciously crunchy garlic breadcrumbs. This gives you the perfect pangrattato topping to scatter over the bake just before serving.
