Tuna Rillettes is a rustic French spread made from Baked Tuna, Crème Fraîche and herbs. It's delicious as a party starter served on a crusty baguette or toast. 
Tuna Rillettes (Tuna Pâté)
I have to honestly tell you, until I tried Tuna Rillettes, I was not a tuna fan. There was something about this fish that was not to my liking. Whenever we ordered sushi, I would always skip the ones with tuna. And whenever we made a seafood salad, I would always choose salmon over tuna.
Recently I decided that I need to get more French recipes inspiration. Despite that Internet has lots of resources, it's still hard to find beyond basic recipes. So I headed to our local Barnes & Nobbles to scout the book shelves. Nowadays, I prefer buying things online.
But when in comes to books, I love purchasing them in person. There's something magical about flipping through the pages and inhaling the aroma of a new book that almost always makes me want to buy it.
One book that particularly caught my attention was by Mimi Thorisson - A Kitchen in France. I've always been a fan of rustic recipes, the ones you won't usually find on the Internet. Well, this book has them all. Beautiful looking food, moody photography, the story behind each dish - it all made me splurge and become an owner of new and shiny recipe book. Thanks to it, now I love tuna and more eager to try new tuna recipes than before.
Whether you love tuna or not, I guarantee, you will enjoy this rustic Tuna Rillettes. It's so easy to make and tastes incredible.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces tuna
- ⅓ cup Crème fraîche
- 1 shallot finely minced
- 2 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chives finely chopped
- 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- Salt Pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil + 2 tablespoon
- French Baguette for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Brush tuna with 2 tablespoons of oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Bake in a prepared baking dish for 15 minutes.
- Remove tuna from the oven and let it cool.
- In a medium bowl and using a fork, flake tuna into small but chunky pieces. Add Creme Fraiche, olive oil, parsley, chives, lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper and salt to a taste. Mix until combined.
- Cover the bowl and let it chill in the refrigerator for several hours.
- When ready to serve, remove rillettes from the fridge and enjoy on a slice of toasted baguette.
Notes
Now that I have this beautiful book on hands, I feel even more inspired to make new and never seen before French recipes. What's your all time favorite French dish?
If you make this recipe, don't forget to snap a picture and post it on Instagram with a hashtag #lavenderandmacarons. I'd love to see your creations.
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Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
Bev says
Hi this sounds great but can you tell me how many it serves. ??
Iryna says
Hi Bev! The recipe will make enough pâté for about 12-14 toasts. Hope this helps!
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen says
This would be such an elegant addition to any dinner party. It looks fantastic!
Iryna says
Thank you Ashley!
Julia says
I must try this recipe! I love Salmon rillettes, but I've never tried making it with tuna. In fact, I've never cooked tuna myself and I am not a fan of canned tuna. I like canned salmon though (must be a Russian thing). This rillettes looks delicious!
Iryna says
Thank you for the comment Julia! I've never tried salmon rillettes. But I imagine it's delicious. I'm a big fan of salmon, so I've got to try this recipe with a salmon.
Megan says
These looks absolutely delicious and I am loving all the fresh herbs in here! I also love that you used Crème fraîche for a tangy little bite!
Iryna says
Thanks Megan! I'm a big fan of Crème Fraîche and I use it whenever I can:))
Diana says
This recipe is perfect for parties for canapés. Easy, quick and delicious!
Iryna says
Thanks Diana!
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes says
Maybe you just don't like the tuna and mayo combination like in tuna salad. 😀 A lot of sushi places will put flavored mayo on the sushi too. This sounds delicious! (And I love tuna)
Iryna says
Maybe. For some reason I was never a fan of tuna until now:)
Emily says
These rillettes look beautiful! I also love French food. Can't wait to try these!
Iryna says
Thank you Emily!
Stephanie@ApplesforCJ says
I used to really love tuna salad years ago but it was nothing like this. What a great combination of flavors in this recipe. I can see why this would make you a tuna lover.
Iryna says
Thanks Stephanie!