Tuna Pate with Melba Toast

Canned tuna is a great standby. Best of all this recipe for Tuna Pate with Melba toast can be made a day in advance. Melba toast was reputedly created by the famous French chef Escoffier for the opera singer dame Nellie Melba. It’s simple and inexpensive to make your own and can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Ingredients

50g butter
2 eschalots (60g), chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
6 anchovy fillets, drained, rinsed
¼ bunch dill
425g can tuna in olive oil, drained
½ cup (100g) ricotta
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup (35g) sliced cornichons
8 slices white sandwich bread

Instructions

Melt butter in a frying pan and cook eschalot, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and anchovies and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes, until soft and anchovies have “dissolved”. Remove from heat.
Add dill to bowl of food processor and pulse to chop. Add eschalot mixture, tuna, ricotta, lemon juice and freshly ground pepper and process until just smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.
Stir through cornichons and transfer to 1 cup ramekin. Cover and chill for several hours, until firm.
Meanwhile for the Melba Toast: reheat oven to 180ºC or 160ºC fan-forced.
Toast bread lightly in a toaster and while still hot remove crusts and then split each piece of toast in half horizontally. Cut each slice in half diagonally. Arrange on a baking tray and place in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and cool. Serve tuna pate with the melba toasts.