Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Marmitako
A Basque tuna and potato stew built on choricero pepper pulp, fishermen’s food, cooked on the boat between catches.
Spanish (Basque) · easy · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 40 min
~409 cal · 45g protein · 43g carbs · 3g fat · 7g fiber · 7g sugars · 1g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Marmitako, whose name means roughly "from the pot" (the marmita was the cooking pot aboard a boat), was born at sea, cooked by Basque tuna fishermen during the summer bonito season from what they had to hand: fresh tuna, potatoes, onions, peppers, and the sweet, brick-red pulp scraped from dried choricero peppers that gives the stew its colour and gentle depth.
It is humble one-pot cooking elevated by good fish, and it remains a fixture of the Basque coast and its cider houses, especially when the bonito is running. The tuna is added only at the very end and barely cooked, so it stays moist rather than turning dry and tight.
The rule every Basque cook insists on concerns the potatoes: they are not sliced cleanly but "cracked", the knife pushed in and snapped so each piece tears, because those ragged edges release starch that naturally thickens the broth. It is a small trick that turns a simple fisherman's stew into something silky.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1.25 lbs fresh tuna (or bonito), cubed
1.5 lbs potatoes, cracked into chunks
3 tbsp choricero pepper pulp (or 1 tbsp sweet paprika and a roasted red pepper, blended)
2 onions
1 green pepper
3 cloves garlic
2 tomatoes, grated
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
a handful parsley, to finish
to taste salt and black pepper
Instructions
1
Soften the onions, pepper, and garlic slowly in olive oil, 10 minutes.
2
Add the grated tomato and choricero pulp; cook 5 minutes.
3
Crack in the potatoes (snap rather than slice), add the wine and water to cover, and simmer 20 minutes until the broth thickens from the potato starch.
4
Kill the heat and slip in the tuna (or mushrooms and beans); the residual heat cooks it in 3-4 minutes, overcooked tuna is the only way to ruin this.
5
Rest at least 10 minutes, finish with parsley and a drizzle of oil, and serve from the pot.
✎ Chef’s note
The choricero pulp cannot be swapped for paprika, which turns bitter, or for fresh red pepper, which lacks the depth: without it you have a potato and tuna stew, not marmitako. Like most stews it is better the next day, reheated without the tuna and the fish added back at the end.
Basque fishermen’s tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Basque Country. The Basque Country is one of the world's great food cultures, from pintxos bars in San Sebastián to grilled fish, salt cod, and Michelin temples. Seafood, peppers, and fierce local pride define its table.
🗺️
Spain. Spanish food runs from Valencia's saffron paella to Basque pintxos and Andalusian gazpacho, united by superb olive oil, cured jamón, and the ritual of tapas. Regional pride and a culture of grazing and sharing define the Spanish table.
🌍
Europe. A surprising amount of European cooking is under five hundred years old. Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, maize, beans and chocolate all crossed from the Americas after 1492, and none of them was trusted quickly: the potato took most of the eighteenth century to be accepted as food rather than animal fodder across much of the north.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Spain
Paella de Verduras (Valencian Vegetable Paella)Saffron rice cooked wide and shallow until it forms the prized socarrat crust, loaded with market vegetables.
Tortilla EspañolaThe potato-and-egg omelette that anchors every Spanish bar, flipped whole, argued about forever.
Pulpo a la GallegaTender boiled octopus on soft potato, dusted with smoked paprika and coarse salt, Galicia's festival dish.
Browse all Spain recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Marmitako?
A Basque tuna and potato stew built on choricero pepper pulp, fishermen’s food, cooked on the boat between catches.
Where does Marmitako come from?
Marmitako is a Spanish (Basque) dish from Basque Country, Spain.
Can Marmitako be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Marmitako recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Marmitako safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Marmitako take to make?
About 60 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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