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These bite-sized beauties have a Mexican flair that will wow your dinner party guests. You'll love how easy this tuna tostada appetizer is to put together!
A while back, I was invited to a dinner party in New York City hosted by Tonnino - a company touting "a better tuna for a better you".
I was intrigued by the idea - 100% yellowfin fillets with lower mercury levels, caught in the wild and jarred by hand. The event included a live cooking demo with Chef Roblé, who showcased a variety of recipes using Tonnino's offerings.
Chef Roblé created a menu with flavors from all over the globe to really demonstrate the quality and versatility of the tuna. Everything was delicious, and he and his team were knowledgeable, friendly, and entertaining while cooking up a storm.
My favorite bite of the evening was his Tuna Tostada.
All of the dishes were out of this world delicious - I couldn't believe that these little jars of tuna really tasted that good! I had seen Tonnino in my local grocery store before, but the price tag is a bit steep, so I was a little skeptical.
After actually trying it, I totally get it and it's absolutely worth the cost. The oil in the jars is so tasty that you can drizzle it over salad greens, top it with the tuna, and have a deliciously well seasoned (and dressed!) salad.
I haven't seen quality like that from pre-cooked tuna before, and it really got me thinking about the possibilities for using their tuna in my tiny kitchen.
Tonnino shared Chef Roblé's tuna recipes with me, and I couldn't wait to make the tostadas at home!
This particular recipe calls for tuna fillets with jalapeño in olive oil, but I've made it a few times now and it's great with the Ventresca tuna in olive oil as well. I've also done 1 jar of the jalapeño and 2 of the Ventresca to keep the heat level down a little when I was cooking for people who weren't into spicy food.
This dish has 3 main components. The 2 sauces (avocado dressing and chipotle sour cream) can be prepped in advance and stored in the refrigerator. If you get that ready ahead of time, this appetizer really does come together quickly and is great for entertaining!
Instead of using the food processor for both sauces (and having to clean it out in between), I prefer to make the avocado dressing in it and then do the chipotle sour cream by just chopping the chipotle pepper by hand and stirring that sauce together in a bowl.
For the tortillas, you can cut down regular sized ones with a round cookie/biscuit cutter or you could buy those little tortilla scoop chips and just fill them. The rounds are super easy to make though, and they look really pretty.
You could also buy tostada shells and make larger ones for more of a main course type of dish.
I made this dish for a dinner party at my house and people absolutely LOVED them! The sauces were so great with each bite and we really enjoyed the combination of flavors.
I'd advise doubling the avocado dressing so you can have more to be able to spread on the bottoms of each tostada. I doubled the entire recipe for another party that I attended and didn't have quite enough to go around. It was still delicious, but that little extra layer on the bottom of each chip is really nice.
This appetizer recipe was such a big hit at the party I brought them to that several people asked me for the recipe. They couldn't believe how flavorful the tuna was! Needless to say, new fans were made, and I'm always happy to share tips for new products that I find to be so awesome.
There are currently 8 varieties of the jarred Tonnino tuna, as well as a canned variety.
You can even "trace your tuna" by entering the information from your specific can of tuna, and see where your particular jar tuna was sourced from.
What are your favorite party foods? I'd love to hear about them in the comments section below!
Looking for more appetizer favorites? Check out these 5-star recipes:
- Marcel Vigneron’s Chimi-Verde Dip
- Patatas Bravas with Chipotle Aioli
- Marcona Almond + Dried Cherry Popcorn with Crispy Rosemary
- No Mayo Deviled Eggs
- Smoked Salmon Roll-ups
- Chicken Quesadillas with Chipotle Ranch Dip
- Grilled Niçoise Salad Flatbreads
- Cheesy Bacon + Apple Croissants
- Garlicky Goat Cheese + Herb Stuffed Peppadews
📖 Recipe
Tuna Tostada with Avocado Dressing + Chipotle Sour Cream
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings (More as an appetizer) 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
These bite-sized beauties have a Mexican flair that will wow your dinner party guests. You'll love how easy this tuna tostada appetizer is to put together!
Ingredients
For Tostadas:
- 4 small corn tortillas or pre-made tostada shells
- ½ cup peanut oil
- Sea salt to taste
For Avocado Dressing:
- 1 ripe haas avocado, skin and pit removed
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Juice of half a lime
- Sea salt to taste
For Chipotle Sour Cream:
- ½ cup sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, or Mexican crema
- 1 chipotle pepper from the can (in adobo sauce)
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- Sea salt to taste
To Assemble:
- 3 (6.7-ounce) jars Toninno tuna with Jalepeño, drained, cut into large chunks and jalepeños chopped
- 2 scallions, washed, ends trimmed and cut into rings
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, washed and dried
- 1 each lime, cut into 4 wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly brush both sides of the tortillas with oil and season with salt. Place tortillas onto a cookie sheet or bake sheet and toast in to oven until crisp, about 10 minutes. When crisp, transfer onto paper towels to cool.
- Combine all the ingredients for the avocado dressing in a food processor and blend until smooth. This can be prepared ahead of time if kept in a small container with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface.
- Combine all ingredients for the chipotle cream in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Alternately you can chop the chipotle and stir the ingredients together. This can hold covered in the fridge for up to two weeks.
- To assemble, dress the tuna chunks with the avocado purée in a bowl. Spread any remaining avocado onto the tostada shells and evenly distribute dressed tuna on each shell. Drizzle with chipotle sour cream and top with scallion slices and cilantro leaves. Serve with a lime wedge and enjoy.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from Chef Roble, printed with permission from Tonnino Tuna.
Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 2417.4 mg
- Fat: 16.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.3 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 34.2 g
- Cholesterol: 65.3 mg
Charla Harris
Love the pictures, this recipe sounds extremely tasty.
BigFlavorsFromATinyKitchen
Thanks so much, Charla! It really was a fantastic dish!
Lady Gourmet
Looks so good!! Such a wonderful little appetizer!
BigFlavorsFromATinyKitchen
It was a HUGE hit at both parties - I highly recommend it!
Mary @chattavore
I have never been a tuna lover, but that said, I haven't eaten it in a really, really long time and I keep thinking I need to try it again. This looks like a good place to start!
BigFlavorsFromATinyKitchen
I didn't grow up eating seafood at ALL. One of the biggest things that I've noticed with tuna is that there are so many different types, and the quality can vary drastically. This stuff is *so* much different than standard canned tuna - definitely worth a shot!
Sara (Belly Rumbles)
Sadly we don't have Toninno tuna in Australia but I am totally loving these appetizers. Such a wonderful way to use tuna, and with such great flavours.
BigFlavorsFromATinyKitchen
Aw bummer! Are there any premium jarred brands on the shelves in your area? It's *such* a tasty recipe but you definitely don't want to use standard canned tuna in it.
Amanda | Chew Town
I love tostadas but haven't tried one with tuna - what a great idea! These would be perfect to serve when having guests over.
BigFlavorsFromATinyKitchen
Absolutely! And it's nice to have something that looks so fancy without spending a ton of time prepping, too!