Enjoy albacore tuna year round with these simple recipes

Aside from the thrill of catching them, the great thing about an Oregon Coast albacore tuna trip is the mountain of fillets anglers end up when they get back to the docks. An albacore trip will yield an immense amount of prime fish, which is best enjoyed fresh, and canned for meals later in the year.

Most anglers can (pressure cook) their albacore. After opening a jar or can and making a tuna sandwich, you’ll never buy the grocery store tuna again.

Here are a couple of our favorite albacore tuna recipes.

Albacore Tuna Noodle Casserole

We all had tuna noodle casserole growing up. It was an easy meal for mom or grandma to make to feed a lot of people without putting much of a dent in the grocery budget. Fresh or canned albacore tuna adds a new twist to this timeless comfort food recipe, with a taste that will keep you from having it any other way again.

A can or two of albacore tuna is the key ingredient for this casserole. If fresh tuna is available, simply grill a fillet or two, or use the leftovers from the Bacon Wrapped Grilled Albacore recipe below.

Albacore Tuna Noodle Casserole

2 to 3 cups wide egg noodles

1 to 2 cans albacore tuna (drained), or 1 pound fresh tuna (grilled)

1 tablespoon butter

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (defrosted)

1/2 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon dried or fresh parsley

Topping

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Boil noodles according to package instructions and drain.

While the noodles are cooking, saute the chopped onion, celery and parsley in butter.

In a large bowl, combined the drained canned tuna, or grilled tuna broken into small pieces, and add noodles, onion and celery, soup, peas and carrots, milk and cheese. For even creamier casserole, add 4 ounces whipped cream cheese, or 1/2 cup sour cream.

In another bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Add melted butter, bread crumbs, cheese and parsley. Panko style bread crumbs work well, but Italian or plain bread crumbs also will work.

The casserole will be baked at 425 degrees in a glass baking dish. Add the casserole mix, and then sprinkle with the topping.

Bake at 425 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Grilled Albacore

Another favorite Oregon Coast Albacore tuna recipe is bacon-wrapped grilled albacore. This is especially good with fresh albacore loins.

Bacon-wrapped grilled albacore is a summertime treat on the Oregon Coast. The bacon helps keep the albacore tuna moist while it is barbecued, and when combined with the teriyaki marinade adds an amazing flavor.

Start by cutting an albacore tuna loin in 2-inch pieces. Wrap each with a slice of bacon, secured with a tooth pick.

Place the chunks of albacore tuna in a large plastic bowl or glass dish and marinate in teriyaki sauce. Yoshida’s teriyaki is a good choice. Marinate for 2 to 4 hours.

Albacore tuna cooks quickly on a grill. Be careful not to cook at too high of a temperature, as the outside will become well done while the middle remains raw. Turn the albacore a couple of times, redipping in the teriyaki sauce.

The albacore will change color when done, turning almost white. Be sure to remove remove the toothpicks before eating.

To book an albacore tuna trip with Brookings Fishing Charters, call (541) 813-1082 and ask to be on our call list. Trips can also be booked at www.brookingsfishing.com.