Empanadas de Atún (Rapa Nui Kahi Tuna Hand Pies)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-inch round cutter or small plate for tracing dough rounds
• •Heavy 4-quart pot or 12-inch cast-iron skillet for frying
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Wire rack set over a rimmed sheet pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder in a wide bowl. Rub in the lard, butter, or oil until the flour feels sandy between your fingers, then pour in 3/4 cup warm water and mix until a rough dough forms. Add the last 1/4 cup water only if the dough is dry and cracking. Knead 4 to 5 minutes, until smooth and soft, then cover and rest 30 minutes.

   That rest is not fancy work. It lets the dough relax so it rolls thin and seals without fighting you.
2. 2

   Soften the onion

   Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until it turns soft, sweet, and translucent without browning hard. Stir in the garlic, ají de color, cumin, oregano, and a few grinds of black pepper, and cook another minute until the pan smells warm and savory.

3. 3

   Turn the kahi

   Pat the diced kahi dry so it sears instead of leaking water. Fold it into the onion and cook 1 to 2 minutes, just until the outside turns opaque and the pieces begin to firm. Pull the pan from the heat before the tuna goes dry. Fold in the chopped egg, lime or lemon juice, and parsley or cilantro if using, then taste for salt.

   If anyone at the table needs fully cooked fish, take the tuna all the way opaque in the pan before cooling. No shame. Feed the people in front of you.
4. 4

   Cool the filling

   Spread the filling on a plate or shallow pan and let it cool until it is no longer warm to the touch. Hot filling makes the dough soft and weak, then the empanada opens in the oil and you lose the good part. No blame the dough. You hurried it.

5. 5

   Roll the rounds

   Divide the rested dough into 10 to 12 balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll each one into a thin 6-inch round, about the thickness of a tortilla. Keep the rounds covered with a towel so they do not dry at the edges while you work.

6. 6

   Fill and seal

   Set 2 to 3 tablespoons cooled tuna filling just off center on each round. Wet the edge with a fingertip of water, fold the dough over into a half-moon, and press out any trapped air. Seal with a fork or fold the edge over itself in a simple rope. Don't overfill. A modest empanada that stays closed beats a proud one that bursts.

7. 7

   Fry them gold

   Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350F. Fry 2 or 3 empanadas at a time, turning once, until the pastry is blistered, crisp, and deep golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Let the oil come back to temperature between batches. Drain on a rack, not on a pile of paper where the bottom goes soft.

   Oil too cool makes the pastry greasy. Oil too hot browns the outside before the seam sets. A thermometer saves you from guessing.
8. 8

   Serve and share

   Serve warm with lime wedges, the crust crisp under your teeth and the tuna inside still moist and savory. These are hand food, picnic food, harbor food. Put them out in a pile, because somebody will reach for the last one and then look around like they didn't do it.

Chef Tips

• •Ask your fish seller when the tuna came out of the water. For this dish it doesn't have to be sashimi-grade, because you're cooking it, but it should smell clean, like the ocean and almost nothing else.
• •Fresh kahi is the Rapa Nui heart of this filling. If you only have good oil-packed canned tuna, drain it well and fold it into the onion after the spices bloom. Eat what you have. The islands have always cooked with the pantry in front of them.
• •Cool filling seals better. If you are cooking for a picnic, make the filling the night before and fry the empanadas the next morning so the pastry stays crisp.
• •Keep the seasoning simple. Onion, salt, a little ají de color, egg, and clean fish are enough. When the fish is good, don't bury it.
• •Name the hand. This is Rapa Nui food shaped by Chilean contact, not a plain Polynesian snack. The cousins across the Triangle have their own tuna dishes, and each one deserves its own name.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the dough up to 1 day ahead, wrap it tight, and refrigerate. Let it soften at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling.
• •Cook the tuna filling up to 1 day ahead and chill it covered. Cold filling is easier to seal inside the dough.
• •Assembled empanadas can rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours before frying, covered so the edges do not dry. Fry close to serving for the crispest crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 125g)