Tuna Mousse - Cold Food for Hot Days

It wobbles, it jiggles, it's straight out of the beginning of the middle of the last century. It's wonderful. Wrong, somehow. But wonderful. And inhalable. 

We  - the Frenchman and I - used to eat it on our rooftop in Cobble Hill, accompanied by Don Estorbo, with a wide view over New York Harbor. In those days we had a single air conditioner, whose roaring was no match for the baking heat. The rooftop was our evening escape.

Please make a point of looking for reasonably sustainably sourced tuna. American Tuna, Wild Planet, or Whole Foods 365 brand are better choices. Walk past the Starkist. Seriously. You are better than Starkist.

Here is a Tuna Shopping Guide to help explain.

2 cans sustainably harvested (pole caught)* tuna in olive oil, drained
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
4 cornichons (tiny cucumber pickles)
1 tablespoon capers
1 - 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
Pepper

Whizz in a food processor till smooth. No food processor? Mash everything finely with a fork in bowl.

1/3 cup very hot/just boiled water
1 packet (1 tablespoon) gelatin

Dissolve the gelatin in the very hot water. Add to the tuna mixture and whizz/mash again.

Taste. Assess salt vs pepper vs lemon juice. Adjust.

Pour tuna mousse-y mixture into a small bowl or mold. Chill for at least 2 hours. To unmold, slide a butter knife dipped in hot water around its edges and tip out onto a serving plate.

Blipprrrrblblrblrbrlrblrblblblb. It wobbles. See?

Eat with good bread or crisp cucumbers, or celery sticks. Or crackers. Or a spoon. Or on your own, with no one else watching.