Causa Limena - A Potato and Tuna Dish From Peru to Your Kitchen

Have you tried Peruvian food? If not, I highly recommend it. I am lucky to have a friend from Peru who has introduced me to several traditional Peruvian dishes such as papas a la huancaina, Peruvian ceviche, alfajores, and today’s recipe, causa limena. I have enjoyed each and all of them.

Causa Limena is a cold, layered, potato and tuna dish that is very enjoyable during the summer with a glass of cold vinho verde.  I bet that you have almost all the ingredients for this dish in your kitchen: potatoes, canned tuna, eggs, tomatoes and mayo. One ingredient that you probably don’t have is “aji amarillo,” which you can either find as a powdered spice or paste. Its taste is similar to a mix of Hungarian paprika and yellow pepper: spicy but fruity at the same time. You may be able to find it at your local grocery store but if not, you can find it online.  Aji Amarillo is a staple in Peruvian cuisine so if you buy it, you’ll find that you can use it in many other dishes, such as papas a la huancaina.  

If you have brunch at your house before summer is over, why don’t you surprise your guests with this Peruvian dish? I can assure you they’ll like it.

Causa Limena

Adapted from Daisy: Manana, Mediodia y Noche

8 servings

Note that some recipes don’t call for the chopped jalapenos, sliced tomato and egg. So, feel free to skip them.

Ingredients:

4 potatoes

5 tbsp. aji amarillo paste

2 cans of tuna in water (5 oz. each)

2/3 cup mayo

1 stalk of celery (chopped)

1 small jalapeno pepper (chopped)

1 roma tomato (sliced)

1 boiled egg, sliced

1 lime (juice)

Salt & Pepper



Aji Amarillo Paste

Directions

1, Peel the potatoes and cook in boiling water until soft.

2, Mash until relatively smooth. Add lime juice, salt, pepper and aji amarillo.

3. Mix well. Set aside for 1/2 hour.

4. In another bowl, combine the tuna, mayo, chopped celery, chopped jalapeno, salt and pepper.

5. in an 8x4 glass dish, spread a layer of mashed potato, a layer of tuna filling, half of the diced tomato and half of the diced egg. Repeat one more time and finish with a layer of potatoes.

6. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until cold.

Enjoy!