A simple recipe for Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Tuna (Pimentos del Piquillo Rellenos de Atún) with rustic Fingerling Potato and Olive Salad inspired by Disney's Spice Road Table at Epcot's Morocco Pavilion. It's perfect as a light lunch or dinner, or as a unique component to a homemade tapas feast!
Traveling inspires me to create. Sampling new-to-me dishes is a driving force to expand my culinary repertoire. Sometimes the inspiration comes when you least expect it. Therefore, after enjoying a meal at Spice Road Table at Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park, I suddenly had the motivation to make something new.
We sampled a delicious dish off the "Mediterranean Small Plates" section of their menu which stuck with me for months. Piquillo peppers stuffed with tuna salad are the centerpiece of the dish, served with a lightly dressed fingerling potato and olive salad.
Disney was not able to provide me with the actual recipe used by their chefs, so I put on my thinking cap and got to work creating my own version. There is a basic approach to making these piquillo peppers stuffed with tuna, very similar to making your favorite tuna salad.
Instead of celery, we use a combination of minced shallots, garlic, and capers. Mayonnaise is the binder to hold it all together, along with a healthy squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
You can certainly use this as a filling for a tuna sandwich, but we're not stopping there. You can stick with the peppers on their own, but I highly recommend serving this dish the way Disney does, with a heaping pile of fingerling potatoes and olives dressed in Sherry vinaigrette. It makes this a well-rounded dish.
Ingredient notes
- Fingerling Potatoes: If you are unable to find fingerling potatoes, use any small potato variety you can find. I like the Teeny Tiny Potatoes from Trader Joe's. I've also seen similar varieties of miniature potatoes at Whole Foods, Aldi, and other supermarkets.
- Olives: There are literally hundreds of varieties of olives in the world. Honestly, use whatever olives you like, but I would suggest leaning towards Mediterranean varieties if possible. Spanish olives are your best bet, but even Greek olives will work. Try to use a combination of both black and green olive varieties. I prefer alfonso, kalamata, and manzanilla olives.
- Piquillo Peppers: In order to make this recipe we need some piquillo peppers. Piquillos are small sweet peppers that traditionally grow in Spain, and are common in Spanish cooking. They're roasted and peeled before stuffing and serving. Luckily for us, piquillo peppers are commonly sold this way, saving us from this tedious process. Check your local supermarket for jars of piquillo peppers.
How to make it
Add the fingerling potatoes to a medium-sized pot, cover with cold water, and salt generously. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until potatoes are fork tender. Drain, and set aside to cool.
Halve the cooled fingerling potatoes lengthwise and add to a large mixing bowl. Add chopped olives, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while you prepare the piquillo peppers stuffed with tuna.
In a medium mixing bowl combine drained canned tuna, mayonnaise, shallot, garlic, capers, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the jarred piquillo peppers, and blot excess fluid with paper towels. Set them out on a work surface.
Spoon the tuna mixture into a piping bag with the tip cut off or large ziptop bag with the corner cut off. You want the opening to be large enough to comfortably pipe the tuna mixture. One by one, hold open a piquillo pepper and pipe the tuna mixture into the cavity until the pepper is full. Set aside, and repeat with the remaining peppers and filling.
Arrange the tuna-stuffed piquillo peppers on either end of a platter with the fingerling potato and olive salad mounded in the center.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
My version of Disney's recipe turned out just as good if not better than the original! It is easy to make, and tastes absolutely fantastic. Even my young nephew who claims to hate bell peppers scarfed down 2 of the piquillo peppers stuffed with tuna.
Both components of the recipe can be made a couple hours in advance and plated right before serving.
If making this further in advance, mix together the tuna mixture and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days before serving. Pipe the mixture into the piquillo peppers shortly before serving. Dress the potato salad right before serving as well.
There are many different filling options for piquillo peppers, including meats, seafood, and cheese. Obviously in this case we will use our delicious tuna filling. If you end up with a large jar of piquillo peppers, use the rest of your haul to made these amazing Warm Stuffed Piquillo Peppers filled with goat cheese and topped with balsamic syrup. They are out of this world!
Other recipes you may like
- Barceloneta Potato Bombas
- Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)
- Ensaladilla Rusa (Spanish Potato Salad)
- Pan con Tomate (Spanish Tomato Bread)
- Escalivada (Catalan Roasted Vegetables)
- Salmon with Quinoa Salad and Arugula Chimichurri (Disney Recipe)
- Grilled Fish Tacos (Disney Recipe)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Tuna
Ingredients
Fingerling Potato and Olive Salad:
- 1 pound fingerling or baby/tiny potatoes, scrubbed clean
- ¾ cup roughly chopped olives, any varieties such as alfonso, kalamata, manzanilla, etc (use a combination of black and green)
- 1 tablespoon sherry wine or cava vinegar
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Tuna-Stuffed Piquillo Peppers:
- 2 (5 ounce) cans tuna packed in oil or water, drained
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 2 tablespoons minced or pressed garlic
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 11 to 12 drained roasted piquillo peppers, from a 10.2 ounce jar
Instructions
Fingerling Potato and Olive Salad:
- Add the potatoes to a medium-sized pot, add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch, and salt generously. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 to 20 minutes (time will depend on size of the potatoes). Drain, and set aside to cool.
- Halve the cooled fingerling potatoes lengthwise and add to a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped olives, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while you prepare the peppers.
Tuna-Stuffed Piquillo Peppers:
- In a medium mixing bowl combine the drained tuna, mayonnaise, shallot, garlic, capers, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Drain the jarred piquillo peppers, and blot excess fluid with paper towels. Set them out on a work surface.
- Spoon the tuna mixture into a piping bag with the tip cut off or large ziptop bag with the corner cut off. You want the opening to be large enough to comfortably pipe the tuna mixture. One by one, hold open a piquillo pepper and pipe the tuna mixture into the cavity until the pepper is full. Set aside, and repeat with the remaining peppers and filling.
- Arrange the Tuna-Stuffed Piquillo Peppers on either end of a platter with the Fingerling Potato and Olive Salad mounded in the center.
Notes
- Both components of the recipe can be made a couple hours in advance and plated right before serving.
- If making this further in advance, mix together the tuna mixture and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days before serving. Pipe the mixture into the piquillo peppers shortly before serving. Dress the potato salad right before serving as well.
- This is a great addition to a tapas menu! You may also want to try these Barceloneta Potato Bombas, Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese, or Garlic Shrimp for your next tapas experience.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Whitney says
This would be perfect to add to my charcuterie board. I am impressed by Disney's unique menu and your ability to recreate! Thanks!
Lucy Reinbold says
These were super delicious and light! The filling itself is so phenomenal I enjoy just making a simple sandwich with any leftovers.
Patrice says
I've never tried stuffing peppers with tuna before. Love the bright vibrant color!
Maike says
This recipe is sooo up my alley. I adore olives in a potato salad. The combinations of flavors sound amazing. I would never thought of stuffing piquillo peppers with tuna but it's such a good idea. I can't wait to make this.
Jenn says
What a GREAT idea for my next keto charcuterie plate - I can't wait to try this!
Katie says
These are unique, easy, and delicious. Always a hit!
Camille Thomas says
Tuna is one of those foods that I like, but don't often make. I feel like all I know how to make with canned tuna is tuna salad, and after I make it, I eat it once and that's it. This looks like the perfect way to make some tuna, and put it in a pepper that is perfect for stuffing. I absolutely love peppers - all kids of peppers - but I especially love roasted peppers. And the fact that this is served with (what is essentially) a potato salad makes it a recipe that I NEED to try! :o)