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Tuna Pepper Poppers features canned tuna with a peppery kick teamed up with avocado and pineapple as the perfect stuffing for colorful mini bell peppers, for Cinco de Mayo finger food!
What are you serving for Cinco de Mayo?
Here in Southern California, we eat Mexican and Cal-Mex food all the time, so we don’t wait for a holiday to have an excuse. No celebration is complete without some fun finger food, and this little creation will have you doing a happy dance. Spiced up canned tuna combines with fresh pineapple, avocado and cilantro to make a flavor celebration worthy of this day, or any day, frankly.
I can eat this for lunch, as an appetizer before dinner, or just as a snack in the middle of the day. It’s versatile like that. Make it ahead if you like.
How to make Tuna Pepper Poppers
You’ll need some colorful mini bell peppers. You can find them packaged in the produce section. Lop off the stem and you’re ready to go. Split them in half lengthwise if you’d like them to look like mine in the photo. Or you can leave them whole and stuff the whole thing…your choice.
Mix up the tuna (with its oil), hot sauce, pineapple, cilantro and chopped tomatoes.
Spoon some of the tuna mixture into each pepper half, and insert a slice of avocado alongside. The avocado tames the spice a bit, and makes it all that much better.
Try this tuna-rrific pepper popper. And if you need an interesting margarita to go with it, may I suggest my Basilrita (Basil Margarita), which won a restaurant cocktail contest in 2012. Muy bueno.
Tuna Pepper Poppers features canned tuna with a peppery kick teamed up with avocado and pineapple as the perfect stuffing for colorful mini bell peppers, for Cinco de Mayo finger food!
Ingredients
- 1 (5-ounce) can tuna in olive oil (you will use the oil)
- Squirt of hot sauce (such as Sriracha, Tabasco, etc. your choice)
- 1/3-1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple *see note below
- 1/4 cup finely minced fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped tomato (I used grape tomatoes – easy to mince)
- Mini sweet bell peppers, multicolored
- 1 California avocado, pitted and sliced into slivers
Directions
- Using an electric mixer or by hand, mix tuna and its oil and hot sauce until combined and tuna is broken up. By hand, stir in pineapple, cilantro and tomato.
- Slice the caps off the mini peppers and remove any visible seeds with your finger. You may either leave them whole or cut them in half lengthwise; your choice. Insert a sliver of avocado, and using a small spoon (I found an old baby spoon), scoop the tuna mixture into the peppers alongside the avocado. Place on a serving platter.
- Makes 12+ peppers, depending on size.
Notes
Recipe source: Dorothy Reinhold | Shockingly Delicious
Pineapple note I had fresh pineapple on hand, and this was about 1/8 of a pineapple. If you don’t have fresh, you can certainly use canned tidbits or crushed pineapple, very well drained.
Pin the image below for Tuna Pepper Poppers to your Pinterest board to save this recipe
Other Cinco de Mayo recipes for you
Chile-Roasted Dutch Yellow Potatoes (Papas y Chiles)
This post was originally published May 5, 2013 and has been refreshed and republished today.
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At ShockD, you’ll find scrumptious, tried & true, "scary good" recipes, tips and coaching to make YOU a fabulous home cook! Don't blame me if you need a 12-step program to wean yourself away!
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How original! Looks like there are some great flavor combos in here!
When I saw the title I thought it was going to be jalapeno peppers but you totally surprised me with the colorful peppers. What a great thing to serve as an appetizer or finger food. Fantastic!
I’ve never seen this chipotle & olive oil tuna–now I’ll have to look for it! I love how the baby peppers are so crisp and sweet…these stuffed peppers look really yummy!
What a yummy, colorful dish! Like the tuna addition… sounds good for today or any day!
I like the idea of a tuna pepper popper! Very original but I bet it’s super tasty!
Dorothy,
I love this! It’s funny you used canned tuna. . which I am a fan of by the way. . I just watched this cooking show and they highlighted canned tuna recipes for a week and I was thinking what else I could do with tuna. These look great! yum!!
Sounds wonderful! I would eat this for my lunch…again and again!
Yum! Those sounds fantastic!
How fabulous! That flavour combo is stunning, as is the colour of the dish!
Wonderful idea! I didn’t know that there was canned tuna with chipotle seasoning available. I’ll have to look for it and give your recipe a try. Very colorful and delicious looking!
Oh my goodness, these are so pretty and look like they’d be awesome. Beautiful!!
Dorothy, these poppers look fantastic! I love the vibrant colors and every single delicious ingredient in there. I’m a total sucker for anything with avocado…yum… And I totally want a glass (or pitcher) of your contest-winning drink!
OMG. Those mini bell peppers are sitting in my fridget right now! Now I know what to do with them!
how fun are these?! I love that you used a pepper…nice, healthy twist!
I love finger foods! These look so good.
What a creative recipe!
I adore those mini peppers, and I love thinking of new ways to use them! Love this variation. 🙂
So colorful, Dorothy! They look delicious!
What a fabulous idea!!! I just love it and I didn’t know they made tuna in chipotle. I am so making this! What a great mid day snack this would make!
These are so cute! I’m always looking for new things to do with peppers, and this is a great idea 🙂