I have a soft spot for Sicily that I've never been able to shake.
The sights, the sounds, the smells, the food — the whole place just gets under your skin. And nowhere is that truer than in the kitchen. Sicilian cooking is ancient, bold, unapologetic. It uses what the land and sea provide — tomatoes, olives, capers, the finest tuna you'll ever taste — and turns it into something genuinely extraordinary with very little fuss.
Tonno alla Ghiotta is one of those dishes. Seared tuna steaks simmered in a punchy tomato sauce with olives, capers, celery, and herbs — it's vibrant, salty, deeply satisfying, and ready in under half an hour. It's the kind of thing you cook on a Friday night when you want something that feels special without taking all evening.
The wine? Has to be Grillo. This is Sicily's great white grape — and I've just sourced a gorgeous small parcel of 2025 Grillo that pairs with this dish like it was made for it. Because in a way, it was.
I served this with cous cous, a nod to the rich melting pot of cultures which, at various times, claimed Sicily for their own. Each imparted aspects of their food and culture, all of which is expressed in different dishes found around Sicily.
Ingredients:
4 tuna or swordfish steaks (about 150g each, and approximately 1-inch thick), skin removed
3 tablespoons Nimble extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced shallots or onions (or a combination of both)
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped ripe plum tomatoes (about 4-5) or 2 cups whole peeled canned tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup pitted Sicillian green olives, sliced or roughly chopped
3 tablespoons large capers
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes (optional)
1 red-wine vinegar to taste
Sea salt and pepper
PAN SEAR TUNA: Pat the tuna dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large 12-inch skillet over high heat. Working in batches, cook tuna for 2 minutes on both sides, until lightly browned. It’s best to use a splatter screen to control oil splatters. Transfer tuna onto a plate.
MAKE THE SAUCE: Leaving the oil in the skillet, add the shallots, celery, and garlic, and cook for 4 minutes until vegetables are soft. Stir in tomatoes, olives, capers, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes (is using), and 1/3 cup water. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally, lightly mashing the tomatoes. Add the vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
COOK TUNA IN SAUCE: Add the tuna back into the skillet, nestling the pieces in the sauce and spooning some on top. Cook for 5 minutes longer.
SERVE tuna on a bed of cous cous with lemon zest and fresh parsley. Spoon the delicious sauce liberally over the tuna.
POUR another glass of 2025 Nimble Grillo and enjoy:)
Why Grillo works with this dish
Tonno alla Ghiotta is a genuinely bold dish. The tomatoes, the briny capers, the olives, the vinegar — there's a lot going on. You need a white wine with enough character to keep up, but the right kind of freshness to cut through and refresh the palate between mouthfuls.
Grillo does this brilliantly, for three reasons:
It's built for Sicilian food. Grillo is an indigenous Sicilian grape that's been growing alongside this cuisine for centuries. There's a reason this combination exists — the wine's natural salinity and bright citrus character mirror the flavours of the sea and the capers in the dish perfectly.
The acidity is its superpower. Grillo has lovely, lively acidity — not aggressive, just clean and refreshing. In a dish with tomatoes and vinegar already doing a lot of work, you want a wine that matches that brightness rather than getting flattened by it.
It's full-flavoured enough to handle the tuna. This isn't a delicate dish, and Grillo isn't a delicate wine. It has real body and flavour — stone fruit, citrus blossom, a touch of almonds and something almost saline from its Mediterranean origins. It's a white wine that eats like a meal.
I often say drinkability is the single most important quality in a wine, and this Grillo has it in spades. One glass becomes two without you noticing. That's the sign of a genuinely good match.
A little about Grillo
Grillo is one of Sicily's most important indigenous white grape varieties — and frankly, one of the most underrated whites in the world.
For a long time, Grillo was used almost entirely to produce Marsala, Sicily's famous fortified wine. But as Marsala fell out of fashion, Sicilian winemakers started making dry table wines from the grape, and what they found was remarkable — a variety perfectly suited to making fresh, aromatic, food-friendly white wine.
If you like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris, Grillo will be right up your alley. It has that same crisp, textured character but with a distinctly Mediterranean soul.
The 2025 vintage I've sourced is a small parcel — when it's gone, it's gone. I'm genuinely excited to share it.
Frequently asked questions
What wine goes with tuna? For cooked tuna — especially in a bold Mediterranean sauce like Tonno alla Ghiotta — a full-flavoured white wine with good acidity is the ideal match. Grillo, Vermentino, or a dry Sicilian white all work beautifully. The bright acidity cuts through the richness of the fish while complementing the tomatoes and capers. If you prefer red, a light-bodied option like Frappato or Nero d'Avola works with more robustly sauced tuna dishes.
What is Tonno alla Ghiotta? Tonno alla Ghiotta is a classic Sicilian tuna dish — "alla ghiotta" roughly translates as "in the glutton's style," which tells you everything you need to know about how good it is. Fresh tuna steaks are seared and then braised in a punchy sauce of tomatoes, olives, capers, celery, garlic, and herbs. It's savoury, vibrant, and typically Sicilian — bold flavours, simple technique, outstanding results.
What is Grillo wine? Grillo is an indigenous white grape variety from Sicily, Italy. Historically used in Marsala production, it's now celebrated as a superb dry table wine in its own right. Grillo wines typically have bright acidity, a medium-to-full body, and flavours of citrus, white stone fruit, fresh herbs, and a characteristic saline mineral quality from Sicily's proximity to the sea. It's an excellent food wine — particularly with seafood, pasta, and Mediterranean dishes.
Is Grillo like Pinot Grigio? It has similarities — both are dry, crisp whites — but Grillo is generally fuller-bodied and more flavoursome than a standard Pinot Grigio. Think of it as Pinot Grigio with more personality. If you find Pinot Grigio a little neutral, Grillo will be a revelation.
Where can I buy Nimble 2025 Grillo? Directly from nimble.wine — I buy small parcels directly from the grower and sell them to you without any middlemen markups. Stock is limited.
Cheers, Richard — The Nimble Vintner
