Happy New Year!

Recently, a reader sent us this picture of a banana.

It’s not every day this happens…

So today, we’re going to ring in the year with something a little different.

Banana tuna pasta?

It began as a running joke with our Early Stage Crypto Investor (ESC) members.

During one of our live calls, James mentioned his favorite dish.

Banana Tuna Pasta.

I admit. My brain couldn’t process it at first.

The chat went wild.

It was so polarizing, I bet it’s the next “pineapple on pizza”... “fruit cake”... or “wearing socks with flip-flops.”

The excitement -- and disgust -- wore off for a bit.

But then, the story got better.

One of our ESC members, Greg Sharon, is a chef.

He’s also the owner of The Clam Castle and Taco Pacifico in Connecticut.

He wrote up a review for the soon-to-be-infamous banana tuna pasta… along with his suggestions. 

Here’s what he wrote:

Banana Tuna Pasta Time

Greg Sharon

This is a first for me, both in execution and journalism. 

As a chef, I’m used to seasoned columnists and “foodies” reviewing my own culinary creations. (Self plug/street cred: google Taco Pacifico + New York Times or Jacques Pépin)

While it’s rewarding and validating to receive praise, it always feels like a slap in the face when I come across a scathing 1 star review -- typically written by some self-proclaimed food expert. 

In other words, anybody equipped with a smartphone and Yelp! 

In preparing and reviewing James’ dish, I have tried to learn from my own humility by acknowledging the fact that no matter how nauseating pasta-with-boiled-banana-and-canned-tuna may sound, eating is an individual sensory experience that should never be denied or ruined by others’ judgments. 

All recipes - at one point in time - were either invented by experiment or accident, but this one seemed to fall in between the two, leaving me more intrigued than disgusted when James first described it. 

I have made it three times already in an effort to get it right. 

The type of pasta, ripeness of the banana and amount of water all play a crucial role in achieving the desired outcome. 

It’s been a series of trial and error but at this point I feel confident enough to compose a more objective review. No help from ChatGPT btw. I swear. I’m even too lazy to use the free version!

Review

Lemme start by saying I’m not a fan of fish. 

Especially as I get older. (Why on Earth I ever took over a seafood restaurant this year evades my comprehension.) 

I am actually so turned off by fish that I’m infamous for discouraging my customers from ordering fish tacos, which is ridiculous because they’re so popular and the most expensive item on my menu! 

Hey, I never said I was a salesman; just a chef. 

That said, I had to try the pasta BEFORE adding the canned tuna, knowing that this last ingredient would kill it for me. And I’m not gonna lie: it did. But let’s back up to the vegetarian version. When properly coated in sticky banana water (this needs a pretentious French name), the pasta actually has a way of tricking the palate that it is fresh, rather than from a box. 

Perhaps it’s because the banana is the only fresh ingredient used and the first thing I taste when I take a bite. 

Side note: when I was enrolled in a Cordon Bleu-certified culinary school 22 years ago, we were never allowed to cook pasta outta the box. It always had to be made from scratch, and once boiled and drained, it was returned to a pan full of butter, where it was tossed and salted. 

What impressed me the most about James’ dish is the fact that neither salt nor butter nor fresh pasta is necessary to extract or enhance flavor. The sweet taste buds are instantly stimulated from the natural sugar inside the banana, and the boiled fruit’s starchy consistency lends a rather creamy texture. 

Now back to that final ingredient. 

Just because my taste buds are completely intolerant of our finned friends doesn’t mean the rest of you won’t find this appealing. If you genuinely love tuna, then I would bet 1,000 tokens that you’d enjoy this pasta dish even more with it inside.

I understand if most of you still are grossed out by this dish, but as a chef who is always looking to learn something new in my trade, I am fascinated by the delectable result of boiling a banana with pasta. 

Who ever would've thought of such a thing? 

Seems like a progressive cooking technique invented by one of the great European masters like Ferran. For those of you who are now a bit curious to try making this at home, here are some pointers:

• Use shells, rotini or bowtie pasta. The smaller pastas with more nooks & crannies, the better. The banana pulp will find its way into these crevices and coat the pasta better than it will with spaghetti, linguine, etc.
• An overripe banana is best. Let’s face it: nobody wants to eat that brown banana and unless you plan on making banana bread, it’s only going to get browner until somebody throws it out. The riper, the sweeter it’ll be as the starch converts to sugar. Also, a riper banana will be softer and will therefore dissipate faster into the boiling water.
• Use a ratio of 2 cups pasta : 3 cups water. Using too much water (which I did the first time) will dilute the banana, resulting in a blander, watery pasta.
• Place the raw banana into the boiling water when the pasta has between 5-8 minutes left to cook.
• Use canned tuna preserved in olive oil rather than water and don’t drain the oil first. The oil will further lubricate the pasta and add another layer of flavor, bringing it all together
• Don’t go to chef school! It’s a complete waste of money. I dropped out after a month and a half. Cook for passion and invest in crypto instead!!

Greg Sharon
Owner, Taco Pacifico
Fellow ESC member