Simply Tunarrific
Some fish simply require nothing more than a sear in
sizzling butter in a hot pan. Some
require even less than that. And this
brings me to tuna. For me, the less you
do to it the better and I love nothing more than a slice of melt-in-the-mouth,
buttery raw tuna. But some folk shy
against raw tuna (their loss, I think) and require a little more culinary attention
to that lovely meat. I found some
beautiful tuna steaks and my preparation today will, I think, please the gamut
of tuna afficionados – from those who relish a tuna seviche or poke bowl, to
those who like a simple and quick blackening sear, and to those who enjoy a bit
more complexity and would appreciate some complementary flavors as a backdrop
to their fish. Remember when you’re
embellishing a food that has its own intrinsic flavor (scallops, filet mignon,
tuna), you don’t want to overpower the star of the meal. Your components should accent, add support,
and be a minor part of the relationship.
Your accompaniments should draw attention to and highlight the main
attraction of the meal, in this case the tuna, but never overwhelm nor share
the stage 50/50.
Rosie’s Seared Tuna
Steaks
Tuna steaks, at least an
inch thick, room temperature
Rosie Note: Whenever I’m
cooking meat, especially thicker cuts, I allow it to sit at room temperature
for at least 20 minutes before cooking.
This rest enables the meat to reach an equalized temperature throughout
so you have a more even cooking process, preventing the inside from staying
cold and the outside from overcooking.
In addition, during this rest, the muscle fibers relax , contributing to
a more tender and flavorful end result.
Resting the meat after cooking (tent loosely
with foil to maintain heat) allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a juicier,
more tender piece of meat.
Procedure: I’m going to
make a rub for the tuna steaks, sear them in a hot cast iron skillet, and pour
in an orange juice mixture to deglaze the pan and make a nice sauce to
accompany the fillets. My side dishes
for the tuna will be orange-infused jasmine rice and a mushroom and spinach
dish. The rice takes the longest, so
I’ll start with that.
For the rice: You could use
either basmati or jasmine rice. Both are
flavorful long-grained rices. The
basmati has a nutty flavor; the jasmine has a sweeter, more floral flavor. Your pick.
Prepare rice according to package directions, but instead of using all
water to simmer the rice in, I use a combination of orange juice and water, maybe
½ and ½. After cooking, plop in a nice
chunk of unsalted butter, cover, and set aside.
Sprinkle some orange zest over top for serving.
For the tuna:
2 thick tuna fillets
2 oranges
1 TB soy sauce
2 TB brown sugar
Zest and juice both
oranges, setting aside a teaspoon of zest to sprinkle on the rice. Two oranges should yield about ½ cup of
juice. Stir in the soy sauce and set
aside. You’ll use this mixture to
deglaze the pan with.
Rub the zest and brown
sugar on both sides of the tuna fillets.
Pour in enough oil to film
your pan and set it over medium high heat.
When the temperature is about 425°, add in a pat of butter. Let it spit, sizzle, and melt, then place
your tuna steaks in the pan. Mine were
over 1 inch thick and I like my tuna rare.
Cook about 2 minutes first side, then turn the steaks over and cook
about 1 ½ minutes on the second side.
Remove from pan and let rest.
Turn heat down to medium and pour in the orange juice/soy sauce mixture,
scraping the pan to get the goodie bits.
That’s what I call those tasty little particles, but the culinary term
for “goody bits,” or the residue of browned meat that adheres to the pan, is
the fond and that’s where all the flavor is. This cooking technique is called “deglazing”
the pan. You use a liquid, like the
orange juice, or wine or stock, to loosen and dissolve the browned, caramelized
food particles stuck on the bottom of the pan.
Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering until the sauce reduces
and thickens a bit, concentrating the flavors.
The resulting sauce is full of flavor and is used to enhance your dish
for an extra layer of richness and savoriness.
If you’d like to add a bit of decadence to this sauce, whisk in a few
tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon at a time, incorporating thoroughly
before adding in the next one.
I happened to have some
fresh strawberries, which I sliced and added to the sauce for some fruitiness.
I also added some
pomegranate arils and cranberries which I had frozen (leftover from Christmas
cookery). I like the red colors and the
piquancy of flavoring.
About 2 minutes first side, turn, and give it a minute more on the flip side. For rare.
Deglaze pan with orange juice and soy mixture.
Simmer, stirring until reduced, then add in the cranberries, pom arils, and strawberries. Or not. Your choice.
Give your steaks a chance to rest.
While tuna is resting, prepare the mushroom and spinach dish.
I don't give exact amounts here. Use what you can eat.
Sear the shrooms first. Then drop in the spinach, remove from heat, cover, and get ready to eat.
For the spinach and
mushrooms:
While the tuna is resting
after its searing, heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat with a slight film
of oil and add a tablespoon of butter.
When the butter is sizzling, add in sliced mushrooms and let cook,
stirring. When the mushrooms are
browned, turn off heat, add in stemmed spinach leaves, and cover. You want the spinach to just barely wilt and
retain its vibrant green color, not overcook and become dark, dull green and
mushy or slimy. Salt to taste.
To serve: Pool
sauce on the plate and place tuna steak.
Add sliced strawberries, pomegranate arils, and cranberries, if desired.
Scoop a mound of rice and a spoonful of spinach and mushrooms. Add more sauce if you like.
In the unlikely event that
you have leftover tuna, I would suggest making tuna salad.
Rosie’s Tuna Salad:
1 tuna fillet (Mine was
seared already, but quite rare in the middle, and about 4 inches square.)
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 stalk celery, minced
1 – 2 tsp sweet relish
1 tsp minced red pepper
1 small radish, diced
1-2 TB chopped parsley
2 TB mayonnaise, or more,
to taste
Kosher salt and freshly
ground pepper, to taste
Cut the tuna into ½-inch
bits. Drop into a pan of salted and Old
Bay-ed boiling water. Leave for about a
minute, until water comes back to a boil and tuna is white. Drain and let cool completely. Combine tuna (You can flake it if you like.),
minced celery, sweet relish, minced red pepper, radish, parsley, and mayo. Fork it all together, taste test, and add
salt and pepper as needed or adjust any of the other ingredients to taste. Serve on crackers, ideally with some fresh
dill. Alas, I had no fresh dill, so I
used dill-flavored Triscuits. Quite good.
Enjoy.
