Seared Yellowfin Tuna Tartare
A fresh tuna tartare of tuna, shallots, chives, and capers is accented with a sauce made with wine and sage. The sage is delicious -- and unexpected -- with the tuna. Note that the egg yolk will not be cooked in this preparation: you may use heavy cream as a binding agent in the tartare if you are not absolutely confident of the purity of the eggs you can buy.
Ingredients
- Tuna tartare
- Yellowfin (ahi) tuna - 6 ounces, very fresh, chopped
- Caramelized Shallots and Sherry Vinaigrette (recipe follows) - 1/4 cup, finely chopped (alt. sweet onion)
- Chives - 2 tablespoons chopped
- Capers - 2 tablespoons, drained
- Egg Yolk - 1, 1 tablespoon heavy (whipping) cream
- Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
- Freshly ground black pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
- Yellowfin (ahi) tuna medallions - 4 slices, very fresh, cut 1/2-inch thick
- Olive - 1 tablespoon, vegetable oil
- Sage-Cream Sauce
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Shallots - 1/4 cup, chopped, or sweet onion
- Fresh Sage leaves - 2 tablespoons, sliced
- Dry white wine such as Chardonnay - 1/2 cup
- Heavy Cream - 1/2 cup
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Romaine Lettuce leaves - 4 cups, small or mesclun salad greens
- Optional Garnishes
- Horseradish - freshly grated
- Sage Leaves - whole, dredged in corn meal and deep fried until crisp
Instructions
To prepare the tuna: Combine chopped tuna, shallots, chives, capers, egg yolk, salt and pepper; mix well. Spread mixture evenly over the tuna medallions. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add medallions (in batches, if necessary) to skillet and cook until bottom of medallion is seared, about 2 minutes. (Chopped tuna mixture on top will be uncooked).
To make the sage cream: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; saute 3 minutes. Add sage; saute 1 minute. Add wine; simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add cream; simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
To serve: For each serving, wilt 1 cup lettuce leaves briefly in hot sauce, turning to coat lightly with the sauce. Transfer to a serving plate; top with a tuna medallion. Garnish with horseradish and fried sage leaves, if desired.
