Pan-roasted Yellowfin Tuna with Tuna Tartare
Very contemporary tastes mingle in this dish, which combines seared tuna steak and roasted-pepper tuna tartare with a glaze of balsamic vinegar and molasses. The tuna steaks are placed on a salad of sauteed mushrooms and topped with arugula banded with tuna slices.
Ingredients
- Glaze
- Balsamic Vinegar - 1 cup
- Molasses - 1/4 cup
- Shiitake Salad
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Shallots - 3, minced
- Garlic Clove - 1, minced
- Shiitake Mushroom Caps - 24, roughly diced
- Balsamic Vinegar - 1/2 cup
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Thyme Sprigs - 1, chopped
- Roasted Peppers
- Red Bell Pepper - 1
- Yellow Bell Pepper - 1
- Green Bell Pepper - 1
- Tuna Preparation
- Sushi-grade tuna loin - One, 2-pound
- Tuna Steaks
- Tuna Steaks - 4 (reserved from above)
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic Clove - 1, minced
- Fresh thyme sprigs - 3, minced
- Fresh Basil Leaves - 4 - 6, minced
- Olive Oil - 2 - 3 tablespoons
- Tuna Tartare
- Tuna - chopped, (reserved from above)
- Bell peppers - roasted, diced (above)
- Thyme Sprigs - 2, minced
- Basil leaves - 3 - 4, minced
- Mustard - 1 tablespoon
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Arugula Clusters
- Arugula Leaves - 20, cleaned
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
- Balsamic Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- Tuna Strips - 4, (reserved from above)
Instructions
To make the glaze: Blend the vinegar and molasses in a small non-aluminum pan and place over medium heat. Cook until reduced by two thirds; it will be syrupy. Remove from heat and let cool. Put in a squeeze bottle.
To make the shiitake salad: Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add the shallots and garlic. Saute until slightly softened, 30 - 45 seconds, then add the shiitake caps and toss. Saute until the caps are browned and nearly all liquid has evaporated, tossing or stirring to keep from sticking. Pour in the balsamic vinegar and stir up the browned bits from the bottom. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, and thyme.
To prepare the peppers: Roast the peppers over an open flame or under a broiler until blackened. Wrap in plastic and let cool. Unwrap and remove the blackened skin. Trim, seed, and dice. Set aside.
To prepare the tuna: Cut four 6-ounce portions from the loin. From the remaining piece, slice four 4-inch-by-six-inch thin slices and set aside. Dice remaining scraps for the tartare. Keep chilled until ready to use.
To finish the tuna steaks: Season the tuna steaks with salt and pepper, garlic, thyme, and basil. Dot with olive oil. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a grill pan or large skillet over high heat and sear the tuna on all sides just long enough to seal and color the tuna, about 30 seconds per side; keep the center rare or medium-rare. Remove and let rest.
To make the tuna tartare: Combine the diced tuna, diced bell peppers, thyme, basil, mustard, and olive oil. Season with black pepper.
To prepare the arugula: Wash the arugula and toss with the olive oil and vinegar. Divide into four bunches and wrap each bunch with one of the strips of tuna loin. Set aside.
To serve: Drizzle glaze on each plate. Place a mound of warm shiitakes in the center. With two large spoons, make quenelles of the tuna tartare and place 3 in front of the shiitakes on each plate. Drizzle with olive oil and dust with freshly ground black pepper. Slice the tuna loins diagonally into three slices and arrange slices over the mushrooms. Stand an arugula cluster behind each shiitake salad.
