Yellowfin tuna chunk in need of inspiration

[heidih]

So round two was quite different. I cooked some tiny potatoes and tossed them with dill from the garden. Also sliced a small cucumber from the garden and made a Greek yogurt, horseradish and lemon juice dipping sauce for all. The tuna was a thicker slice, quickly seared so that it was mostly raw. I ran into another neighbor this morning and she asked me if I had cooked the tuna yet. Her method appealed and that is what I did - a bit of olive oil and butter in the pan, and then a generous mount of whole peppercorns heated in that mix until they popped. The tuna was placed on top and given a quick hot time on either side. I really enjoyed the pepper kick and the more cooked nature of the tuna. The peppercorns were crunchy and delightful - I will borrow this trick for other proteins. The yogurt/horseradish sauce was great for lightly dipping the potatoes, cukes and tuna.

[heidih]

Enamored of the seared with whole peppercorns concept, I prepped a bit of tuna the same way and sliced it over home grown young radish greens, parsley, basil, mint, and green onion tossed with a ginger/sesame vinaigrette and some crispy fried onion from the market. It was a nice mix and the tuna has a delicate taste with a meaty texture. I am happy. The rest of the chunk will appear tomorrow as ceviche and a sushi bowl.

[heidih]

Correction to the salad post above - the greens were not radish tops; they were very young Indian mustard

In need of a snack after my morning walk I pulled a small piece of leftover seared tuna from the fridge, and nuked some short grain cooked rice to lukewarm. There were some seasoned toasted seaweed strips in the cupboard. Topped with avocado and pickled ginger, dabbed with wasabi and drizzled with soy sauce - three delightful mouthfuls.

I am still contemplating the ceviche method and ingredients - leaning towards an experiment involving fish sauce, lime and coconut milk.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

If you go with coconut milk, add it after the fish has cured in the lime/fish-sauce, not before. It's quite alkaline, and will retard the curing process.

[heidih]

If you go with coconut milk, add it after the fish has cured in the lime/fish-sauce, not before. It's quite alkaline, and will retard the curing process.

Thanks! I was thinking of doing the lime juice and salt (or fish sauce) brining first, discarding, and then dressing. Maybe one simply with sweet onion. hot pepper, and cilantro and the other with ginger, lemongrass, hot peppers, and a touch of coconut milk with basil, mint and cilantro.

[Blether]

You're close to inventing the Fijian staple kokoda (pr. kokonda).

[ScottyBoy]

I love how you are making the most out of a nice hunk of special tuna. Giving it the respect it deserves from the fact that your friend gifted it to you! So many awesome presentations over a wide range of textures and flavors!

[heidih]

So- the second to last prep - a "classic" ceviche. Salted the chunked tuna and covered with lime juice. After the outside was opaque I drained the liquid and combined with a bit of sweet onion, cucumber. cilantro, Green Zebra tomato, and the tail end of my homemade salsa which was very spicy. I also added a bit more lime juice and salt, and let it sit for about 20 minutes before digging in. I enjoyed a portion of the ceviche with a corn tortilla crisped in the oven, some smashed avocado (it was too soft to cube into the ceviche) and some chicharon for another contrast. Wonderfully satisfying. There is no way I am going to finish this today, but I think the meat may firm up more rather than getting mushy. A friend coming tomorrow from the fish wasteland of Arizona will appreciate it.

[heidih]

Final prep - "ceviche" in a SE Asian mode: fish dice marinated first for several hours with fish sauce and lime juice with a sprinkle of piloncillo. Drained and mixed with grated ginger, fresh red cayenne pepper, very young lemongrass, green onion, basil, mint, cilantro, and coconut milk and some tart apple. I added a bit more of fish sauce and lime juice. It sat for maybe an hour and I tasted it with a puffy sesame rice cracker and had some crushed roasted peanuts to sprinkle over.

This was a great experiment to expand my horizons and respect the meat. I am now a home-made ceviche convert and will be using the quick sear with popping peppercorns.

[Pierogi]

Heidi, congrats on some stellar work with that beautiful piece of fish ! They all looked wonderful, and I bet tasted the same. You done good, and certainly honored that yellowfin.