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seared tuna


FaustianBargain

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I understand that the right way to sear tuna is to leave it pink at the centre...why?

i have seen people curl their lips derisively on mention of well done steaks..but 'well done tuna' seems to make them balk and sputter with sheer horror...is this a golden rule that is never meant to be broken?

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AHHHH...

not even pink...seared tuna should be just that...seared - the inside should still be raw!!!

Why???Hmm...unless you slowly poach the tuna in olive oil - tuna should'nt even be cooked! Searing is ok - but just do it quickly!!! Make sure your NON-STICK pan is smoking hot - no oil nec. and make sure that it is well seasoned. Dont hurt the tuna...it didn't do anything to you!

Just my $.02!!!

Ciao,

Ore

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Well done tuna tends to become very, very dry and mealy. Tunas best qualities (in my humble opinion) lie in its beautifully delicate texture, rosy color and clean flavor. You could save time and money purchasing canned tuna instead of overcooking it. But, honestly, if thats the way YOU enjoy cooking and eating the fish, by golly, do it...its YOUR food! :smile:

Shelley: Would you like some pie?

Gordon: MASSIVE, MASSIVE QUANTITIES AND A GLASS OF WATER, SWEETHEART. MY SOCKS ARE ON FIRE.

Twin Peaks

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Lets not forget the obvious; the tuna needs to impeclibly fresh and odor free for the raw/rare to be a desired taste/texture.

"He could blanch anything in the fryolator and finish it in the microwave or under the salamander. Talented guy."

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Lets not forget the obvious; the tuna needs to impeclibly fresh and odor free for the raw/rare to be a desired taste/texture.

'zactly. if the fish isn't good enough to just put a sear on it, you shouldn't be eating it. that accounts for about 99% of the "tuna steaks" that are served everywhere on top of pasta and on sandwiches. personally, i prefer it raw, with perhaps a super-light sear. or out of a can.

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Lets not forget the obvious;  the tuna needs to impeclibly fresh and odor free for the raw/rare to be a desired taste/texture.

'zactly. if the fish isn't good enough to just put a sear on it, you shouldn't be eating it. that accounts for about 99% of the "tuna steaks" that are served everywhere on top of pasta and on sandwiches. personally, i prefer it raw, with perhaps a super-light sear. or out of a can.

I agree completely.

Cooking a piece of tuna well-done is like cooking a piece of toast until it is black and falling apart. You're rendering it nearly useless and inedible. You might as well just eat a piece of bland, dry, chicken.

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Tony Bourdain once said some memorable things about overcooking a steak .. which, sadly, I can not quote properly here ... maybe someone else can find his exact words??

That is how I feel about what some people do when cooking fresh tuna ... :sad:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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thanks...maybe tomorrow i'll get myself a nicely seared tuna...does tuna go with some kind of specific wine?...

i am trying hard..but it sometimes freaks me out when stuff that isnt properly cooked comes to the table..it absolutely horrifies me as i keep thinking that something that was freshly pulled out from the floor of the ocean has landed on my plate...no...noone has died yet..i suppose...still..its taking a whole lot of reorientation with food to deal not just with meat/fish...but with the concept of undercooked(or...god forbid..raw) meat/fish..

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thanks...maybe tomorrow i'll get myself a nicely seared tuna...does tuna go with some kind of specific wine?...

Pinot Noir.

"He could blanch anything in the fryolator and finish it in the microwave or under the salamander. Talented guy."

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Oh, great. I was all excited because I treated myself to some IQF tuna "steaks" from Sam's Club. I only buy IQF seafood because I'm convinced there's no such thing as fresh seafood where I live. Anyway, this will be my first time eating tuna steaks. They are about 4 oz each and not exactly thick, from memory I'd say 3/4". Does it have to be sushi grade to serve rare? I was going to do it like I read in How to Cook Everything; broil 4 min. on one side and 3 on the other. Is there a better way I should know about?

Rachel Sincere
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What is the story on the beautiful pink tuna that is out there in the markets?

Not all tuna is so pretty and pink... more often brown, even when IQF. I've heard that the pinkness is attributable to some sort of immediate carbon monoxide treatment of the fish. Anything to this story?

Christopher D. Holst aka "cdh"

Learn to brew beer with my eGCI course

Chris Holst, Attorney-at-Lunch

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cdh you carbon dioxide treatment is mentioned on this link

http://www.ava.gov.sg/JAVASCRIPT/carbonMTuna.htm

Also different cuts of tuna has different colour the leanest is dark red and the belly is fattier and light pink.

Lalitha as long as your food is totally fresh and you have handled it with care you don't need to be afraid of raw food. :wink:

One of the thing i ask friends i am introducing sushi and raw fish to is " do they like smoked salmon?" if they say yes they should have no problem with raw fish.

The fish doesn't HAVE to be sushi grade to be served rare but i think it would be HIGHLY preferable. :wink:

(ie: yes, if you can get sushi grade tuna use that, if not then you better trust your fishmonger with your health/life tick as applicable )

As with many on this thread over cooking tuna just destroys the flavour of the fish.

Yep searing tuna is the best way.

Simplest way is just rub salt and black pepper and a little olive oil over the fish, then get your pan smoking hot, drop in the tuna and sear from anywhere between 30 seconds to a maximum minute, turn over and repeat. Serve with your fave veggies and a lemon wedge

Or if you are a pyromaniac like me you can use a blowtorch ;)

"so tell me how do you bone a chicken?"

"tastes so good makes you want to slap your mamma!!"

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The fish doesn't HAVE to be sushi grade to be served rare but i think it would be HIGHLY preferable. 

(ie: yes, if you can get sushi grade tuna use that, if not then you better trust your fishmonger with your health/life tick as applicable )

Hmmmmm. As my fishmonger is the freezer section at Sam's Club, and I'm fairly certain that Sam Walton doesn't give a crap if I live or die, I guess I'll have to broil those steaks 4 min. one side and 3 min. the other.

Rachel Sincere
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I have used the frozen Tuna at Sams a couple of time when I was entertaining the hords.

It was okay, didn't smell and was fine for searing. I normally server with either Japanese chili sesame oil drizzled on it or a Wasabi vinaigrette.

Most of the Tuna you purchase even at the local Fishmongers here in the Dallas area is in fact pre-frozen. When I want really fresh Tuna I go to the local Japanese restaurant supply and watch them cut it off the Tuna. Kind of fun when they have the big guys in to see them wrestle 6 or 700 pounds of fish.

Never trust a skinny chef

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One of my local grocery chains has been stocking cryovac frozen yellowfin tuna steaks that appear to be of the "frozen and processed at sea" variety. At $6.99 per pound I couldn't resist trying them ("fresh" yellowfin is $15 - $17 per pound around here).

Simplest way is just rub salt and black pepper and a little olive oil over the fish, then get your pan smoking hot, drop in the tuna and sear from anywhere between 30 seconds to a maximum minute, turn over and repeat. Serve with your fave veggies and a lemon wedge

That's the technique I finally settled on after overdoing them the first two times out. When in doubt undercook. Even two minutes on the first side and a minute on the second side is way too much. I do press mine gently with a large spatula when it hits the hot pan to increase the searing effect a bit but that's probably overkill.

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yep if the pan is smoking hot anything more then a minute and it will be overdone.

Thats why I sometimes use a blowtorch as you literally just want the outside to be cooked and it too be raw in the middle.

Actually the nobu cookbook got two nice recipes for tuna

1. You smear a little crushed garlic on sashimi slices of tuna and just blowtorch one side then top it with a cilantro leaf and a thin slice of chilli and serve it with a citrus soya sauce.

2. new style sashimi where you sprinkle crushed garlic, finely sliced ginger and scallion on some thin slices of tuna.

Then you heat up a 3/1 Tbsp of light olive oil to sesame oil until is start to shimmer then using a ladle carefully just pour the oil over the tuna slices

and then finish with a splash of soya sauce and a squeeze of orange and a sprinkle of chives and toasted sesame seeds.

its amazing how simple and tasty these both come out, everytime i made it for people they are like "wow! this is amazing!"

:laugh:

"so tell me how do you bone a chicken?"

"tastes so good makes you want to slap your mamma!!"

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This actually reminds me: I actually am not all that fond of seared tuna. Maybe it's just me, but I find that the smoky taste from the searing completely overwhelms the raw tuna taste. I like the Nobu idea of just searing one side, though!

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Why? Why? Why? If the tuna is that fresh, just eat it. Put it on top of some rice, a little soy and wasabi, pickled ginger and sake. The torching and pouring of hot oil over the fish is all for show.

"He could blanch anything in the fryolator and finish it in the microwave or under the salamander. Talented guy."

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man cannot eat bread along :wink:

No he/she must have crossiants and bagels and pita and naan and foccacia, blah, blah, blah.......... :raz:

yep if you got the freshest fattiest tuna belly then it be sacrilege to eat it anything but raw.

yeah just cut it off and give it to me with aload of wasabi and soya sauce :laugh:

but chefdg have you tried the nobu recipes they are seriously good :smile:

the first one gives the fish a really strong chilli spike and the blow torching just realease some of the fatty oil searing the edges and is a gorgeous variation of tuna tataki.

And the new style sashimi is amazing too,

although i think that technique lends iself better to salmon or scallop as tuna has a firmer texture.

"so tell me how do you bone a chicken?"

"tastes so good makes you want to slap your mamma!!"

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Simplest way is just rub salt and black pepper and a little olive oil over the fish, then get your pan smoking hot, drop in the tuna and sear from anywhere between 30 seconds to a maximum minute, turn over and repeat. Serve with your fave veggies and a lemon wedge

That's the technique I finally settled on after overdoing them the first two times out. When in doubt undercook. Even two minutes on the first side and a minute on the second side is way too much. I do press mine gently with a large spatula when it hits the hot pan to increase the searing effect a bit but that's probably overkill.

Wish I had read this. Boy, oh, boy. I had a cookbook that said medium rare is 3-1/2 min. per side. So I did 3 min per side thinking that would be rare. The inside was pink, but cooked, and I had over salted, so my lovely tuna steaks tasted just like salty canned tuna.

You weren't kidding! I could have saved a lot of money just eating it out of the can!

I have two more tuna steaks to try out (hopefully not DRY out). Next time, I'll do 45 sec. per side.

Rachel Sincere
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And the new style sashimi is amazing too,

although i think that technique lends iself better to salmon or scallop as tuna has a firmer texture.

We had an excellent dish for the first time the other night at Daniel in NYC. Everyone was surprised we hadn't had it before. Apparently, they've been preparing it for a long time. It was a very simple dish with of sliced scallops and sliced matsutake mushrooms. The scallops are evidently put under the boiler for seconds, just long enough to warm them, but not long enough to change their texture. I believe the mushrooms get the same treatment. The slices are arranged on a warm plate and drizzled with an herbed olive oil. Even thought they're still raw, the temperature change affects the way they're perceived in your mouth.

Robert Buxbaum

WorldTable

Recent WorldTable posts include: comments about reporting on Michelin stars in The NY Times, the NJ proposal to ban foie gras, Michael Ruhlman's comments in blogs about the NJ proposal and Bill Buford's New Yorker article on the Food Network.

My mailbox is full. You may contact me via worldtable.com.

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I also love seared scallops that are literally that, seared.

They shouldnt be firm all the way through, in my opinion. Nice and cripsy and brown on the outside, and warm but soft on the inside. (Perfectly done at Gramercy Tavern bar room, which I will continue to promote until Chef Colicchio gets so popular that he is forced to open one in Boston and Atlanta.)

Andrew Baber

True I got more fans than the average man but not enough loot to last me

to the end of the week, I live by the beat like you live check to check

If you don't move yo' feet then I don't eat, so we like neck to neck

A-T-L, Georgia, what we do for ya?

The Gentleman Gourmand

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