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Seared Tuna


sadistick

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First, let me start off by saying I searched on this topic, and could not find any results that would satisfy my query.

I picked up somer really nice tuna today, and am planning on searing it...last time I made tuna, I did the pepper corn incrusted version, which was nice...I have also done the sesame crust, also nice...

This time, I dont really want to crust it with anything, I was thinking something more along the line of a sauce/relish/salsa to acompany it...

My idea thus far is some type of Cilantro/lime/thai chili 'dressing' to just drizzle over the tuna...maybe add some finely diced tomatoes...

Then theres the regular old Lemon juice + good EVOO and s&p....meh :wink:

Any ideas would be great.

Cheers.

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maybe a DROP of sesame oil...I just find that sesame oil is too overpowering...

But I like your idea...maybe fuse mexican and asian....cilantro, light soy, lime juice, a bit of wasabe, DROP of sesame oil...? Sounds kinda interesting..

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If you're going to go with the brighter flavours, like lime and cilantro, then I'd leave out the sesame oil. In fact, thinking of using lime and cilantro in an Asian-style sauce makes me think Vietnamese instead of Chinese or Japanese.

That in turn makes me think along the lines of hot peppers instead of wasabi. What about macerating some chopped peppers (jalapeno or serrano) in a lime, cilantro, rice vinegar, and fish sauce concoction? You could take the peppers out before using it or leave them in, if you like.

Hmmmm. I've got some halibut in the freezer. I bet it would be tasty with that as well.

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Jensen...You have a valid point with the substitution of the wasabi for chilli's, as it so happens at the market I picked up some red thai bird chillis....hmmm, I am going to m ake a few versions, see what turns out well! Let me know if you try it with the halibut, Im sure it would work great!

DT - That sounds good, just not too many anchovies for me please :raz:

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I often do a salsa with tuna of mango, chili, lime, red onion and cilantro that is really nice.

Barbara Laidlaw aka "Jake"

Good friends help you move, real friends help you move bodies.

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I love seared tuna and make it frequently.

One of my favorites was I sauce I made with coconut milk and Thai green curry paste, I also added keffir lime lleaves and lemon grass for extra wonderful fragrance.

I spponed a bit of the sauce on the plate and then fanned the sliced, seared tuna on top.

One thing I have found that adds an extra dimemnsion to seared tuna in marinating it in ponzu (a Japanese citrus and soy based sauce) for at least two hours.

As I have 5 mouths to feed and tuna can be expensive (my 9 year old would eat a whole block if I let her), I often combine it with some kind of leaves to make it more of a salad. Last week I made this

gallery_6134_549_28382.jpg

the tuna was marinated in a yuzu-ponzu (yuzu is a Japanese citrus), seared, combined with mizuna leaves and red onions and then dressed with a simple dressing of equal amounts of rice vinegar, mirin, and soy sauce. To the dressing I always add some kick, this time I added yuzu-koshou a wonderful product of yuzu and green chiles in a paste form. But I sometimes make the dressing with wasabi as well.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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i am with kristen - ponzu! last night i did seared yellow fin with evoo, goma (sesame) oil, ponzu and shiso (perilla).

the shiso overpowered the sesame oil and gave it a really fresh flavour. it looked pretty too!

"Thy food shall be thy medicine" -Hippocrates

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It isn't a recipe for tuna but the method works very well for all kinds of fish.

Click

I definitely add the ginger and, for my tastes, chopped bird peppers (or hot pepper flakes in a pinch) and lots of Thai basil to garnish with lime wedges.

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It isn't a recipe for tuna but the method works very well for all kinds of fish.

Click

I definitely add the ginger and, for my tastes, chopped bird peppers (or hot pepper flakes in a pinch) and lots of Thai basil to garnish with lime wedges.

Have you tried this on tuna? I like misoyaki but I find that it's better with a fish whose texture absorbs it-- and a fish that you cook most or all the way through. I tried it with opah once, and the marinade didn't really get into the fish at all. It made a crust that was fairly tasty but not enough for the effort or the ingredients. I feel as if the same thing might happen with tuna.

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Just wanted to report back from last night....

I decided I would play around with the sauce for the tuna...I didnt want to marinate it, because I often like having a few bites minus sauces to taste the raw product.

Kristen, the marinade you had sounds like a base of the sauce I made...

I squeezed one lime and a BIT of lemon in to a bowl...chopped up a handfull of cilantro, 1 thai bird chili, 1 scallion, and a bit of ginger - added all that in to the lime juice to macerate.

I added a tiny splash of rice wine vinegar...a few tablespoons of sweet soy sauce, a splash of fish sauce, and then a few glugs of soy sauce...and finally, i decided I wanted to try something I had at a sushi place, so i added a few drops of sesame oil...

Great sauce to add to the sliced tuna

Cheers,

-Justin

Edited by sadistick (log)
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How are you searing the tuna? I have found that most applications I have found do not get hot enough for a great sear. Lately I have been removing the grill of my gas grill and putting a cast iron pan right on the drip rails and fire it up as hot as it will get. When the pan is almost glowing hot, I put a little grape seed oil on the tuna, and drop it on the pan. It only takes about 15 to 20 seconds to sear perfectly. This helps minimize the amount of tuna that is cooked to get a great sear. I have also done this with charcoal with similar success.

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I just put a non stick pan on a high flame, and let it sit for a minute or two...by then that thing is smoking hot, I dont use any oil and it still gets a great sear...I guess it really depends on what stovetop you are using as well...

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I sear tuna on a cast iron grill pan(with ridges), it gives the beautiful sear marks as well as a smokey flavor. Just make sure to smear some oil on the tuna first or you will never get it off. I have made this mistakemore than once.... :blink:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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  • 3 years later...

I like seared tuna for brunch with a soft-poached egg:

gallery_42214_5579_98525.jpg

Peter Gamble aka "Peter the eater"

I just made a cornish game hen with chestnut stuffing. . .

Would you believe a pigeon stuffed with spam? . . .

Would you believe a rat filled with cough drops?

Moe Sizlack

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A nonstick pan is probably the worst choice for searing a big piece of meat. The coating is an insulator and slows the transfer of heat. Also, this is the one application where you really risk heating the pan up so much that the teflon breaks down. Not only will it kill the pan, but the gasses that it liberates are not good for anyone.

You don't need nonstick. Properly seared tuna will release from any metal.

If you have a high BTU stove, any pan with a plain metal surface will work. If you have a typical home stove, you want to use a pan that has enough heat capacity to store a lot of energy. In other words, it should be heavy. The idea is that it should stay hot enough to brown the meat even after the initial loss of heat from the cold meat going into the pan.

Cast iron works well, as does heavy aluminum or copper.

On a home stove, you want to preheat the pan on highest heat for a good five minutes. With something as heavy and non-conductive as cast iron, you might need to go longer. Water splashed into the pan should leap out of it, or form little beads that skitter around on the surface. If the water just hisses and turns to steam the pan isn't hot enough.

Notes from the underbelly

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A nonstick pan is probably the worst choice for searing a big piece of meat. The coating is an insulator and slows the transfer of heat. Also, this is the one application where you really risk heating the pan up so much that the teflon breaks down. Not only will it kill the pan, but the gasses that it liberates are not good for anyone.

You don't need nonstick. Properly seared tuna will release from any metal.

If you have a high BTU stove, any pan with a plain metal surface will work. If you have a typical home stove, you want to use a pan that has enough heat capacity to store a lot of energy. In other words, it should be heavy. The idea is that it should stay hot enough to brown the meat even after the initial loss of heat from the cold meat going into the pan.

Cast iron works well, as does heavy aluminum or copper.

On a home stove, you want to preheat the pan on highest heat for a good five minutes. With something as heavy and non-conductive as cast iron, you might need to go longer. Water splashed into the pan should leap out of it, or form little beads that skitter around on the surface. If the water just hisses and turns to steam the pan isn't hot enough.

I agree with the above although I've not tried aluminium, and I'd go further to say copper lined with tin is my favourite way to sear tuna.

I used a teflon skillet for the yellowtail and egg shown above - I just keep the pan in motion.

The downside with those ways is the absence of grill marks:

gallery_42214_5579_73828.jpggallery_42214_5579_79724.jpg

Peter Gamble aka "Peter the eater"

I just made a cornish game hen with chestnut stuffing. . .

Would you believe a pigeon stuffed with spam? . . .

Would you believe a rat filled with cough drops?

Moe Sizlack

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Last time I made tuna, I just used Olive Oil, pepper, and salt.

I had Mayo, sriracha, and a little bit of oil heated up to break the consistency down to something a little more "liquidy" and put a side of soy and wasabi to dip it in as well. I also made a side of sushi rice that went well with the dish.

Sriracha and mayo are awesome together, imo.

I didn't have a chance to cut the tuna and fan it as the dog was sniffing around. And don't mind the quality. It's like the 5th transfer of the .jpg. The link for the one at my Flickr site is posted below. Better quality.

gallery_61254_6198_250106.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cokronk/2763376339/

Edited by Village Idiot (log)
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