Good Fish_ Sustainable Seafood Recipes From the Pacific Coast - Becky Selengut [64]
To prepare the tuna, heat a large skillet over high heat. Season the albacore steaks with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil to the skillet and, when it is hot, sear the tuna for exactly 2½ minutes on each side, for a juicy medium rare. Transfer the steaks to a platter and cover lightly with aluminum foil to keep warm. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and, when it is hot, sear the figs, cut side down, until they are brown, about 2 minutes. Flip them over, add the cherry tomatoes, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomatoes are lightly charred. Transfer the figs and tomatoes to the platter with the steaks and place the skillet back over the heat to prepare the sauce.
To prepare the sauce, add the wine to the warm skillet you cooked the albacore and figs in. Reduce the wine by half, about 5 minutes. Add the clam juice and balsamic vinegar and reduce to a light syrup, about 3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper as needed.
To serve, on each of 4 plates, place an albacore steak with some figs and tomatoes and a heaping pile of ratatouille. Drizzle some of the pan sauce around the plate.
PAIRING: A red Burgundy, such as R. Dubois “Vieilles Vignes” 2008, or a rosé.
gin-and-tonic-cured albacore with dandelion crackers and lime cream
For the gin-and-tonic-cured albacore:
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon juniper berries
⅓ cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon lime zest
3 tablespoons light brown
sugar
1 tablespoon gin
1½ pounds albacore loin, cut
into a rectangular block
no more than 1 inch thick
(use trimmings to poach
for niçoise salad or eat as
sashimi)
For the lime cream:
⅓ cup cream cheese
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon lime zest
1½ tablespoons milk
For serving:
6 Dandelion Crackers (recipe follows)
Before you think I’m encouraging you to dunk some tuna into a gin and tonic, I was merely inspired by the juniper, gin, and lime in one of my favorite adult beverages. Curing of the albacore is done much like you’ d cure salmon for a traditional gravlax preparation. I hate to pick favorites, but this is one of my most cherished recipes in this book. It requires some advanced planning but not a lot of active work. You can make the lime cream the same day you cure the fish, the next day you can prepare the crackers and store them in an airtight container, and on the third day you can kick back with a gin and tonic and reap the rewards.
SERVES 6 TO 8 AS AN APPETIZER
To prepare the albacore, grind the peppercorns, juniper berries, and kosher salt together in a spice grinder. Mix the ground spices with the lime zest and brown sugar in a small bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and spread half of the peppercorn mixture onto the plastic. Sprinkle with 1½ teaspoons of the gin, then lay the fillet on top of that. Sprinkle the tuna with the remaining 1½ teaspoons gin and then spread the rest of the peppercorn mixture on top of the tuna. Wrap tightly, place in a dish that will hold any juices that may escape, position a few heavy cans on top of the fillet to weigh it down, and place in the refrigerator.
Every day, for three days, flip the wrapped fillet. At the end of the three days, wipe the majority of the cure off the albacore with a damp paper towel and slice the fish as thin as possible.
To prepare the cream, blend the cream cheese, salt, lime zest, and milk in the bowl of a food processor or by hand until well mixed.
There are a couple of ways to serve this dish. You can lay the albacore slices on a platter, place the Dandelion Crackers in a basket, and pass