Epicure Recipe Card #15: Nori-crusted Tuna

New Year’s Eve 2010 was a quiet affair at home for Monsieur Poisson and I as he had work duties to fulfil from the comfort of our study. Not that we’re terribly exciting people who go out partying to celebrate the event in any case but, as always, calendar occasions call for a celebration with food. And so I set about making a little too much food when there was only the two of us to feed, which resulted in abandoning some of the plans at the last minute.

The evening started off with salmon tartare which was a tad short of what I’d envisaged. I was thinking sexy poached eggs with golden yolk spilling out to enrobe the salmon morsels in a thick creaminess but, uh, although I’d employed the plastic wrap method let’s just say my egg-poaching skills leave a lot to be desired still. Taste-wise it didn’t disappoint, but perhaps learning how to poach an egg properly is something to make a resolution about.

Some pan-fried gyoza followed as well as something from another recipe card which I’d had in mind for entertaining purposes as it seemed extremely simple to make ahead as well as being a little special. The hardest part was finding sashimi-grade tuna at the local fishmongers, and nor is it cheap. Once that was done, there was virtually no preparation involved and just some flash searing in a hot pan before cooling and slicing. Easy! And I decided to do away with encrusting the tuna with nori, instead just snipping a few strips over the end product instead.

Although the recipe card describes it being served with lemon soy, the instructions suggest it can be served with wasabi mayonnaise or the former. Either way it really is one of the most low effort, stress-free things I’ve ever made and will be sure to impress guests with its geometric simplicity and pretty colouring.

Tuna Tataki (serves 2 as a starter)

(adapted from The Age – Epicure 50 Best Recipe Cards, recipe by Jill Dupleix)

Ingredients:

·         about 100g sashimi-grade tuna in log form – I’d bought a rectangular piece and just sliced down the middle to get 2 small logs

·         sesame oil, for brushing

·         ½ tsp black pepper, coarsely ground

·         1 tsp black sesame seeds

·         1 tbs light soy sauce

·         ½ tbs lemon juice – I used lime

·         ½ a nori sheet (optional)

Method:

1. Brush sides of each tuna log with sesame oil and sprinkle over pepper and sesame seeds to lightly coat.
2. Heat a dry, non-stick frypan and sear each side of the tuna for 1 minute. Set aside and allow to cool, then slice thinly. 

3. Mix lemon juice with soy, adjusting to taste if necessary. Serve with tuna on a bed of shredded cabbage or lettuce, if desired. Snip strips of nori over the top if using.

happy cooking!