Sushi grade ahi tuna for a reasonable price! I happened into the fish market yesterday and got that pleasant surprise! It didn't take long for me to have two fat steaks cut, wrapped, and paid for. Then it was home to decide just how I wanted to prepare them.
They ended up getting a fast searing on the grill pan and then were loaded up with wonderfully spiced caramelized onions and shallots. Finished with chopped mint and parsley plus drizzles of olive oil; they joined fat wedges of roasted Kabocha squash. This was a fast and simply elegant meal with northern African influences. Easy recipes that complimented each other nicely.
I made the Kabocha squash while the onions were caramelizing. Then, at the last minute, I grilled the tuna steaks so they retained that lovely deep red slash of color at their centers. The smells were wonderful; the flavours were even better. If you can get a deal on Ahi, I highly recommend this simple take on grilled tuna.
They ended up getting a fast searing on the grill pan and then were loaded up with wonderfully spiced caramelized onions and shallots. Finished with chopped mint and parsley plus drizzles of olive oil; they joined fat wedges of roasted Kabocha squash. This was a fast and simply elegant meal with northern African influences. Easy recipes that complimented each other nicely.
I made the Kabocha squash while the onions were caramelizing. Then, at the last minute, I grilled the tuna steaks so they retained that lovely deep red slash of color at their centers. The smells were wonderful; the flavours were even better. If you can get a deal on Ahi, I highly recommend this simple take on grilled tuna.
Roasted Kabocha Squash
Ingredients:
1 medium sized squash, skin-on washed and cut into fat wedges, seeded
canola oil for brushing the flesh
Kosher salt
black pepper
ground cinnamon
1. Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven.
2. Prep the squash, brush with canola oil all over the exposed flesh. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and cinnamon on the squash.
3. Roast uncovered for about 40 minutes or until the flesh is knife tender.
Grilled Ahi Tuna with Caramelized Onions
a Bobby Flay recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 shallots, ditto
2 tbsp butter
a dash of canola oil
1/2 tsp or so granulated sugar
two generous pinches red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
black pepper
2 cinnamon sticks
2 thick tuna steaks, basted both sides with canola oil and salted and peppered on both sides
For finishing:
a handful each fresh flat leaf parsley and mint leaves, washed, shaken dry, and chopped
drizzles of good olive oil
1. Place the butter and canola oil in a fry pan and bring the heat up under it. As the butter melts, add the onions, shallots, sugar, red pepper, Kosher salt, black pepper, and cinnamon sticks. Stir everything to blend and when things begin to sizzle, turn the heat down to low and let the onions cook super slowly. Toss them around in the pan every so often to get them browning all the way around.
2. When the onions are golden brown and glistening, remove the cinnamon sticks. Add some of the parsley and mint and toss well. Keep warm while you cook the fish.
3. Heat a grill pan over high heat. When the pan is smoking hot, place the prepped tuna steaks on the pan and leave them for just a minute and a half. Turn them and leave them for another minute and a half. OR SO. The grill time depends on the thickness of the steak. Ours were about an inch thick.
4. Remove them from the pan when they are scored by the grill pan, crisped a bit on the outer layers, but still nice and red at the center.
5. Plate them, arrange a mound of the hot onions down the center of each steak. Sprinkle on the remaining herbs. Drizzle over and around with a bit of olive oil and serve them immediately with the roasted squash.
oh that tuna is perfectly how I like it. It's been an age since I cooked tune, I need some now though!
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