Grilled Tuna Tonnato
NapaStyle : Episode FLNST-101
If you love classic Italian dishes like vitello tonnato--cold roast veal with tuna sauce--try this whimsical twist on the old classics. This tuna-sauced tuna is not only a play on words but a great dish for entertaining. You can make the sauce ahead and even grill the tuna before guests arrive and serve it at room temperature.
You'll need high-quality imported oil-packed tuna for the sauce, so look for Portuguese and Italian brands. Be sure ot drain off the oil in the can (because it's usually inferior quality) and then replace it with extra virgin oil. You'll also need caper berries, which are the unopened flower buds of the caper bush.
You can also use the tuna sauce on tomato salads, steamed vegetables, as a dip for crudités or even toss it with pasta. (Yield: 4 servings)
Tips:
- A cast-iron grill allows for more even distribution of heat.
- A cowboy steak is a cut of ribeye with the bone intact.
- Tuna is available all year long, but most plentiful in the summer.
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1 can (200-gram) imported oil-packed tuna, drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 caper berries, stemmed, or 2 heaping tsp. capers
1 Tbs. caper juice
1-1/2 tsp. minced Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tsp. lemon juice, or more to taste
sea salt, preferably gray salt
1 tsp. whole coriander seeds
4 six-ounce tuna steaks, about 3/4-inch thick
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, preferably gray salt, and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
2 medium tomatoes, in 1-inch dice
1/2 medium red onion, sliced "onion-soup style"
16 caper berries, stemmed and sliced, or 2 Tbs. chopped capers
5-inch piece of English cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced on the diagonal 1/8-inch thick
2/3 cup whole Italian (flat-leaf) parsley leaves
3 to 4 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon
sea salt, preferably gray salt, and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Put the tuna, olive oil, caper berries, caper juice, parsley, pepper and 1-½ tsp. lemon juice in a blender with 1/4 cup water. Blend until smooth. Add a little more water if needed to make a puree, and transfer to a bowl.
- Season to taste with salt and add a little more lemon juice if needed.
- Prepare a hot charcoal fire or heat a griddle until very hot.
- In a small skillet, toast the coriander seeds over moderate heat until fragrant.
- Cool, then pound to a powder in a mortar.
- Brush the tuna with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper and ground coriander.
- In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, caper berries, cucumber and parsley leaves. Set aside while you grill the tuna.
- Grill the tuna to desired doneness; for this dish, I like the tuna rare, which takes about 1-½ minutes per side over a hot charcoal fire.
- Put about ¼ cup sauce on each of four dinner plates. Top with a tuna steak.
- To finish the salad, add the olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss, taste and adjust the seasoning. Mound the salad on top of the tuna, dividing it evenly, and leaving any juice behind in the bowl. Serve immediately.
Copyright NapaStyle, Inc. 2003 by M. Chiarello, D. Shalleck
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