If there ever was an ingredient from the ocean to celebrate then, Tuna tops the ranks.

 

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…read on for the recipe

Healthy, nutritious and delicious doesn’t begin to describe fresh tuna or it’s versatility in creating mouth watering delicacies.

Yellow fin tuna (Thunnus Albacares)  aka “the infamous fighter of the Cape”, is a species of tuna generally found 20-50nm off the coast of tropical and sub-tropical oceans.  Tuna season runs from April/May and October until mid January and if the weather is good and the water temperatures are right, you can land a tuna weighing anything from 15 – 100kg’s.   Fortunately we are lucky enough to live in a harbour town, so sourcing fresh fish or for that matter, tuna is an easy task and doesn’t necessarily involve either of us going out to fish.  Tuna can be enjoyed in a variety of guises and two of our favourite ways are, Sashimi, remembering the cardinal rule lies in the freshness, or seared tuna, which is the perfect marriage of fresh and cooked.  We love Asian flavours so the dish below is a no brainer for us, it is the combination of sour, sweet, salty and the incredible mouth feel of the tuna, not only does this dish look good, it packs a flavour punch and is the perfect thing to share with friends as a starter or as a main course for 4, served with an ice cold glass of wine of your choice.  The perfect recipe for balmy weekends.

Asian Seared Tuna:

800g fresh Yellow fin tuna steak or steaks, they need to be at least 10cm’s thick

peanut or sunflower oil to lightly coat the fish

salt and pepper to season the fish

30ml  soy sauce

25ml Mirin

15ml rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 thumb size piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 small bunch of spring onions, finely chopped

Radish Pickle:

2 – 3 radishes, rinsed, trimmed and finely cut into batons

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp white sugar

basil, small bunch torn and rinsed

coriander, small bunch rinsed

2 limes, halved

Rice noodles, if serving as a main course, prepare 4 wheels of rice noodles by soaking in salted boiling water until al dente, then drain off the water.

Method

Using your hands lightly coat the tuna with oil and then season with salt and pepper, set aside.

For the dressing combine the soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, chopped chilli, toasted sesame seeds and spring onions in a bowl and mix until well combined and set aside.

Prepare the radish pickle, by adding the radish, rice wine vinegar and sugar in a small bowl and mix well.  Set aside.

Prepare the rice noodles and set aside.

Place a heavy bottomed pan on the stove and allow it to get really, I mean, really, really hot, drop the tuna steak or steaks into the pan and cook over a high heat for 2 minutes per side, making sure each side is seared.

Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then cut into slices about 2-5 cm’s in thickness.

Using a platter, place the noodles on the bottom, top with the sliced tuna, pour over the sauce and radish pickles, toss the fresh herbs and generously squeeze over the fresh limes.

Grab your chopsticks and ENJOY!