mirin

Tuna Tartare with a Texas Twist

/ Ren

Fresh jalapeños, scallions, sea salt and a touch of sesame oil is sandwiched between layers of pole-caught ahi tuna (1/4-inch dice) combined with  olive oil, fresh grapefruit juice, sea salt, black pepper and freshly-ground coriander.

The dish is plated with fresh Texas grapefruit pieces tossed with raw coconut aminos (think soy-free soy sauce), mirin and cilantro.  Toasted hemp seeds top the raw tuna..

Tuna Tartare with a Texas Twist

When eating raw tuna, take care to ensure that it is exceedingly fresh and that you keep it well chilled at all times.  I cut the tuna into steaks and place them in the freezer just until they begin to firm up, then dice, season and serve as quickly as possible.

Please don’t use any threatened species of tuna or those caught in an environmentally destructive manner!

Sesame-grilled Tombo with Shiromiso-Dashi, Coriander and Red Dulce

/ Ren

Fresh Tombo (pole-and-line-caught US Pacific albacore tuna) is briefly marinated in mirin, ponzu and sesame seed oil before being indirectly-grilled over a roaring wood fire.

Served rare/medium rare with a flavorful broth of white miso and dashi with bits of red dulce, fresh coriander and flecks of rooster sauce, these 1-1/2 inch thick steaks were grilled for just under 2 minutes per side, then rested 5 minutes before plating..

 

Sesame-grilled Tombo with Shiromiso-Dashi, Coriander and Red Dulce

 

Fishery researchers generally agree that the Northwest Pacific albacore population is a healthy stock at the current time. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program considers the North Pacific albacore fishery to be “eco-friendly”, in that there is very little by-catch and no impact on fishery habitat.  Unlike some other tuna species, albacore do not usually swim with dolphins – and for this reason there is not a dolphin-associated albacore fishery anywhere in the world.  Because the catch consists mostly of younger, smaller specimens, Northwest Pacific tombo tend to be much lower in mercury than those caught elsewhere in the world.

Seared Ahi w/Sushi yo Shoga, Lemon Wasabi and Sweet Rice

/ Ren

Few things in life are as simple and delicious as seared ahi. One of my all-time favorites.

Marinate fresh ahi tuna in a mixture of ginger, soy with citrus, shiro miso, sesame oil and garlic for one hour in the refrigerator.  Because we will be serving this nearly raw, it is important that you choose only the finest, freshest (sashimi grade) tuna.  Due to sustainability concerns, please source your tuna from somewhere other than the Mediterranean Sea.

Remove tuna from refrigerator and coat the perimeter with a combination of black and white sesame seeds, loose toasted tea and cracked pepper.  Set aside.

Prepare sweet rice according to package directions.

Heat stir-fry or another high-heat oil in a heavy skillet until very hot.  Sear tuna 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, then transfer to cutting board to rest for a few moments.

Add thinly-sliced scallions and a little mirin to rice; fluff with a fork.

Serve 1/4 inch slices of tuna over sweet rice accompanied by sushi yo shoga (sliced pickled ginger) and lemon wasabi.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦