CRUSTED TUNA W/ HERB SALAD

Freshest of ingredients. The only way you can prepare this wonderful dish is for you get up at 3am and wait for the freshly caught fish to arrive and order the cut you need. Tuna flavor and its firm texture allows for a repertoire of cooking methods from raw like sashimi and ceviche, searing, saute, pan-frying and grilling etc. In this dish I crusted the tuna with strong spices to balance the medium rare doneness.


INGREDIENTS: Serves 6 as an appetizer 4 as an entrée

TUNA
450 g loin of tuna (best grade for sashimi)
Salt and pepper to taste
Ground coriander seeds to taste
Ground fennel seeds to taste
Oil for searing

PROCEDURE
1. Season both sides of the tuna with salt, pepper, coriander and fennel.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan over high heat until smoking. Sear tuna on both sides but leave the middle part rare. Refrigerate. When chilled, cut into large cubes.



HERB SALAD
½ cup tamyao
½ cup Daikon, shaved
¾ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley
¾ cup cilantro leaves

SALSA CRUDA
165 ml extra-virgin olive oil
32 g red onion brunoise
56 g salted capers, rinsed
28 g black olives, pitted and half rondelle
1 garlic cloves, minced
1 bird’s eye red chili, seeded, brunoise
28 g Italian flat leaf parsley, chiffonade
3 g lemon zest, blanched
Salt, as needed
Ground black pepper, as needed

METHOD
1. Combine the herb salad ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the salsa cruda and whip with a wire whisk. Refrigerate.

2. Toss the salad with the dressing.